Vikings merit your support

As difficult as it is to believe, we are only a few days away from the start of turnouts for the fall high school sports season.

But before we get overrun by cross country runners or spiked by some 6-foot-1 volleyball player, there are a few items of unfinished business to take care of before the end of summer.

The Snohomish County Vikings wrap up the 2003 Northwest Football League season with a 6 p.m. game tomorrow (Saturday, Aug. 23) against the Washington Cavaliers at Edmonds Stadium.

This has been one of the toughest seasons, both on and off the field, for the 12-year-old franchise. Injuries have taken a toll on the Vikings, who saw both of their opening day roster quarterbacks sidelined by injuries.

So it’s not all that surprising that Snohomish County dropped their first seven league games by a combined score of 273-48. A brutal schedule that saw the Vikings on the road for most of July didn’t help matters.

Good things, however, come to those who wait.

Last weekend, Snohomish County upended the Oregon Panthers for a much deserved first victory of the season.

A win over the Cavaliers certainly would give the Vikings some momentum heading into next season and would no doubt help to erase some of the disappointment the coaches and players are feeling this year.

More importantly, tomorrow’s game is the annual Harvest Bowl where the team presents a check to the Volunteers of America. The funds raised by the team, which is a non-profit organization, are earmarked for local food banks.

If you only make it out to one game a season, tomorrow night’s game is the one to attend. Heck, tickets are cheaper than a first-run movie — $6 for adults, $3 for youths ages 12-17 and free for children under 12.

The poor economic climate in the Pacific Northwest has bruised many businesses and charities. The Snohomish County Vikings are no exception.

Fund-raising was significantly down this season, according to owner and head coach Wes Fischer.

Despite the tough times, Fischer remains upbeat and already is thinking about next year and ways to improve the team.

Fischer and his staff are good guys and gals and it’s evident that their motivation for spending countless hours volunteering their time is simply a love for the game and a desire to make a difference in the community. STORM FEVER: In what has become my annual trek to KeyArena to catch the Seattle Storm, I saw a dazzling display by center Lauren Jackson, who tied a WNBA record for most points in the first half (22) en route to a monster 34-point, 13-rebound performance.

The upper bowl of the arena was closed off but the lower bowl was packed and fans were enthusiastic.

The crowd didn’t seem to be too disappointed that the league’s all-time scoring leader and last year’s MVP Lisa Leslie didn’t suit up due to a bruised bone in her ankle.

Speaking of which, the demographics at a Storm game are a little different than at other professional sporting events. To my right was a father with three young children. To my left was a mother with two young children. Directly in front of me were several children. Behind me were … well, you get the idea.

For a variety of reasons that I won’t get into now, I’m not sure if the WNBA will ever capture the attention of the majority of sports fans in the United States. And the long-term survival of the league probably is more tied to the NBA’s willingness to suffer red ink more than any other factor.

None of that mattered to the 8,000 or so spectators in KeyArena who were elated with Seattle’s lopsided victory over the ailing defending champions.

One question left unresolved was why the Storm’s public address announcer felt compelled to announce Los Angeles’ score first regardless of who was ahead. Seattle led for most of the game, yet the announcer continually bellowed “Los Angeles 33, Seattle 36.”

I don’t know if the Storm has issued an edict that teams must announced alphabetically or if the announcer was just trying to be extra polite to the visiting team, but it was the only thing during the evening that seemed totally out of place.

David Pan is sports editor of The Enterprise Newspapers. Questions and comments may be sent by e-mail to entsports@heraldnet.com, by fax to 425-774-8622 or by mail to Sports editor, The Enterprise, 4303 198th St. SW., Lynnwood, WA 98036.