Paul Uhlir and Matt Pangrazio-teammates on the men's over-30 soccer squad the Capitol Hill Rowdies-get a laugh when they talk about the pre-game routine practiced by the team's goalkeeper.
"His warm-up is to have a couple cigarettes," Uhlir says, perhaps unaware that this was the same pre-game ritual practiced by Oakland Raider great Fred Blitnikoff, a wide receiver during that team's heyday in the '70s.
The anecdote contains a moral of sorts: the Rowdies, who compete in the AA division of the Greater Seattle Soccer League, don't take themselves too seriously. "We don't think we're a premiere team," Pangrazio says, smiling. "It's all for fun."
Of course, this might prove a bit hard to swallow, especially if you're one of the teams that has had the distinct misfortune of going up against these fun-loving guys. If it's all for fun, it's a very focused kind of fun.
A group of 30-something Capitol Hill natives who coalesced into a single unit just around this time last year, the Rowdies currently stand undefeated in league play, riding an unbelievable 17-game winning streak diluted only by one tie. All the more remarkable when one considers the fact that, save for a few get-togethers here and there, they don't practice.
"In the summer we'll knock it around on the weekends," Uhlir says. The average age on the team, he guesses, is 33.
Both Pangrazio, the team captain, and Uhlir are especially proud of the team's Capitol Hill roots.
"Ninety percent of us grew up on the hill," Uhlir explains, "the strip between Seattle Prep and Holy Names, where cleats were found on every porch and weekends were full of blue and gold."
If two teammates don't know each other directly from childhood, they likely share an acquaintance in common. "It's like two degrees of separation between everybody," he adds.
"We're true locals," Pangrazio says.
In fact, the team got its name from one of those childhood... well, not exactly friendships. "One of the guys [on the team] was a bully of mine," he recalls. "He was literally what we called a 'rowdy' back in the late '70s, early '80s."
Hence, the Capitol Hill Rowdies.
ROUGH PAST
"You know you belong to the Rowdies if you have permanent knee scars from the God-awful crushed-brick that used to be the surface of Broadway and Bobby Morris fields," says Uhlir, who grew up on Newton Street and attended The Bush School. Pangrazio grew up on Peach Court and went to school at both Stevens elementary and St. Joe's.
As Uhlir notes, besides the Capitol Hill commonality, the team is comprised of folks from all walks of life: Internet marketers, a hospital executive, a shoe store owner, a crab boat captain, accountants, a glass blower and, he smiles, "one guys who hasn't worked in nine years."
The oldest player on the club, at 42, is a former member of the Portland Timbers. Two of the Rowdies played professionally in Jamaica. And, "one of our players operated on himself," Uhlir says.
Most, if not all, of the players were coached as kids by Mike Henderson, whom Pangrazio calls "the godfather of Capitol Hill soccer." Henderson is a familiar sight on the Hill, often walking around with a big bag of soccer balls on his way to a practice. "He's still out there coaching kids," Uhlir says, adding that one of his dreams for the Rowdies is to talk Henderson at some point into coaching the team.
ON A WHIM
According to Uhlir, the formation of the Rowdies was something of a lark. Last year at this time, a group of friends got together at the Roanoke Tavern on 10th Avenue East and decided to get a team together for the winter season. The idea was to gather bits and pieces from several squads, the common denominator being they all grew up on the Hill.
"We said, 'Let's put a stronger team together and go win this thing," Pangrazio says. The "thing" in question was a big tournament.
"All of our players spent the last 10 years in various men's leagues on different teams, but could not quite find the groove," Uhlir explains. "Next logical step: bring it back to the Hill. We called our brothers and started building camaraderie and love. Solidified with an amazing five-state open tournament win, we are now cruising and loving every minute of it."
With the trophy the team won at the tournament, the Rowdies started the post-game ritual of meeting at the Roanoke (of course) and drinking beer from the trophy's cup. The team even has its own theme song, Uhlir says. "We are, we are, we are the Rowdies," they sing, after which they recite the number of consecutive wins, and then they drink.
And with a $2,000 tournament prize-the entrance fee was $400-Uhlir and Pangrazio decided to invest in hoodie jackets inscribed with the Rowdies, in order "to get the team name out there," Uhlir explains.
As for the future of the Rowdies, one idea is to find a team sponsor. "A strong Capitol Hill company," is how Uhlir puts it. They would also like to sponsor a youth league team, in order to preserve the tradition of Capitol Hill soccer. As Pangrazio says of the sport he, Uhlir and team played when they were kids: "Capitol Hill youth soccer-that was all we had."
For the more immediate future, the Rowdies have two tough matches coming up: On Nov. 5 they play a tough team from St. Andrews Bar & Grill at Shoreline Stadium; and for the final game of the season on Nov. 26 at Marymoor fields, the Rowdies will face perhaps the most dominant team in the league, FTI. Because the league doesn't have a post season, this latter match will serve as a de facto championship.
"This would basically be the chance to come out on top," Pangrazio says.
FOR FUN, ETC.
No matter what the outcome, the Rowdies' string of consecutive wins up to this point is an amazing accomplishment. Uhlir says he dreams of extending the undefeated streak to 40 games-all, of course, in a spirit of fun and camaraderie. As Pangrazio puts it: "It brings a couple of over-30 guys together and creates this local sense of brotherhood."
And besides, he adds, "it gives you some reason to exercise a bit."
