Meet Your Fellow Storm Fan: Scott Engelhardt
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"We were finding ourselves after each game wanting to keep talking about the basketball," says Scott Engelhardt. "We really didn't know anybody here, any of the fans. I was kind of surprised to not find anything really online at the time that was either Seattle-specific or just WNBA. I hadn't found any of the long-time existing boards yet. We were walking to our car after the last game was over with, and we were like, 'There's nothing out there. We should do something.'"
Using the model of a similar site devoted to the Utah Starzz, the Engelhardts opened StormFans.org early in the 2001 season. They started bringing signs advertising the site to games and handing out cards encouraging fans to log on. Quickly, it began to gain traction as a hub for Storm fans to discuss the team.
"It really started to come together about midway through the season," recalls Engelhardt. "The Storm organized a road trip down to Portland, and I can pretty clearly tie when people started jelling together as a group with that road trip. We were kind of forced together a little bit. All the really diehard people, those that went, those were the people that ended up on the forum the most. It was a great trip and we had a great time. I honestly don't even remember if we won the game. I think we did, but that wasn't the most important thing - it was that we were having such a great time. We had 60 or 70 people, two busses. It was a fairly large group."
The Engelhardts have been Season Ticket Holders since day one, sitting in various locations in 113 and now settling in to Section 103. Scott and Angie have followed the Storm on the road and last year went to the Beijing Olympics to cheer on 
Sue Bird and 
Lauren Jackson, in addition to enjoying the Olympic experience.
Once StormFans.org started, they found a number of fans who felt the same way about the team. Nearly 900 of them in all have registered for the StormFans.org message board and comment on game threads that regularly feature upwards of 50 posts. Amazingly, the forum began its life secondary to game recaps and photo galleries.
"Just as an afterthought, we added the forum on," says Engelhardt. "I'd never managed a forum before, had no idea what it was. It was like, 'Let's give people a place to chat.' Of course, that's become the biggest and the best part of the site, the forum. It's grown way beyond anything that we possibly could have imagined at the time. It's taken on a life of its own. I honestly don't really have to manage it that often anymore. People kind of take care of it themselves. I sit back and add things when I want to and let them go."
The forum has proven a place for fans who share a passion for the Storm to connect with each other and form lasting friendships.
"Apart from Angie and I, there have been at least two couples who have met through the StormFans forum who have gotten married, which blows me away," Engelhardt says. "One women from Australia who connected with some people here moved to Seattle partially through the friendships she had built through StormFans. A young girl who blew out her knee, had to have ACL surgery was completely lost, didn't know what to do. Angie and I were helping out with Adia (Barnes)'s foundation at that point, so we got her in connection with Adia. Adia went and visited her right after Adia had her knee problems and was able to help her through it.
"It's those kind of things that all the spam and all the trolls and the petty stuff that comes with forum, it all goes away. Without even trying, we've helped some people out. That's been fantastic. Then, of course, all the friendships that we've made with fans not only in Seattle but really all over the world. I've been in e-mail contact, at least, with people from Israel, from Europe, from Russia, Korea, the Philippines. It's people I'd never have had any opportunity to be in contact with. That's really blown me away as well."
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Then, of course, winning the championship. At that point, our season tickets were right behind the Storm bench. Sitting there during that experience was incredible. It's hard to describe it. My favorite moment from that last game was there was a WNBA official sitting behind the bench. At one point during the second half, when it was becoming clear that the Storm was going to win, she put on this armband that said, 'Trophy presentation' or something like that. I was like, 'We're going to have a trophy ceremony!' Of course, we would have had a trophy ceremony regardless of who won it, but I got all teary and that sort of stuff. That was fun.
How about favorite off-the-court memories?
We've tried to go to all the fan events over the year. Some of the ones early on where the crowds weren't as big and the players were a little more unguarded were memorable. I remember one year where Katy Steding and Sonja Henning were at an event. It was us and maybe two other people. They wanted to chat. We sat there for a half an hour, 45 minutes, just talking to them about stuff. That really was one of the things that drew both of us in to be the rabid Storm fans that we are.
Who are your favorite Storm players?
Lauren. I am constantly in awe of what she can do and how good she's gotten. One of the reasons we decided to go to the Olympics this past year was to watch her and Sue play. We were there for 11 days. I think we saw 16 basketball games and that was one of the main purposes for us going. I would love to go to Russia and watch these guys play in the Russian league. I could watch her play a pickup game behind the 7-11 and it would be awesome. Simone Edwards: She wasn't maybe the most talented player, but she was always, I would say, the best teammate. She was great with kids and her foundation. The All-Decade Team - she epitomizes belonging on the All-Decade Team. Her and Kamila Vodichkova were the heart of the Storm for those beginning years. I'd say the three of those would be my personal favorites.
Complete this sentence: I'm a Storm fan because ...
I'm a Storm fan because I love basketball. I love basketball at all levels - professional, collegiate, high school. I go to games at all levels as much as I can. If you are a basketball fan, you should be a Storm fan. The skills are just as good as anybody at any other level you'll see. The high-flying acrobatics may not be there, but everything else is. All I have to do is look down in the front row every once in a while and see Bill Russell to know he and I are right about women's basketball. That's why I'm a Storm fan.
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