SEATTLE -- Hundreds of thousands of notoriously loud Seahawks fans cranked up the volume Wednesday, cheering, chanting and going berserk during a parade and ceremony to celebrate the first Super Bowl victory in the history of the franchise. Heath Miller Jersey . The mood in Seattle was electrified as the parade featuring the NFL champions began near the Space Needle and made its way to CenturyLink Field, the home of the team. At a ceremony inside the stadium, the team thanked its loyal followers -- the 12th Man -- capping a day of boisterous celebration that drew an estimated 700,000 revelers to Seattle. Players were introduced by the order of their jersey numbers and ended with No. 3, quarterback Russell Wilson, who walked onto the field pumping the Lombardi Trophy in the air to thunderous applause. "Our plan is to win another one for you next year," Wilson said later. Coach Pete Carroll led the crowd in a "Seahawks! Seahawks!" chant and said the team will be back. "Were just getting warmed up, if you know what Im talking about," he said. Nick Sutton watched the parade from Westlake Center and considered it a highlight when he threw a football to one of the players who threw it back to him. "Its surreal. Its hard to believe. Seeing this now, its finally sinking in," he said. Hundreds of thousands of fan lined the streets of downtown Seattle early in the day and cheered as the players rolled by. Thousands of students apparently skipped school to attend. Seattle Public Schools said more than 25 per cent of the districts 51,000 students were absent in the morning. By comparison, about 5 per cent were absent the day before. The school district also said 565 teachers were absent, far more than usual. "This is a historical event, once in a lifetime. To not show up would be blasphemy," said Jesse Lake, 36, a carpenter from Port Orchard, who stood in the packed parking lot outside CenturyLink Field to greet the team as they arrived. Shawn Cooper and Marlana Studebaker of Covington staked out a spot hours before the parade started and displayed supersized photo cutouts of Wilson and cornerback Richard Sherman, prompting many fans to stop and take photos. "This was a long-awaited win. Its well worth the wait," Cooper said. "Theyre years ahead of their time, which makes me believe theres another one coming." Dakota Heaphy, 20, and friend Ellie Hergert, 20, drove all night from Cheyenne, Wyo. -- more than 1,400 miles away. "My boss is a Broncos fan and said we kicked their butts and deserved to go," Hergert said. Revelers packed the 2-mile route, wearing blue and green wigs, waving flags, scarves and signs, and breaking out into song and dance. The Washington National Guard chauffeured many of the players in Humvees and other military vehicles under blue, sunny skies in cold temperatures. Elected officials rode along in amphibious vehicles used to take tourists around the city. Players enjoyed the celebration as much as the fans. Running back Marshawn Lynch sat on the hood of a vehicle carrying the Sea Gals cheerleaders. He tossed Skittles -- his favourite treat -- into the crowd. Other Seahawks players threw jerseys and T-shirts to fans while waving blue "12" flags as a sign of gratitude. Boisterous fans observed a "moment of loudness" at 12:12 p.m. Crowds also gathered in Spokane, Olympia and elsewhere in the state to celebrate the first championship in the 38-year history of the franchise. Many fans had camped out overnight to reserve front-row seats along the route, braving freezing temperatures. Others perched on window sills and balconies, climbed trees and pillars, or sat on sturdier shoulders to get a better view. At Westlake Center, smartphones and cameras were thrust into the air whenever players rolled by. Seattle city officials asked the public to keep cellphone use to a minimum to keep lines free for emergency use. There were some reported difficulties with 911 calls getting through, said Jeff Reading, a spokesman for the mayor. Chris Hoops, a sales worker from Everett, and his school-aged daughters left home at 7 a.m. to get a good spot. The girls, 11-year-old Emily and 8-year-old Bella, were bundled in sleeping bags at his feet. They warmed up when they were asked whether they were sorry about missing school. They shouted "No!" in unison. "I like the Seahawks," Emily said. "They were really good this season." Antonio Brown Jersey . Nick Bonino and Matt Beleskey also scored in regulation and Frederik Andersen stopped 27 shots for the Ducks, who will face Dallas in the opening round of the post-season. Anze Kopitar had two goals, including the tying one with 3:12 left in the third period, and Dustin Brown also scored for Los Angeles.Cortez Allen Steelers Jersey . Blake Griffin had 27 points and eight rebounds, Chris Paul added 19 points -- including a go-ahead layup in the final minute -- and the Clippers beat the Hawks 109-108 on Saturday night for their season-high seventh straight win. "In the locker room, I almost felt like we lost the game, because we expect a lot from themselves," Paul said. SOCHI, Russia -- The amazing ride for Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse didnt end at the Sanki Sliding Center. Canadas Olympic bobsled champions received one of the Games highest honours, chosen to carry Canadas flag into Sundays closing ceremony. "Wow. Its truly an honour to represent what our Canadian athletes are all about," Moyse said. "If we look back to the Canadian teams performance back in Vancouver (in 2010) we can see that a new culture of winning has truly emerged. "The fight that Kaillie and I demonstrated here reflects the fight of all of our Canadian athletes. We are strong. We are winter. We have the strength of a nation behind us. We were raised on ice and in snow. "And as we said in our note to the Canadian hockey team, we also fight to the bitter end." Only twice before has Canada had two people share flag duties: pairs figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier in 2002, and rowers Marnie McBean and Kathleen Heddle in 1996. Womens hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser carried the flag into the opening ceremony in Sochi. Humphries, from Calgary, and Moyse, from Summerside, P.E.I., displayed steely nerves in their come-from-behind victory. The Canada 1 sled had a gap of 11-100ths of a second to close entering the final run. Moyse delivered with a strong push at the start, then Humphries took over from there. In the end the USA-1 sled came up short on its final run, giving Canada the win by a tenth of a second. "We were able to show the world that were fierce, were proud, were determined, were not going to settle for anything less than being the very best, and were going to do it in our own way," Humphries said. "Heather and I in our race. . . neither of us gave up and we knew we had a nation behind us, pushing us, and not giving up either, and that gave us the strength to really go all in and never let up." Humphries and Moyse were underdogs when they won at the Vancouver Games four years ago but were favourites this time around. The Canadians had at least silver locked up after their final run at the Sanki Sliding Center, and then had a nervous two-minute wait in the finish area while Americans Elana Meyers and Lauryn Williams completed their run. The pressure seemed to get to the Americans, who came up one-10tth of a second short with a wobbly run, meaning Canadas women were golden once again. Markus Wheaton Steelers Jersey. Humphries and Moyse received the flag news very early Sunday morning. Theyd been at the bobsled track late watching the Canadian men race. When the 28-year-old Humphries got the call from Canadian chef de mission Steve Podborski, she thought shed pocket-dialled him. "He was like No, I called you," Humphries said. "To get that phone call to be told that you get to walk into a ceremonies with your countrymen behind you, your teammates, your family, and to know that youve been chosen as one to represent. . . goes beyond just words." As the women pointed out, they represent Canada almost from coast to coast. After the Vancouver Games, there were references about the two being meat and potatoes -- Alberta beef and P.E.I. potatoes. "That steak and potatoes, that gold-medal meal," Humphries said. "We tie in everywhere from coast to coast, and its not just (an honour) to represent our country, but to represent the athletes who are here, the best of the best who already represent our country so well." Podborski said the bobsledders embody the values the Canadian Olympic team set for the Sochi Games -- stoked, proud, inspired, fierce and unstoppable. "By defending their Olympic championship in a four-run come-from-behind battle that was clinched in literally the last few seconds, the last few metres," he said. The Canadian Olympic Committee had "an embarrassment of riches," to choose from as well, he added. Among other likely candidates: womens and mens curling champions Jennifer Jones and Brad Jacobs, moguls champion Alex Bilodeau, and sisters Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe sisters, gold and silver medallists in womens moguls. Hours before they were to march into Fisht Olympic stadium, Humphries was hoping to control her nerves while Moyse was worried about crying. "Im so nervous and so excited for it and I was not even close to this nervous competing by any means," Humphries said, laughing. "For me the nerves will probably be to try to get through it without sobbing," Moyse added. "Its an extremely emotional feeling, so if I get through it without crying, that will be a huge step." cheap nfl jerseyscheap jerseys ' ' '
