Mandy Hansen, I Get It

Discovery Channel’s hit show, Deadliest Catch added a new character to the cast last week. Her name is Mandy Hansen. At first, I scratched my head and wondered why an 18-year old girl would want to join her father’s crab boat in the Bering Sea in the middle of winter. Then, I suddenly realized, Mandy is me!

Her father, Sig Hansen, the captain of the Northwestern has done just about everything to stop her from becoming a crab fisherman. Sig said, “I pray that she hates it.” In fact, he instructed his deck boss and brother, Edgar to make sure she hates crab fishing. Sig continued by saying, “She’s been in love with the water since she was 4 years old.”

The narrator of Deadliest Catch, Mike Rowe explored this further by saying, “she’s ready for a new challenge.”

Mandy explained, “I want to learn more and learn it faster. Since it’s my dad, I want to make him proud. I want to take after my family. It’s a fourth generation fisherman.”

But it was Geraldo Rivera’s guest appearance on the show and his opinion of the show that put all the puzzle pieces together, “This show, it’s the real deal and it’s something that people measure themselves against you guys. Could I do that? Would I be man enough to stand there with the waves crashing over me?”

When Geraldo finished, I realized that I was not the only one who thought that way. I always want a challenge (hence my marathon training). I’ve been attracted to the water as long as I can remember (fishing, SCUBA diving, etc.). I’m always seeking the approval and admiration of others. If I were to join a crab boat, it would be the Hansen Northwestern. I would want to prove to Sig that I could do it. But, why? It goes back to what Geraldo said, “Could I do that? Would I be man enough?” Could I complete a crab season which is like running a marathon and a sprint? Most likely, the answer is no, so Mandy, for a couple of more weeks, I will live vicariously through you….man, I feel like a woman! You go girl!