I recently got the opportunity of a lifetime: a trip to Super Bowl LII. I had a blast. From tasting healthy tailgate food to pairing up with the Midwest dairy farmers and representatives, to helping teach young FUTP 60 students how to do the healthy eating relay.
As soon as I stepped foot in Minnesota, it was a non-stop adventure, starting with my first taxi ride downtown to my hotel. We were able to walk straight to Target Center from our hotel for the Kids Tailgate Party. I could feel the energy booming when I arrived. There were a lot of kids blowing up obstacle courses and games. There were also some amazing kid chefs presenting their own healthy tailgate food. Molly from the Midwest dairy booth recognized me right off the bat and introduced me to all the dairy farmers and representatives that were there. I got the opportunity to do a milk toast with a Chicago Bears player and the CEO of GENYOUth, Alexis Glick. I also tracked down the Minnesota Vikings Tight End, David Morgan. The first day was an absolute success!
One of my favorite events was one I had previously heard about it before at the Student Ambassador Summit, so I was pretty excited coming into it. During the event, we got to see former and current NFL players compete along with real farmers to complete different farming related tasks the fastest. Let’s just say this was very entertaining! This was also the first time I met Manasa, the NFL PLAY 60 Super Kid, she was awesome! I briefly got to know her a little bit before the event started, and I could hardly believe I was talking to a seventh grader, she was so mature.
I also had a little time in the evenings to explore Minneapolis. Right downtown around the stadium, there was a lot of different Super Bowl festivities. These included live music in the evenings, ice sculptures, games, and a ton of food trucks. Downtown was so cool! You could practically walk anywhere indoors on these walkways called skywalks. Unfortunately, my dad and I didn’t figure this out until like the third night we had been walking outside in the super cold temps.
I was also really looking forward to the Super Bowl Experience. This was a giant event! ESPN was interviewing players. There was a giant Play 60 zone with different obstacle courses. And the Midwest Dairy booth had a virtual world game which was really cool. I got autographs from Eric Berry and Sam Acho. My NFL football was pretty full, which made my brothers really jealous. After Super Bowl Experience I got to go to the Mall Of America for the first time ever. Let’s just say it was big and intimidating. This was the main press location for Super Bowl LII so everywhere you looked, there was either a Hall Of Famer or a current player getting interviewed by so many different stations. Of course, at the Mall Of America, I had to do the Fly Over America ride. It was a ride that has a big screen that made it look and feel like we were actually flying over America, I loved it! On our way out of the mall, though I didn’t realize it until halfway through the crowd, we found ourselves walking through the whole Patriots team, minus Tom Brady, but still cool. They were there for a special event in the center of the mall but I thought it was crazy we just ran into them.
Finally, it was game day. We started the day going to the Official Super Bowl Tailgate Party. The energy of the building was crazy, you could feel it through your feet. You walk up the stairs to see the giant stage and so many people. We scored some pretty good seats on an upper floor looking directly down on the stage. We heard some live music and listened to former players talk about who they think will win the game. After we left the tailgate, it set in that I was actually going to the Super Bowl! I remembered a little bit of US Bank Stadium from earlier this summer but this felt so much bigger than I expected. Every seat was full and it was roaring with Patriots and Eagles fans. Since I am a Seahawks fan, I wasn’t really pushing for either of the teams, but it would have been cool to see Tom Brady win his 6th Super Bowl.
The coolest thing, other than actually being there, was seeing all the celebrities on the JumboTron. The Justin Timberlake halftime show was something to remember and being able to attend one of his concerts on top of this event was amazing. And now I can always say I was in the same building as famous people and JT! As the game came to a close, I was waiting for Brady to make one of his famous comebacks, but it never came.
When Monday morning came, I was sad to come home but I was very gracious for the most awesome experience of my whole life. What a week. I learned so much, I met amazing dairy farmers, and I also met some great FUTP60 leaders. I am never going to forget Super Bowl LII!
Jessica
Washington
9th Grade
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