SKOL : A Vikings Fan
I became a Vikings fan when my brother's college best friend got drafted to the Vikings. He had joined us on a few family adventures and my dad considered it a 'big deal' to see someone go Pro. The Chiefs football players were always around the community, but we knew Moss when he was just a shy guy.
I had moved to Minneapolis in 2009 and after jumping from one apartment to the other, I finally found myself raising my family in NE MPLS. I've gone from having homeless people fall asleep on my porch just behind the Uptown Diner on 26th, to the late night people peeing in my basement window outside the Basilica block party. I have learned the nooks and crannies of Minneapolis and when I began to see my city morph from Kansas City, 'hometown' to Minneapolis, 'home'... I felt weird.
I'll always be a die-hard Chief fan that understands it's more about the tailgating and BBQ than winning. Royals, Monarchs, Kansas City BBQ and Parkville have a special place in my heart but slowly, Minneapolis is becoming my home. I have a calm northern accent, I have a gorgeous lumberjack husband and my last name even has the umlaut. I still don't quiet feel like a Vikings fan.
My children both have jerseys, and I coincidentally have purple pom poms from high school (I've been purple for nearly 25 years) and my first son's name is a Viking word... but I still don't quite feel like a Vikings fan.
Tonight I was on the edge of the couch, near panic attach, watching my husband put his face in his hands. The loud stadium just a few blocks away, the one we had watch grow from the ground up - outside our bedroom window - went from a roar to a hush. My little one comes rushing in, as we face the last 30 seconds of the game in a likely disappointing loss. He puts on the Viking hat we had been passing around and asked me who Odin was. "The great Alfather," I replied.
Declan giggled and ran off down the hallway and my anxiety passed. Just then, the ball was passed to a jumping Diggs, who caught the ball in a wide open rush to the end zone. In a moment of quiet, late-night shock, I belted out in excitement! I had been on the edge of my seat all night and I wanted so badly for tomorrow, another day back to work while my kids create with another woman, I wanted SOMETHING positive...
A win. My heart fluttered. I felt like a Vikings fan. Not because we had won, but because my entire family was emotionally invested in a game; a unified pride and happiness with others. Because I could feel my community, that literally has been on edge lately, celebrate with unity for the first time... ever. I felt like something bigger than myself was happening and I was going to actually go out tomorrow and buy an over-priced Viking hat in my size.
<3
I had moved to Minneapolis in 2009 and after jumping from one apartment to the other, I finally found myself raising my family in NE MPLS. I've gone from having homeless people fall asleep on my porch just behind the Uptown Diner on 26th, to the late night people peeing in my basement window outside the Basilica block party. I have learned the nooks and crannies of Minneapolis and when I began to see my city morph from Kansas City, 'hometown' to Minneapolis, 'home'... I felt weird.
I'll always be a die-hard Chief fan that understands it's more about the tailgating and BBQ than winning. Royals, Monarchs, Kansas City BBQ and Parkville have a special place in my heart but slowly, Minneapolis is becoming my home. I have a calm northern accent, I have a gorgeous lumberjack husband and my last name even has the umlaut. I still don't quiet feel like a Vikings fan.
My children both have jerseys, and I coincidentally have purple pom poms from high school (I've been purple for nearly 25 years) and my first son's name is a Viking word... but I still don't quite feel like a Vikings fan.
Tonight I was on the edge of the couch, near panic attach, watching my husband put his face in his hands. The loud stadium just a few blocks away, the one we had watch grow from the ground up - outside our bedroom window - went from a roar to a hush. My little one comes rushing in, as we face the last 30 seconds of the game in a likely disappointing loss. He puts on the Viking hat we had been passing around and asked me who Odin was. "The great Alfather," I replied.
Declan giggled and ran off down the hallway and my anxiety passed. Just then, the ball was passed to a jumping Diggs, who caught the ball in a wide open rush to the end zone. In a moment of quiet, late-night shock, I belted out in excitement! I had been on the edge of my seat all night and I wanted so badly for tomorrow, another day back to work while my kids create with another woman, I wanted SOMETHING positive...
A win. My heart fluttered. I felt like a Vikings fan. Not because we had won, but because my entire family was emotionally invested in a game; a unified pride and happiness with others. Because I could feel my community, that literally has been on edge lately, celebrate with unity for the first time... ever. I felt like something bigger than myself was happening and I was going to actually go out tomorrow and buy an over-priced Viking hat in my size.
<3
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