Going to the Vikings Game!

 Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog!

This week's blog post is going to be a little different than usual. The creative part of this project was the creation of my Halloween costume, as well as my dad's costume. However, this post is about the event we wore those Halloween costumes to: the Minnesota Vikings football game against the Dallas Cowboys on October 31 at 7:20pm.  

When I first heard that the Vikings were having a game on Halloween, I really wanted to go. I'm a huuuuuge fan. When I learned that it was not only on Halloween but it was a NIGHT game, I had to go. I asked my dad in early August if we could go in costume, and I think his response was something like, "Duh!" 

I instantly knew that I wanted to dress as Astrid Hofferson from the How To Train Your Dragon movie franchise. I love those movies, and since all of those characters are actual Vikings, I thought it was the perfect choice. My dad originally wanted to dress up as the Joker, but I convinced him to become Odin, based on the Marvel portrayal of the Norse king god. 

So, this blog is about my time getting ready for and attending the Vikings game! Enjoy!

We started working on our costumes as soon as we found out about the game. Even though we started months ago, my dad and I were working on our costumes right up to the day of the game. I woke up nice and early to put the finishing touches on my costume, then I got to work on makeup. As a Viking, Astrid doesn't wear too much makeup (thank you for making this easy on me, animation!), but she does have freckles, so I drew some on, enhanced the shape of my eyes, and called it good!

After that, I styled my hair the way she does, a small knotted braid leading into a big one, and wrapped by a strand of leather. My dad slicked his hair back like Odin. Then we got into costume and headed to the nearest park to take some pictures. 

After we took the pictures, I realized I wasn't wearing my arm bands! But I didn't have time to retake pictures at home. We hopped in our cars and drove up to Rosemount, MN, where my dad's brother and his wife live. There, we took more pictures before having a nice dinner. Then my dad and I headed off to the train station at Fort Snelling. 

We rode the train all the way to US Bank Stadium, and I was pleased that the whole train was PACKED with Vikings fans. Many people were in costumes too. On the train alone, we saw Spiderman, Prince, and a guy with a huge fuzzy purple wig. After getting off the train, I felt so happy to be among "my people," that is, fellow die-hard Vikings fans. 

Many people complimented my costume, which made me feel great. I was stopped by quite a few people to have my picture taken with them! One of them was even a Dallas fan, which was a lot of fun. My biggest worry of the night was getting through security. I saw security take some people's Halloween masks, and I was worried they would try to take my cape or shoulder pads. I was also worried that I would have too much metal on my costume and that the detector would beep as I went through. But my dad and I made it through just fine! Unfortunately, security was extra strict (due to the holiday), so no fake or prop weapons were allowed. My dad and I knew this going in, so we didn't take our prop weapons to the game. That's okay though! Our clothing was the main focus of our costume. 

We went inside the stadium at 6:20pm, a full hour before game time, and it was already packed with people. And when I say packed, I mean PACKED. Check it out!

Our seats were all the way across the stadium from where we came in, so it's a good thing we arrived so early, because it took us about 20 minutes to navigate through the crowds and get to our spots. Once we were there, there was a weird waiting period for us: we felt relaxed at finally making to our seats and being at the game, but we were also so pumped for the pre-game show and for the game itself. 

Our seats were on the second floor, and they had such a great view! Every time I go to a Vikings game I get worried about the view from where our seats will be, but I have never once been let down. And I've sat with my back against the wall in the highest section before (talk about a climb!)! There really isn't a bad seat in the house. 

The pre-game show was LIGHTS. OUT. Over the summer, I actually worked for the Minnesota Vikings at training camp as an intern, and they told us that they were remaking the pre-game show and turning it from a 4-minute presentation into a 15-minute presentation. They did not disappoint. The music was a special composition written and performed by the Minnesota Orchestra. The stadium lights went off and there was a crazy light show. The cheerleaders, the SKOL Line (a drumline) and banner carriers ran onto the field and performed. They played a video of past Vikings players hyping up our team and fans. And oh yeah: it snowed. From the ceiling, blasts of fake, water-soluble snow rained down on the fans. The Vikings are know as the rulers of the North, and Minnesota is notorious for its snowstorms and cold weather, so it made perfect sense. All I can say is, it ROCKED. Everything was so cool (pun intended)!

And then of course, we did the SKOL chant. This was introduced in recent years, and let me tell you: it ROCKS. One of the drummers from the SKOL Line bangs on a huge drum, and as one, the everyone in the stadium claps their hands together and screams "SKOL!" I think it's the moment when I feel most connected to all of the other Vikings fans. We are all unified, and we are powerful. It's so much fun. 

Then it was actually game time. I'm not going to give a play-by-play rundown, but I'll tell you that the game was SO FUN. I remember looking up at my dad at the end of the first quarter and just saying, "I love Vikings football." When Adam Thielen scored a touchdown, the stadium went nuts. Fireworks exploded, fans were cheering and jumping around, everyone was so hyped up. I wish I could live in a moment like that. The energy is unmatched.

Our "halftime show" was incredible. It honored former Vikings offensive lineman Steve Hutchinson by presenting him with his Hall of Fame ring. Hutchinson was part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2020, and was officially inducted this past August. It was really cool to see him accept his ring and be honored for the great player that he was. 

Unfortunately, things started heading downhill after the half. Even though the Vikings were winning for most the game, I had this pit in my stomach, because it felt like we were losing. We were not playing our best game. In the end, the Dallas Cowboys took the lead with about 1 minute left in the game, the Vikings were not able to make a comeback, and the Cowboys won the game.

Even though I was pretty upset that we lost the game, I still had a blast. I loved my costume, I loved my dad's costume, and I loved being surrounded by Vikings fans who love the team like I do. It was so cool that I got to attend a home Vikings game on Halloween night, only the 9th time it has happened in franchise history. 

Thanks for reading! I had such a fun time. 

Let me know who your favorite NFL team is! Unless it's the Green Bay Packers. Haha!