Wednesday, 08/20/2008

Minnesota Vikings Game Day Magazine

On September 24, 2006, Mookie was selected by the Vikings organization to be featured in the Game Day magazine distributed at the Metrodome for his tailgating antics. The Vikingstailgate.com webmaster was given a field pass, and a certificate of recognition.

Open the .JPG

Field Pass Slideshow from the sidelines of Bears Game

See Mookie's view from the field. Launch the video slide-show for the September 24th loss to the Bears by clicking anywhere on the image.

Original Submission to the Vikings organization:
By Mookie

No matter the game time, or season, I am with the group from VIKINGSTAILGATE.COM that sets it up, and takes it down every game day every season. I knew I would be a professional tailgater on December, 18, 1976 when my dad introduced me the diehard tradition at Met Stadium before the Vikings 35-20 playoff win over the Redskins on their way to Super Bowl XI.

We are the tailgaters who wake up at 4:30 am on Sundays and drive to the lot to set up camp in any weather condition. Tailgating is as important as the Vikings season ticket itself, and we are immune to bandwagon fans. It doesn't matter how the team does on Sunday, we will show up the next week. We will travel to at least one road game a year, and we remain loyal fans of the purple.

Our Tailgating at Rapid Park begins with the early crew of diehards, who fry up breakfast, start the bonfires, build-up base camp and watch the sun rise. We set up our custom made PVC-pipe goalposts, and take the first kicks of the day with our nerf "K-ball."

A few hours before the game, the smell of grilled food and bonfire smoke in the air, people start filtering in, and the noise starts. Every type of music, from country, to rap blares loudly. Friends greet each other with shouts across the lot. Boisterous laughs ensue. An entire neighborhood builds from scratch; a reminder of how the American community evolved.

People dressed in Viking customs roam the lots, hawkers sell their Viking wares. Satellite dishes on $100,000 RV'S park next to the shoddy used ice houses and home-made canvas covered shanties. Purple and Gold banners and flags fly in the air next to US Flags and opposing team colors. It's like a combination of Christmas Morning, the 4th of July, your Birthday Party, a church pot-luck and a homecoming game all rolled into one day-long event.

The best part is that tailgating is seasonal. The first half of the season youÕll see bikini tops and shorts, the last part of the season is all parkas and snow boots, but the people are all the same!

Recipe:
I have nothing to recommend, but the following tailgating tips might be helpful:

• Respect the fans from the other team. It's a tailgate party, be cool and respect fans from out town. Treat them how you would like to be treated if you were visiting their stadium.
• Leave the Domestic stuff at home. If you are with your wife, husband or whoever, don't bring up stuff like "it's turn do the dishes when we get home." That is a major tailgate buzzkill for all.
• Grilles are REQUIRED! It's not a tailgate unless something gets cooked on the spot in the time frame from your arrival at the Stadium until Kickoff.
• Games of Catch: When playing catch with your buddies before, during and after the tailgate, keep the distance to a maximun of 15 yards from each other. There is no need to try and through long bombs or unreasonable pass routes into the grills of your neighbors.

   

   

   

   

   

  
  
  

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