Slovak & Czech Cheeseheads vs Saints & Lions!
SK1: Drahé syrové hlavy, dokázali sme to! Usporiadali sme prvý plnohodnotný fanklubácky trip na zápasy NFL na území Slovenskej a Českej republiky! 22 slovensko-českých syrových hláv sa dalo dokopy a vyrazilo za veľkú mláku na dva domáce zápasy Green Bay Packers na Lambeau Fielde! Jednalo sa o zápasy proti New Orleans Saints a následne aj Thursday Night Football proti Detroitu Lions! Za veľkou mlákou sme strávili týždeň a zažili sme toho až až! Poďte si s nami zrekapitulovať náš historický trip!
EN1: Dear cheesehead fans, we did it! We organized the first full-fledged fan club trip to NFL games in the territory of Slovakia and the Czech Republic! 22 Slovakian-Czech cheesehead enthusiasts came together and headed across the pond to attend two home games of the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field! These games were against the New Orleans Saints and subsequently Thursday Night Football against the Detroit Lions! We spent a week across the pond and had an incredible experience! Come with us to recap our historic trip!
SK2: Náš trip sa začal predčasne dňa 21.9. vo štvrtok. V šport klube v Seredi sme si spravili predzápasovú párty, kde sme sa všetci stretli, osobne sa spoznali, dali sme si zoznamovacie pivo, výborne sa najedli a perfektne sa naladili na náš trip, ktorý štartoval už v piatok ráno! V piatok ráno sme z letiska vo Viedni odleteli priamym letom do Chicaga. Do Chicaga sme prileteli okolo druhej hodiny poobede, prebrali sme si autá v auto požičovni na letisku a išli sme sa vyspať do neďalekého hotela.
EN2: Our trip began ahead of schedule on September 21st, a Thursday. At a sports club in Sereď (Slovakia), we had a pre-game party where we all gathered, got to know each other in person, enjoyed some introductory drinks, had a great meal, and got perfectly tuned in for our trip, which officially started on Friday morning! On Friday morning, we took a direct flight from Vienna airport to Chicago. We arrived in Chicago around two o’clock in the afternoon, picked up our rental cars at the airport, and went to get some rest at a nearby hotel.
SK3: V sobotu sme navštívili baseballový zápas na historickom a legendárnom štadióne Wrigley Fielde, kde sa stretli domáci Chicago Cubs s Coloradom Rockies. Bol to príjemný rozbeh do nášho tripu, kde sme sa naladili na americkú športovú atmosféru a po zápase sme vyrazili už smer Wisconsin! Večer sme dorazili do mesta Fond Du Lac, kde sme boli ubytovaní počas celého týždňa. Autom je to hodinka od Green Bay po diaľnici, čiže to nebol absolútne žiadny problém.
EN3: On Saturday, we attended a baseball game at the historic and legendary Wrigley Field stadium, where the hometown Chicago Cubs played against the Colorado Rockies. It was a pleasant start to our trip, where we immersed ourselves in the American sports atmosphere. After the game, we headed towards Wisconsin! In the evening, we arrived in the city of Fond Du Lac, where we were accommodated for the entire week. It’s just an hour’s drive from Green Bay on the highway, so it was absolutely no problem.
SK4: V nedeľu už bol gameday! Zápas sa začínal o 12ej na obed, teda ráno o 8:00 sme už vyrážali smer Green Bay! Pred zápasom sme mali dohodnutú tailgate párty na lot 1 pred Lambeau Fieldom! Tu nás pohostil kamarát fanklubu a hlavný šéf tailgate párty na lot 1 – Scott Schwartz! Ten si pre nás pripravil jedno milé prekvapenie, keď nám dal vyrobiť pamätné odznaky! Na tailgate párty sme sa stretli s legendárnymi fanúšikmi Packers, s ktorými sme sa mohli rozprávať o všetkom možnom! Jedla bolo plno, naše nedočkavé žalúdky sme si poriadne nasýtili rôznymi krídelkami, či klobáskami a samozrejme nebola núdza ani o pivko, ktoré tieklo na hektolitre! Takto perfektne naladení sme sa presunuli na štadión, kde už mal o pár minút výkop náš prvý domáci zápas sezóny 2023!
EN4: Sunday was already gameday! The game started at noon, so we were heading to Green Bay by 8:00 in the morning! Before the game, we had arranged a tailgate party at lot 1 in front of Lambeau Field! Here, our friend of our fan club and the main tailgate party organizer at lot 1, Scott Schwartz, hosted us! He had a sweet surprise for us when he had commemorative badges made for us! At the tailgate party, we met legendary Packers fans with whom we could chat about everything imaginable! There was plenty of food, and we filled our eager stomachs with various wings, sausages, and of course, there was no shortage of beer flowing in liters! With this perfect mood, we moved to the stadium, where our first home game of the 2023 season was just minutes away from kickoff!
SK5: Prvé tri štvrtiny boli ako zo zlého sna. Prehrávali sme 0-17, ale ako hovorí Aaron Nagler z CheeseheadTV: „LOTTA BALL GAME LEFT!“ Neprestávali sme veriť a podporovať našich chalanov, ktorých sa nám podarilo nakopnúť a v štvrtej štvrtine predviedli legendárny comeback! Útok vedený quarterbackom Jordanom Loveom predviedol spanilú jazdu, skóroval 18 bodov a tým nám zaistil výhru 18-17 nad New Orleans Saints! V štvrtej štvrtine Lambeau Field skoro spadol!!! Nikdy nezabudneme na ten moment, keď v samom závere vyšiel Jordan Love na ihrisko v tzv. víťaznej formácii, začal rukami hecovať celý Lambeau Field a odozva fanúšikov bola ohlušujúca! Od tohto momentu to je jeho štadión!
EN5: The first three quarters felt like a nightmare. We were trailing 0-17, but as Aaron Nagler from CheeseheadTV says: „LOTTA BALL GAME LEFT!“ We didn’t stop believing and supporting our guys, and we managed to motivate them. In the fourth quarter, they staged a legendary comeback! Led by quarterback Jordan Love, the offense went on a wild ride, scoring 18 points and securing a thrilling 18-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints! In the fourth quarter, Lambeau Field almost came crumbling down!!! We’ll never forget the moment when, towards the end, Jordan Love stepped onto the field in what we call the „winning formation,“ pumping up the whole Lambeau Field with his hands, and the fans‘ response was deafening! From that moment on, this is his stadium!
SK6: V pondelok po zápase sme museli trošku ukľudniť naše hlasivky, ktoré sme počas zápasu stratili. Tak sme sa vybrali do Green Bay, kde sme navštívili tzv. Packers Heritage Trail Trolley Tour. Jedná sa o takú exkurziu mestom Green Bay na autobusíku, ktorá trvá hodinu a pol a budú vám sprievodcom popísané a ukázané všetky historické miesta a budovy, ktoré sú spojené s históriou Green Bay Packers! Uvidíte tam aj historický City Stadium, kde sme začali hrávať v roku 1925!
EN6: On Monday, after the game, we needed to give our vocal cords a bit of a rest, as we lost our voices during the game. So, we headed to Green Bay, where we took the Packers Heritage Trail Trolley Tour. It’s a guided tour of the city of Green Bay on a trolley that lasts about an hour and a half. The tour guide describes and shows you all the historical sites and buildings connected to the history of the Green Bay Packers! You’ll even get to see the historic City Stadium, where we began playing in 1925!
SK7: V utorok sme opäť vyrazili smer Green Bay, kde sme mali naplánovanú prehliadku Lambeau Fieldu a taktiež aj prehliadku Siene slávy Packers. Ale ešte pred tým, než sa nám začal program, tak sme sa chceli poďakovať kamarátovi nášho fanklubu. Je ním Reece Oliver, vedúci človek predaja prémiových lístkov pre Green Bay Packers. Reece nám už raz dohodol lístky na zápas proti Steelers v roku 2021, ale na tento trip sme žiaľ nemohli vyraziť kvôli celosvetovej pandémii. Keď sme tento rok organizovali trip, tak sme opäť kontaktovali nášho priateľa Reeca, že či by nám opäť nepodal pomocnú ruku s lístkami na zápas. Reece neváhal ani sekundu a okamžite nám dohodil skupinové lístky na zápas proti Lions, takže sme mohli celý fanklub sedieť a fandiť pohromade!
Na zápas so Saints sme si žiaľ lístky museli kúpiť osobitne, lebo kým sme sa spamätali s nákupom lístkom, tak už padla deadline na skupinové lístky od Packers a na zápas so Saints boli všetky lístky fuč. Každopádne Reece nám ochotne pomohol s lístkami na zápas Lions a tak sme si s ním dohodli osobné stretnutie, aby sme sa mu poďakovali za to, čo robí pre náš fanklub. Stretnutie sme mali dohodnuté na 10:15 ráno v Átrium na Lambeau Fielde. Reece na toto stretnutie prišiel a priviedol so sebou aj prekvapenie. Bol to Mark Murphy, prezident a CEO Green Bay Packers, osobne! 10 minút sme sa rozprávali, prediskutovali sme spoločne mnoho tém. Taktiež nám darovali loptu podpísanú našim running backom AJ Dillonom! Neuveriteľný zážitok!
EN7: On Tuesday, we once again headed towards Green Bay, where we had a tour of Lambeau Field and a visit to the Packers Hall of Fame planned. But before our program began, we wanted to express our gratitude to a friend of our fan club. That friend is Reece Oliver, the head of premium ticket sales for the Green Bay Packers. Reece had helped us secure tickets for a game against the Steelers in 2021, but unfortunately, we couldn’t make the trip due to the global pandemic. When we organized this year’s trip, we reached out to our friend Reece again to see if he could lend a hand with tickets for the game. Reece didn’t hesitate for a moment and immediately arranged group tickets for us for the Lions game, so our entire fan club could sit together and cheer as one!
For the game against the Saints, we had to purchase tickets separately because, by the time we recovered from ticket buying, the deadline for group tickets from the Packers had passed, and all the Saints game tickets were gone. Nevertheless, Reece willingly assisted us with tickets for the Lions game, and we arranged a personal meeting with him to express our gratitude for what he does for our fan club. The meeting was scheduled for 10:15 in the morning at the Lambeau Field Atrium. Reece showed up for the meeting and brought a surprise guest with him. It was Mark Murphy, the President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, in person! We talked for about 10 minutes, discussed various topics, and he even gifted us a football signed by our running back, AJ Dillon! An incredible experience!
SK8: Nasledovala prehliadka legendárneho Lambeau Fieldu! Prehliadka trvala hodinu a pol a my sme mali možnosť nazrieť do útrob tohto najikonickejšieho štadiónu v NFL! Vybehli sme si tunelom, z ktorého na zápas vybiehajú aj hráči, spravili fotky v najvyššom bode štadiónu a taktiež aj pri ihrisku! Naše sny sa premenili do reality! Celý život sme snívali o návšteve tohto svätostánku a teraz sme tam stáli a vnímali do všetko vlastnými očami! Neskutočné!
EN8: Next up was the tour of the legendary Lambeau Field! The tour lasted for an hour and a half, during which we had the opportunity to peek into the inner workings of this most iconic stadium in the NFL! We ran out of the tunnel where players emerge for the game, took photos at the highest point of the stadium, and even by the field itself! Our dreams had turned into reality! We had dreamed our whole lives of visiting this hallowed ground, and now we were standing there, taking it all in with our own eyes! Unbelievable!
SK9: Prišlo na prehliadku Siene slávy Packers! Tu sme mohli vidieť a znova prežiť všetky legendárne momenty viacej než 100 ročnej histórie Green Bay Packers! Znova sme prežili všetkých rekordných 13 titulov svetových šampiónov, zoznámili sme sa s našimi legendami, videli všetky trofeje, či pamätné predmety a dresy! Človek tu skutočne prežije na vlastnú kožu obrovský kus bohatej histórie, ktorá bola plná legendárnych momentov a víťazných zápasov, ale taktiež aj mnohých tvrdých pádov.
EN9: It was time for the tour of the Packers Hall of Fame! Here, we could see and relive all the legendary moments from the more than 100-year history of the Green Bay Packers! We once again experienced all 13 of our record-breaking world championship titles, got acquainted with our legends, saw all the trophies, memorabilia, and jerseys! Being there, one truly gets to feel a huge chunk of the rich history, filled with legendary moments and victorious games, but also many tough setbacks.
SK10: Po prehliadke Siene slávy sme si išli nakúpiť merch Packers do najväčšieho Pro Shopu, aký môžete nájsť naprieč hlavnými ligami v USA (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL). Výbornou správou pre nás bolo to, že autogramiádu tu mal náš legendárny ofenzívny lineman Jerry Kramer, člen futbalovej siene slávy NFL! Jerry bol stavebným kameňom legendárnych Lombardiho Packers a taktiež bol neoddeliteľnou súčasťou jednej z najikonickejších futbalových hier v celej histórii – tzv. power sweep! To bola zbraň, ktorou Lombardiho Packers ničili celú NFL a vďaka ktorej sa dnes trofej pre víťaza Super Bowlu volá Vince Lombardi Trophy, teda je pomenovaná po našom legendárnom trénerovi!
EN10: After the tour of the Packers Hall of Fame, we went shopping for Packers merchandise at the largest Pro Shop you can find across the major leagues in the USA (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL). Fantastic news for us was that our legendary offensive lineman, Jerry Kramer, member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was there for an autograph session! Jerry was a cornerstone of Lombardi’s legendary Packers and an integral part of one of the most iconic football plays in history – the so-called „power sweep“! It was the weapon that Lombardi’s Packers used to dominate the entire NFL, and it’s the reason the Super Bowl champion’s trophy is now called the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after our legendary coach!
SK11: V stredu sme mali trošku pokoj od futbalu a zašli sme do neďalekého mesta Milwaukee, kde sme navštívili Harley-Davidson Museum, pozreli si mesto Milwaukee a navštívili ďalší baseballový zápas! Tentoraz sme išli podporiť našich Milwaukee Brewers, ktorí hrali doma proti St. Louis Cardinals!
EN11: On Wednesday, we had a bit of a break from football and went to the nearby city of Milwaukee. There, we visited the Harley-Davidson Museum, explored the city of Milwaukee, and attended another baseball game! This time, we were there to support our Milwaukee Brewers, who were playing at home against the St. Louis Cardinals!
SK12: Štvrtok znamenal ďalší gameday! Zápas sa hral až večer o 19:15, tak sme využili príležitosť a išli sme navštíviť azda najznámejšieho fanúšika Green Bay Packers na svete – legendárneho Frozen Tundra Mana! Za maskou Tundra Mana sa skrýva náš veľmi dobrý priateľ, Jeff Kahlow. Poznáme sa s ním už dlhé roky a dostali sme možnosť navštíviť jeho domov vo Fond Du Lacu! Jeff nás pozval ku sebe domov, kde nám ukázal svoju farmu a zároveň aj dielňu, kde vznikajú jeho legendárne výtvory! Okrem všetkých možných hráčov (Favre, Rodgers, Driver, Bradshaw, či Namath), vytváral pokrývky hlávky aj pre také mená ako George W. Bush (bývalý prezident USA), členovia kapely Kiss, Harrison Ford, Alice Cooper, John Travolta, George Lucas, či Ringo Starr. Sme skutočne vďační, že patríme do takejto úžasnej Packers rodiny!
EN12: Thursday marked another gameday! The game was scheduled for the evening at 7:15, so we took the opportunity to visit perhaps the most famous Green Bay Packers fan in the world – the legendary Frozen Tundra Man! Behind the mask of Frozen Tundra Man is our very good friend, Jeff Kahlow. We’ve known him for many years, and we had the chance to visit his home in Fond Du Lac! Jeff invited us to his home, where he showed us his farm and also his workshop where his legendary creations come to life! In addition to creating headgear for various players (Favre, Rodgers, Driver, Bradshaw, Namath, and more), he has also crafted headwear for names like George W. Bush (former U.S. President), members of the band Kiss, Harrison Ford, Alice Cooper, John Travolta, George Lucas, and Ringo Starr. We are truly grateful to be part of such an amazing Packers family!
SK13: Po príjemnom stretnutí s Jeffom sme vyrazili smer Lambeau Field! Do Green Bay pricestoval divízny rival Detroit Lions, proti ktorému sme mali odohrať zápas v hlavnom vysielacom okne! Pred zápasom sme si dali rýchlu tailgate párty s našimi kamarátmi z celého sveta, kde sme stretli aj Matthiasa Krausa, nášho kamaráta a vedúcu osobu nemeckého Packers fanklubu! Tailgate sme opustili o niečo skorej, nakoľko sme chceli stihnúť predzápasovú rozcvičku našich chalanov! Pred zápasom sa nám podarilo získať aj niekoľko podpisov, vrátane toho od nášho legendárneho fullbacka Johna Kuhna, či aktuálneho wide receivera číslo jeden Christiana Watsona. Zápas nedopadol dobre. Packers prehrali, ale boli sme skutočne potešení z toho, že chalani sa na to po zbabranom úvode nevykašľali a nezabalili to. Náš mladý tím zabojoval a zápas ešte zdramatizoval! Sme skutočne hrdí na to, kam náš tím smeruje! Nech sa vyhráva, či prehráva, stále budeme fanúšikmi Green & Gold!
EN13: After a pleasant meeting with Jeff, we headed towards Lambeau Field! The Green Bay Packers were facing their divisional rival, the Detroit Lions, in a game scheduled for prime-time television! Before the game, we had a quick tailgate party with our friends from around the world, where we also met Matthias Kraus, our friend and leader of the German Packers fan club! We left the tailgate a bit earlier to catch our guys‘ pre-game warm-up. Before the game, we managed to get several autographs, including one from our legendary fullback, John Kuhn, and the current number one wide receiver, Christian Watson. The game didn’t go well; the Packers lost. However, we were genuinely pleased that the team didn’t give up after a rocky start and fought hard, making the game intense! We are truly proud of the direction our young team is heading. Whether they win or lose, we will always be fans of the Green & Gold!
SK14: V piatok sme sa z Wisconsinu presunuli späť do Chicaga, kde sme si spravili prehliadku „veterného mesta“. Je to skutočne krásne mesto a potom sme sa vyšplhali, no dobre, vyviezli sa výťahom na Willis Tower, kde sme mali dych berúci 360 stupňový výhľad na celé Chicago! Tieto americké metropoly majú skutočne niečo do seba! Po menšej turistickej vložke prišiel na rad opäť šport! Do tretice sme si dali baseballový zápas, tentoraz to boli domáci Chicago White Sox proti San Diego Padres, ktorí mali v zostave hviezdnych hráčov ako Manny Machado, či Fernando Tatis Jr.! Ako sa vraví, americký syn si môže prežiť každý a prežili sme si ho aj my! Po zápase po náš prišla limuzína!
EN14: On Friday, we left Wisconsin and returned to Chicago, where we took a tour of the „Windy City.“ It’s truly a beautiful city, and we even took climbed—or rather, took the elevator—to the Willis Tower, where we had a breathtaking 360-degree view of the entire Chicago! These American metropolises really have something special about them! After a bit of sightseeing, it was time for sports once again! For the third time, we attended a baseball game, this time watching the Chicago White Sox play against the San Diego Padres, who had star players like Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. in their lineup! As they say, an American dream can be lived by anyone, and we have lived it too! After the game, a limousine came to us!“
SK15: V sobotu sme už odlietali domov, smer Slovensko a Česko. Prežili sme nezabudnuteľný týždeň, na ktorý budeme spomínať celý život! Videli sme dva domáce zápasy našich milovaných Green Bay Packers a na vlastnú kožu okúsili atmosféru legendárneho Lambeau Fieldu! Stretli sme nespočetné množstvo skvelých ľudí, s ktorými vznikli nové priateľstvá na celý život! Vraví sa, že futbal je rodina a môžeme potvrdiť, že to tak skutočne je. Počas celého tripu sme cítili, že sme členmi rodiny s názvom Green Bay Packers. Cítili sme sa ako doma a ako keby sme do komunity fanúšikov Packers patrili už desiatky rokov! Ďakujeme aj organizácii Green Bay Packers za skvelé zážitky! Náš priateľ Reece nás dokonca príde so svojou rodinou navštíviť na Slovensko! Síce sme zo Slovenska a Česka, ale naše srdcia bijú pre Packers a v žilách nám prúdi zeleno-zlatá krv! GO PACK GO!!
EN15: On Saturday, we flew back home to Slovakia and the Czech Republic. We experienced an unforgettable week that we will cherish for the rest of our lives! We saw two home games of our beloved Green Bay Packers and got to feel the atmosphere of the legendary Lambeau Field firsthand. We met countless amazing people and formed new friendships that will last a lifetime. It’s often said that football is a family, and we can confirm that it truly is. Throughout the entire trip, we felt like members of the Green Bay Packers family. We felt at home, as if we had been part of the fan community for decades! We also want to express our gratitude to the Green Bay Packers organization for the fantastic experiences. Our friend Reece even plans to visit us in Slovakia with his family! Although we are from Slovakia and the Czech Republic, our hearts beat for the Packers, and green & gold run through our veins! GO PACK GO!!