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| Kewaskum’s Courtney Zarda stands outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Feb. 3 in Atlanta, site of Super Bowl LIII. |
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| Shown is a view of the field from the Zardas’ seats at Super Bowl LIII. |
By Nicholas Dettmann
For Kewaskum’s Rick Zarda, his earliest Super Bowl memory is from Super Bowl XXVII. Recently, he got a Super Bowl experience that allowed him to see the hoopla revolving around the game in a new way.
Zarda and his daughter, Courtney, were guests of the NFL at Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta because of Courtney’s involvement in the league’s Fuel Up to Play 60 program. In December, with the help of Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Travis Frederick via online video, Courtney was congratulated for her contributions to the program, which promotes an active lifestyle, coupled with proper nutrition. Her most recent project was leading the way to get healthy food options sold at Kewaskum sporting events.
The prize was a pair of tickets plus accommodations and travel to Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII.
“Experience of a lifetime,” Courtney said about the opportunity to be in Atlanta for the Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams, which the Patriots won 13-3. “It was super loud and a great experience.”
Courtney and Rick arrived in Atlanta on the Friday before the game, which was Feb. 3. Once in Atlanta, there was no shortage of activities for fans to partake in.
“Courtney was given passes to the NFL Super Bowl Experience so we spent Friday night and most of Saturday there,” Rick said. “There was a ton of activities that you could participate in such as the NFL Combine, kicking a field goal, the NFL Draft, etc. There were also lots of players signing autographs and doing interviews.”
Among the players she met was Mohammed Sanu, wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons.
Kickoff on game day was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. eastern time. The Zardas got to Mercedes Benz Stadium at about noon. They were impressed with the fluid process of security and getting fans into the stadium.
“Security was quick actually,” Rick said. “The presence of law enforcement was definitely noticeable. We felt very safe. We got to the stadium around noon and attended lots of pregame festivities, which included local high school bands, NFL Network live shows and a tailgate party.”
Inside the stadium, it was breathtaking to see the end zones painted the participating teams’ colors and then the Super Bowl logo prevalent on the field.
Rick’s earliest Super Bowl memory was Super Bowl XXVII between the Buffalo Bills and the Dallas Cowboys, a game the Cowboys won 52-17. But the standout moment from the lopsided affair was the Bills’ Don Beebe running down the Cowboys’ Leon Lett after he recovered a fumble and was destined to score a touchdown. That was until Beebe swatted the ball away from Lett just before crossing the goal line. It was an iconic play in an otherwise forgettable Super Bowl, especially for Bills fans.
Being at a Super Bowl, rather than watching it on television was far different than the Zardas imagined. Rick called it “overwhelming and exciting.” One of those examples was the setup and tear down of the stage for the halftime performance featuring Maroon 5.
“It was amazing to see how fast they got everything set up and taken down,” Rick said. “You don't get to see all of that when you are at home watching it on TV.”
Courtney said, “It was really cool with all of the things they had organized with the drones; definitely something I had never seen before.”
They were also surprised at the crowd makeup.
“It was bigger than I expected,” Courtney said. “There were a lot of Patriots fans.”
Rick said the game felt like a Patriots home game. “There were so many Patriots fans,” he said.
The matchup intrigued Courtney, an avid football fan.
“I wanted the Rams to win and was excited to see if both teams could handle the other’s defense,” she said.
And speaking of the crowd, the people you’ll run into at a Super Bowl forces you to make sure you have a camera at the ready. The Zardas rode an Uber with Anthony Dorsett Jr., the son of former Cowboys great Tony Dorsett. And that was special because the Zardas are Cowboys fans.
The lone downside for the game was not having the Cowboys in it. But for the Zardas, it was once-in-a-lifetime experience they’ll never forget.
“Soak it all in because it’s such an amazing experience that you won’t be able to get back,” Courtney said when asked about advice for someone who is lucky enough to go to a Super Bowl.
“Wear good walking shoes and plan extra days to get the full experience,” Rick said.
Super Bowl LIV will be at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
To learn more about the NFL’s Fuel Up To Play 60 Program, visit www.fueluptoplay60.com.
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