Story originally printed in the Tomah Journal or online at www.tomahjournal.com
Published - Thursday, January 24, 2008
Local fan enjoys a championship game experience at Lambeau, despite a tough loss
It hasn’t occurred very often over the past 40 years.
An NFC Championship Game at historic Lambeau Field in Green Bay. With frigid temperatures and a Packers victory in the forecast, it was a dream come true for most Packers fans, and Tomah’s Greg Bever was there.
Despite the Packers’ upset loss to the New York Giants, which sunk the hearts of millions of Packers fans, Bever is glad he got to experience championship football, and Lambeau Field, for the first time since 1968.
“I’m glad I went,” Bever said. “It was an awful lot of money, and to sit in the cold and have the Packers lose was not the picture I thought would happen, but it was different being there.”
Bever said that he has been to Packer games before in Dallas, Kansas City, Denver and Chicago. Until Sunday, Bever had not witnessed a game in Lambeau Field in 40 years. His daughter found the tickets, and they were both off to experience Lambeau Field for the first time together.
“I probably wouldn’t have gone, but my daughter had never been either and wanted to go to a game before (Brett) Favre retired,” Bever said. “I went mainly for her, and it was exciting. I was hoping for just a wild time when the Packers won, but unfortunately it didn’t happen.”
For Bever, the atmosphere of his first championship game was a memorable part of the trip. Even with temperatures below zero, the stadium filled up quickly.
“One thing that surprised me was how early people arrived for the game, despite how cold it was,” Bever said. “We got there about an hour and ten minutes before the game, and there were already a lot of people there. Everyone was excited.”
Bever was prepared for the bitter cold temperatures during the game that dipped below zero, with wind chill factors of near minus-20 degrees. He says he was cold, but not as cold as he could have been.
“It wasn’t as cold as I thought it was going to be,” Bever said. “We were really well prepared for it. My biggest concern was my toes and hands, and handwarmers really saved the day.”
At the end of his experience, however, Bever admits he was let down. The stadium that was full of excitement during the game and hours before went silent. The fireworks that were scheduled for the end of the game never went off, and the Giants were off to Super Bowl XLII instead of Bever’s beloved Packers.
“It would have just been wild had the Packers won, and I was looking forward to that,” Bever said. “It didn’t happen. People just kind of wanted to get out of there after the game.”
Still, Bever has some fond memories of his championship game experience at Lambeau Field. He says he is still going to watch the Super Bowl on Feb. 3, and that he is optimistic for next year.
“The fact that (the Packers) didn’t play that well and were still in (overtime) says a lot,” Bever said. “They’re young, and hopefully they’ll bounce back.”
All stories copyright 2006 Tomah Journal and other attributed sources.