GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The stands at Ray Nitschke Field spilled into the street as fans showed up to get a view of the first Packers training camp practice of the year on Wednesday.
The first person in line refused to say exactly what time they showed up, but we know it was very early. Her friends showed up at 6:00 a.m. to find the chairs already in place.
The fans right behind her also showed serious commitment. Jordan and Keith Cotts drove 15 hours from Georgia to watch the practice. Not a game – practice.
“This was his Christmas gift, to be a shareholder. So we get the full package with the shareholders meeting, the tour, and then watching these guys on the field. This stuff is pretty impressive,” Keith told WTAQ News.
“The first NFL team I ever watched was Green Bay, even though I’m from Georgia. So for me, it’s just always been a love of the game, and I grew up watching these players,” Jordan said. “I just come out here and feel like a little kid. This is better than Disneyland or Disneyworld. Everyone wants to go to Disney, but I just want to go to Green Bay…It’s really exciting to be here and see the legacy and the franchise that I’ve known about and watched on TV. To be here in person, it’s really cool.”
Not to be outdone, the woman behind them had an even longer drive. Leanna Boehnert and her family drove 3,500 miles from Anchorage, Alaska to catch training camp.
“We’re originally from Wisconsin, and this is my son’s first time seeing them. It’s cool to see them out there,” she said. “I think it’s very important. I think it’s cool that we get to see them and be a part of it.”
Meanwhile, Trent Bennett and his brothers took electric scooters from home to make their annual trip. He’s excited to see a new dynamic on the field.
“It’s pretty fantastic. I don’t know another community in the NFL where you can interact so closely with everyone and see everyone get so excited to be a part of it. It actually does feel like we are part of the team…It’s tradition, obviously, like no other. I’m sure that’s been stated so many times before, but just being so young and looking up to these guys and you can actually go and interact with them, it’s an unbelievable experience,” Bennett said. “Obviously, [I’m excited to see] the two first rounders. I always like to see a deep ball from Aaron Rodgers. I definitely want to see who catches the first ball from Rodgers on a deep route now that Davante’s not here.”
WTAQ also ran into Bobby Anderson. Bobby moved from Georgia to Green Bay a few years ago simply to be closer to Lambeau Field. He’s also nearly impossible to miss at a Packers function with his decked-out cheesehead lacrosse helmet.
“Football is back. This is the beginning right here, and it’s amazing to be here with beautiful weather and the best fans in the NFL,” Anderson said. “Next man up. We’ve got some young talent in there, and we got some players that’ve worked with Davante, so they learned from him. Definitely next man up mentality…Every year, our goal is to get to the Super Bowl and win. So it’s the same thing, nothing changes. But I really believe in the energy we’ve got around here, and they will get over the hump this year.”
Training camp continues Thursday and Friday. More details and practice schedules can be found on the Packers website.
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