MNSU students going Super “Bold”
Students travel to Minneapolis to volunteer for events leading up to Super Bowl 52
For years, the Super Bowl has been the number one watched event in the country since it’s inception back in 1967. Since then, the event has become more powerful and eventful each and every year since that first Super Bowl was played between the Packers and Chiefs years ago. For 55 lucky MNSU students, their dreams of working for an event to this magnitude come true next week, as they partner, along with Crew 52 to form a team of volunteers helping out for Super Bowl 52.
The Sport Management program at Minnesota State University, Mankato partnered with Crew 52 last semester to offer an accredited, two semester course for students who wanted to work the Super Bowl in February.
Crew 52 is a volunteer organization started by former Vikings all-pro linebacker Chad Greenway. With his former jersey number being 52, and the Super Bowl reaching it’s illustrious 52nd game, it was a natural name that came in to play for this team of volunteers. Chad is the so-called “captain” on this team, and has been very involved with volunteering for the event.
To begin their first steps to becoming a volunteer in Crew 52, Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee hosted a kickoff training session earlier for the organization last November at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul and welcomed nearly all of the 10,000 individuals who were selected to be part of Crew 52. The force of volunteers will be on the front lines to welcome and guide more than 1 million visitors to Minnesota in the next 10 days leading up to the big game.
“The (Minnesota nice) attitude is why Minnesota was chosen to host this Super Bowl,” said Maureen Bausch, CEO of the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee. “They remembered the people,” she said. “They said yes because of you. Regardless of the temperature, we make people feel warm.”
As the Super Bowl gets closer every second of the day, students are counting down the days until they make the big trip out to Minneapolis.
“It’s an honor showing the world how great (the state of Minnesota) is”, said Jordan Pierson, a junior student at MNSU who chose to participate in the class. “Never did I ever dream of working for an event quite like this.”
The MNSU students, along with thousands of other volunteers are prepared to show tourists and visitors the way the “Bold North” prepares for a Super Bowl. The volunteer’s jobs throughout this week-long period of events leading up to the Super Bowl is to help people get to where they need to go, set up for events and concerts being set up around the area, and help out with other various events inside the Twin Cities leading up to the big game.
Minneapolis alone is expecting over 125,000 tourists from 130 different countries to attend events leading up to the Super Bowl at US Bank Stadium. Not only is that a staggering amount of people, but it also is making hotels tougher to book this time of year. Over 41,000 hotel rooms have been booked out for the 10-day period leading up to the Super Bowl, which means if you find or need a hotel desperately, expect to pay a pretty penny to stay for a night or two.
While the Minnesota Vikings are unfortunately not playing in the big game this next Sunday, over 10,000 volunteers plan to put their game faces, and show the fans of New England and Philadelphia the way Minnesota treats their neighbors, with respect and honor.
The MNSU students are ready to take on a challenge like nothing they’ve ever encountered before. With the anticipation building to see the big game, expect to see the Twin Cities to be very busy next week.