Company Perks-Cardinals Camp

Yet another great weekend of fun! At 7:00am on Saturday Kevin and I boarded the bus that would take us up to the Arizona Cardinals training camp. One of the perks of working at University of Phoenix which, just paid a large sum of money this year to place the institution's name on the new stadium, is being invited to be a VIP guest at the training camp. Earlier in the week Kevin and I prepared for the event by picking up a couple of footballs to gather autographs on. Once we arrived however the staff on hand informed us that the signing session was for kids only. Crap! We decided to focus on the positives and headed over to the lunch buffet and then settled in right next to the sideline. Before we knew it the players were running drills literally 20 feet from where we sat. The weather could not have been any better as the practice started. The sky was a bit overcast and the temp was in the 70's. Unfortunately, the weather took a mild turn and some over head clouds led them to finish up practice about 30 minutes early. Although it would have been nice to have 30 more minutes I think this actually worked in our favor...And let me tell you why. Our cousin Paula's husband Kent Somers is the Arizona Republic's beat reporter for the Cardinals and NFL. I had emailed Kent on Thursday letting him know we would be up in Flagstaff. He found us in the VIP tent and informed us that Sunday was the team's day off so it might be difficult getting autographs after practice. But considering that they were let out half an hour early I think this may have led them to be a bit more generous with their time. The key selling point which makes the VIP even more favorable is that the entrance/exit gate for the players is directly adjacent to the tent. Needless to say as the players left the field I literally chased them down (In the case of our newest draft pick this is actually a true story!). Kevin was even lucky enough to get Larry Fitzgerald's signature on his jersey he wore to the practice. All in all it was a spectacular day with my brother, Kent and the Arizona Cardinals.

Here are a few updated pics...