Y2K5SRT
Enthusiast
Even though this is semi-Off Topic, I think you Viper owners will really enjoy this story (and it is very, very Viper-related). On Tuesday I received an e-mail from a very nice lady in Blue Springs, Missouri. She told me about the big "Superbowl" taking place in Blue Springs today. The tackle football leagues were having their Championship (Superbowl) games after the playoffs were concluded last week. Every team in the league at all age levels uses an NFL name. Almost. The Bears will be playing her grandson's team and the Bears have a 25' inflatable Bear that really wows the crowd. And her team? Well, in 1997 several coaches got together and formed (you will love this) The Viper Nation. One team at each age level (3rd -7th grade) would be named the Vipers. Of course, I am thinking that it's cute - these kids and coaches had picked the same reptile as the name of our cars. WRONG!! They had chosen the DODGE VIPER to represent their teams!
Now mind you, we are talking about five full teams with parents, coaches and hundreds of kids agreeing to be named after a CAR and ignoring the NFL names. And how many of them owned a Viper? ZERO. How many had even SEEN a Viper in person? About the same. So when I was asked if we could please, please bring a Viper or two to surprise the 5th grade Viper team before the Championship game, I immediately put out the call.
Despite the rain and short notice, seven Vipers showed up and it could not have been more wonderful. The boys were not told about it all, only that there was a "special" treat to help get them fired up for the game. On cue, seven Vipers rumbled right into their midst at the practice field. I tell you what, as a Viper owner that has seen every reaction imaginable, I was not ready for this. The kids, the parents, and the coaches were absolutely spellbound. Jaws dropped, and then the biggest whoops of joy you ever heard as the kids went crazy. The grins from both young and old simply could not be matched. Mind you, this is a program that has been based on the Dodge Viper for over five years and they have NEVER seen a Viper in person anywhere near their games. We posed for several pictures before the game, and here are your 5th grade Vipers:
Don't be thrown by that slightly goofy look on some of the kids faces - the coaches were firing them up with "WHO GETS THE JOB DONE?!", to which the kids reply, "I DO!!" It doesn't always make for a perfect picture... And yes, even the helmets have the Viper logo, as well as the jerseys:
So, after we get more thanks than we ever deserved, we are ready to head to the main fields (we met them at their super-secret pregame practice facility). Four Vipers in front, a stretch limo with the kids in the middle, and three Vipers and a Lotus finishing it off. Behind that are all the cars and trucks that proudly proclaim that Vipers Rule!
So we make our arrival and give the ol' engines a roar so that those pesky Bears know the Vipers have arrived. But wait, what's this? There is already a Viper team on one of the fields! It turns out that the 3rd grade Vipers had also won in the playoffs for their age group and were also in the championship game! They were fighting the awesome Titans and were behind 6-0 when we arrived. Both the team and the crowd couldn't help but notice the roar of the Dodge Vipers as we pulled into the adjacent parking lot.
So what happened to them? Katie, our grandmother of the 5th grade Viper, wrote this to me earlier this evening: "THE MOST EXCITING COMMENT WAS FROM THE (3rd Grade) COACH THAT WAS ON THE FIELD WHEN WE FIRST CAME OVER THE RAILROAD TRACKS. THEY WERE LOSING AT THE TIME, THE BOYS LOOKED UP AND SAID, "ARE THOSE REALLY VIPERS?" REALIZING THAT THEY WERE, THE COACH SAID IT SURE LIT A FIRE UNDER THEM AND THEY GOT THEIR SECOND WIND AND WENT ON TO WIN THE GAME IN THE LAST 20 SECONDS!" Well, I watched it and it was great. The kids made an interception with 14 seconds left to end the game with a win, 7-6. Watching all of these Viper helmets and jerseys jumping up and down was great. Oh, and there were Viper banners, flags, blankets, jackets, and EVERYTHING you could imagine there:
All the parents and coaches were wearing Viper Football stuff as well:
But wait! It gets even BETTER! As I looked around I saw yet another Viper team getting warmed up. And over there? ANOTHER Viper team warming up. What is going on here?? Well gang, just like the car in real life, the Vipers know how to win: All but ONE Viper team had made it to the championship game of their respective age groups! We are told the sixth grade team is VERY good and narrowly lost in the last round of the playoffs, otherwise you had the Vipers in EVERY CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! It was truly a sight to behold, especially if you are a Viper fan:
By now the rain was coming down and the rest of the Dodge Vipers had left to go get warm. I stuck around long enough to watch Vipers take all three fields of play: 4th grade, 5th grade, and 7th grade. I don't think even VOI had as many Viper flags and pennants waving as I saw at that moment. And to think that all of these people based the name of their teams on a car that they had never even seen. It was really beyond words.
So, how did those teams fare? Well, I decided to bug out before the sleet started to fall and see if I couldn't find those other Dodge Vipers. I gave a big thumbs up to the victorious 3rd grade Vipers and received several salutes in return. I then gave a big roar of the engine as I left the area to let everyone know that no Bear, Eagle, or otherwise would challenge the Viper today. Did it work? I will let Katie tell you:
"I COULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT IT WOULD HAVE EVER BEEN SO SPECIAL TO THE GUYS UNTIL I HEARD ALL OF THEM TALKING AT DINNER TONIGHT. IN CASE YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HOW THE "VIPER NATION" DID...... IT WAS A CLEAN SWEEP, VIPERS TOOK THE SUPERBOWL IN EVERY DIVISION! OUR GUYS NEVER LET THEM SCORE DURING THE WHOLE GAME.... WE ARE BACK TO BACK CHAMPIONS. WHAT A DAY TO BE A VIPER....AGAIN, IT WAS MORE THAN WE COULD HAVE EVER HOPED FOR....YOU ARE A WONDERFUL GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO MADE ANOTHER WONDERFUL GROUP OF "LITTLE" PEOPLE VERY, VERY HAPPY. KATIE"
Racing Vipers is AWESOME. Showing Vipers at the car shows is a blast. But I have to tell you that being able to share just a little of the experience is really what it is all about. What a great day to be a Viper (owner)!!
From The Viper Capital of the World: Blue Springs, Missouri,
Chris
Now mind you, we are talking about five full teams with parents, coaches and hundreds of kids agreeing to be named after a CAR and ignoring the NFL names. And how many of them owned a Viper? ZERO. How many had even SEEN a Viper in person? About the same. So when I was asked if we could please, please bring a Viper or two to surprise the 5th grade Viper team before the Championship game, I immediately put out the call.
Despite the rain and short notice, seven Vipers showed up and it could not have been more wonderful. The boys were not told about it all, only that there was a "special" treat to help get them fired up for the game. On cue, seven Vipers rumbled right into their midst at the practice field. I tell you what, as a Viper owner that has seen every reaction imaginable, I was not ready for this. The kids, the parents, and the coaches were absolutely spellbound. Jaws dropped, and then the biggest whoops of joy you ever heard as the kids went crazy. The grins from both young and old simply could not be matched. Mind you, this is a program that has been based on the Dodge Viper for over five years and they have NEVER seen a Viper in person anywhere near their games. We posed for several pictures before the game, and here are your 5th grade Vipers:
Don't be thrown by that slightly goofy look on some of the kids faces - the coaches were firing them up with "WHO GETS THE JOB DONE?!", to which the kids reply, "I DO!!" It doesn't always make for a perfect picture... And yes, even the helmets have the Viper logo, as well as the jerseys:
So, after we get more thanks than we ever deserved, we are ready to head to the main fields (we met them at their super-secret pregame practice facility). Four Vipers in front, a stretch limo with the kids in the middle, and three Vipers and a Lotus finishing it off. Behind that are all the cars and trucks that proudly proclaim that Vipers Rule!
So we make our arrival and give the ol' engines a roar so that those pesky Bears know the Vipers have arrived. But wait, what's this? There is already a Viper team on one of the fields! It turns out that the 3rd grade Vipers had also won in the playoffs for their age group and were also in the championship game! They were fighting the awesome Titans and were behind 6-0 when we arrived. Both the team and the crowd couldn't help but notice the roar of the Dodge Vipers as we pulled into the adjacent parking lot.
So what happened to them? Katie, our grandmother of the 5th grade Viper, wrote this to me earlier this evening: "THE MOST EXCITING COMMENT WAS FROM THE (3rd Grade) COACH THAT WAS ON THE FIELD WHEN WE FIRST CAME OVER THE RAILROAD TRACKS. THEY WERE LOSING AT THE TIME, THE BOYS LOOKED UP AND SAID, "ARE THOSE REALLY VIPERS?" REALIZING THAT THEY WERE, THE COACH SAID IT SURE LIT A FIRE UNDER THEM AND THEY GOT THEIR SECOND WIND AND WENT ON TO WIN THE GAME IN THE LAST 20 SECONDS!" Well, I watched it and it was great. The kids made an interception with 14 seconds left to end the game with a win, 7-6. Watching all of these Viper helmets and jerseys jumping up and down was great. Oh, and there were Viper banners, flags, blankets, jackets, and EVERYTHING you could imagine there:
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All the parents and coaches were wearing Viper Football stuff as well:
You must be registered for see images
But wait! It gets even BETTER! As I looked around I saw yet another Viper team getting warmed up. And over there? ANOTHER Viper team warming up. What is going on here?? Well gang, just like the car in real life, the Vipers know how to win: All but ONE Viper team had made it to the championship game of their respective age groups! We are told the sixth grade team is VERY good and narrowly lost in the last round of the playoffs, otherwise you had the Vipers in EVERY CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! It was truly a sight to behold, especially if you are a Viper fan:
By now the rain was coming down and the rest of the Dodge Vipers had left to go get warm. I stuck around long enough to watch Vipers take all three fields of play: 4th grade, 5th grade, and 7th grade. I don't think even VOI had as many Viper flags and pennants waving as I saw at that moment. And to think that all of these people based the name of their teams on a car that they had never even seen. It was really beyond words.
So, how did those teams fare? Well, I decided to bug out before the sleet started to fall and see if I couldn't find those other Dodge Vipers. I gave a big thumbs up to the victorious 3rd grade Vipers and received several salutes in return. I then gave a big roar of the engine as I left the area to let everyone know that no Bear, Eagle, or otherwise would challenge the Viper today. Did it work? I will let Katie tell you:
"I COULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT IT WOULD HAVE EVER BEEN SO SPECIAL TO THE GUYS UNTIL I HEARD ALL OF THEM TALKING AT DINNER TONIGHT. IN CASE YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HOW THE "VIPER NATION" DID...... IT WAS A CLEAN SWEEP, VIPERS TOOK THE SUPERBOWL IN EVERY DIVISION! OUR GUYS NEVER LET THEM SCORE DURING THE WHOLE GAME.... WE ARE BACK TO BACK CHAMPIONS. WHAT A DAY TO BE A VIPER....AGAIN, IT WAS MORE THAN WE COULD HAVE EVER HOPED FOR....YOU ARE A WONDERFUL GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO MADE ANOTHER WONDERFUL GROUP OF "LITTLE" PEOPLE VERY, VERY HAPPY. KATIE"
Racing Vipers is AWESOME. Showing Vipers at the car shows is a blast. But I have to tell you that being able to share just a little of the experience is really what it is all about. What a great day to be a Viper (owner)!!
From The Viper Capital of the World: Blue Springs, Missouri,
Chris
