As a lifelong Patriots fan, I felt extremely lucky sitting in Gillette Stadium for the first time this past August. I was lucky enough to receive tickets from the previous Gorham Times Sports Editor, Destiny Cook. I was joined by my parents and a close friend, and although we were met with a couple challenges, the experience was incredible.
The excitement began the minute we walked through the doors of our hotel, as we found ourselves face-to-face with several Patriots players waiting to board their bus. We were starstruck to say the least. I laughed at myself, as all of my clothes were in a trash bag and my skin was slick with sweat. It was nearly 100 degrees in Foxborough that day.
Before we could ask for a picture or get a chance to talk with them, they were out the door and we were on our way to our room. We had a couple hours to spare, so once we got all dressed up in our football fan gear, we grabbed dinner at the hotel. Then things went slightly downhill.
Kickoff was at 7:30 p.m. It was about 6:00 when my parents called our first Uber, which quickly canceled. “Too much traffic,” the driver told us. We hurried to call for a second ride, with which we were supposed to arrive at Gillette around 6:45. The previous driver didn’t lie, though. There was indeed “too much traffic.”
At 7:15, we were still sitting bumper- to-bumper with the stadium on the horizon. With 2 miles to go, we decided to ditch the Uber and walk the rest of the way. Clearly, other people had similar thoughts. The sidewalks were just as crowded as the road. Even better, a short squall rolled in.
Bolts of lightning struck over the stadium as steady rain started to pour. Rumbles of thunder mixed with the roar of the crowd already inside the stadium. It was like a movie scene.
Kickoff had just started as we reached security. My parents walked through the metal detectors first, with my friend and me following. We set our purses aside at the same time. Once I was through the scanner, I headed back for my purse. A female security guard gave me a disparaging look. She told me the bag was 1 cm over the length limit. I could’ve easily given her a hard time, but I saw the hundreds of people behind us. They were just as eager, and stressed, to get in. I grabbed my wallet and rushed back to my parents, who were already halfway up the stairs.
It was about 4 minutes into the first quarter when we reached our seats. The view of the field was great, and although there was still some rain coming down, we were finally able to relax. My friend and I found time to buy sweatshirts and explore the stadium a bit more. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to use our Hall of Fame tickets, as the museum closed at kickoff. The energy of the crowd and the great game made up for it, though.
New England won with a score of 22-13. Rookie quarterback Mac Jones played great, as well as returning quarterback Cam Newton. This was my first professional game, as I had never been to a Red Sox or Celtics game before! The cheers from fellow fans and competitors alike were unreal, and the stadium itself was beautiful. It was so cool seeing all the players as well. We certainly learned some lessons that I’d share with others. Plan on getting to the stadium even earlier than you first think, and don’t bring a bag if you don’t have to. And maybe most importantly, take a picture with the players if you see them in a hotel!