THE FREAKY

THE FREAKY

FANATIC

From "Down Under"

When I got heavily involved online with Minnesota Vikings websites, I landed on www.purplepride.org. As a result of that relationship I came into contact with this Vikings Fanatic in a very unique way.

This particular Vikings Fanatic was having some trouble acquiring a Minnesota Vikings jersey. He took the time to email me for some help. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "What's so hard? Get online and order one." Well, for him it was not that easy. You see, he needed it shipped to Australia and none of the websites he could find would ship directly to Australia. Since he called on me for help, we emailed back and forth and I uncovered that he was looking at acquiring a Troy Williamson jersey.

In the spirit of Vikings brotherhood, I not only sent it to him, but I bought it for him too. We stayed in constant touch until the day he received his jersey. He asked what he could do to repay me and this web page is that favor. He took his new jersey all over Australia and had his picture taken in the various areas around his home.

These photos and descriptions come directly from "Freaky". It all goes to show you that Vikings Fanatics are literally EVERYWHERE!

(Pictures and information are all from 2006)

The FREAKY Football Player (The REAL football):

This first group is just me in my yard at home in my football uniform...plus Vikings jersey! I basically wear the same thing for games, with our maroon jersey that's kind of a Redskins look-a-like. We're known as the Eastside Razorbacks (www.razorbacks.org.au) & we are Australia's most successful football (gridiron) club. For training I will wear almost the exact thing I have on in the pictures with a white mesh training top over my Vikes (as offense must wear white). I play weak side receiver or in the slot. I'm 5'7, so I am more of a Steve Smith/Santana Moss-style player (yards after catch type player). We're about 8 games into the season & remain undefeated. I'm still out with a fractured ankle with torn ligaments but hope to return in two weeks, after our bye round.

On the Town With FREAKY:

The first 3 are taken at a place called Glenelg, which is 20 minutes from the central city of Adelaide. I live about 10 minutes North of Glenelg & 20 minutes West of Adelaide. Adelaide is a city of only around 1.5 million. Glenelg is a seaside suburb popular with tourists because of the beach, harbour & entertainment. The main street is a hive of activity, with pubs & bars open during summer...right now it's the start of summer so a lot of young one's (like me!) are found sitting in balcony bars, drinking beer & admiring the ocean view as the sun sets!! It's a far cry from Minneapolis & St. Paul that's for sure!!

The last picture is taken from Mt. Lofty, which is basically 20 minutes East of Adelaide & marks the other edge of the city. The Adelaide Hills run along the direct Eastside of the outer suburbs & Mt. Lofty is among them. So I live directly at the far side of the view in the distance & I am merely a 5 minute walk to the beach. The area this photo is taken is infamous for it's local produce & is in close proximity to the Barossa Valley, which is famous worldwide for some of the best wine in the world.

Kangaroo FREAKY:

This email & the next contain photos from the same place, Cleland Wildlife Park. Basically, I thought you'd enjoy some pictures of Australia's native animals.

These one's are all of kangaroos!! Contrary to every American's belief, there are no kangaroos walking down the street! You may come across them in the country or outback when u are driving from well out of the city across the plains. They run wild & often you will only see them from a distance or occasionally you will hit one in your car when they come running across the road. When upright most kangaroos are far taller than us & hence hitting them leaves severe damage to your car! They are quite vicious in the wild, kicking u with their strong back legs & scratching u with their front legs. Within this wildlife park they are quite used to people & are easily approachable. There are many different species that are different in size or colour which you may notice in these photos. The really little one is called a Wallaby. They are somewhat miniature Kangaroos & are a lot more gentle & approachable.

FREAKY in the WILD:

The first one is me in the wetland area of Cleland. This type of area is not uncommon in Australia, with various species of birds, fish & insects. Just thought this kinda captured a pretty common type of environment away from the city.

The next 4 are me with a Koala!! The first one is hard to see but two of them are hanging up in the tree!! Contrary to popular belief they are not bears at all, they aren't related to them in the slightest. They are found in the wild high in trees & are hard to find because they are so timid. Having said that, in the wild if they are threatened they are very aggressive & will tear u with their sharp claws! All they eat are leaves from a uniquely Australian tree, called the Eucalyptus which have strong medicinal properties. The way they sleep in trees is hard to comprehend, sometimes they are upside down, hanging from one limb etc...it's bizarre. In the second pic that Koala was hanging on by one of his arms & scratching his head with his foot!! HAHAHAHA...They seem so lazy & quiet up close, but clearly they have a more vicious side.

The Final Part of the FREAKY Tour:

The first two are also taken from the same wildlife park & feature 2 uniquely Australian animals. Both of which scare me with a passion!! Hence I look like I want to walk away in both photos!! The first is a bird called a Pelican which can be found everywhere, even in the pond 200 metres from my house. They have a large, scooped mouth to scoop up fish from deep underwater & the reason I don't like them is they are not afraid to bite you if u are nearby!! They have a small hook on their bottom jaw & it hurts like hell! The second one I hate even more!! It's an animal unique to us called an Emu. They are tall, ugly & downright annoying!! You rarely see them in the wild but if you do they will chase u & peck u!! I was reluctant to stand this close to it, even though it was more mindful of it's babies 50 metres away. They are very fast & well I've been pecked enough times before to hate them!! A lot of people actually farm them now because their meat is becoming increasingly popular, as are their eggs!! Bizarre.

The last 2 are taken from the edge of the River Torrens, which is the main waterway that runs through Adelaide. It starts in the hills & runs down to the sea, but isn't large enough for commercial boats. In the first shot, the white building is our festival theatre which houses all our plays & other such musicals. The large pink building is in fact my workplace!! It's the Hyatt Regency Adelaide, where I've worked for just over 2 years! The 2nd one is looking back the other way...The boat you can see is the 'Popeye' which is a tourist boat that runs tours along the river. The tent to the right are associated with the cricket. I know u may not know much about cricket but it's one of the biggest sports here. Currently in Adelaide, Australia is playing England in the biggest cricket rivalry in the world!! Directly behind me in those shots is the Adelaide Oval, which is considered the most beautiful cricket ground in the world. It's full of 40,000 mad cricket fans for 5 days as we battle each other. Adelaide is therefore full of excitement & enthusiasm right now.

It is truly a pleasure to call Freaky my Vikings brother. We email from time to time about happenings on the Vikings team and I hope to get to Australia one day to see him. It's on my list of places to see. My next goal for Freaky is to get him his very own authentic custom Vikings jersey with FREAK on the back. I know he can't wait. Who knows...maybe another tour of his home when he gets it? I'll keep you posted.

Until next time...