New Orleans Notebook: The Kopaceks

Unlike invading Vikings of old, Ted and Cindy Kopacek of Maple Grove, entered hostile territory with smiles on their face. I met them while making connections today in the airport in Atlanta.

It’s their first road trip with the Vikings. Ted got his tickets on eBay for about $900 apiece. A win is important because at home you can watch a team lose for nothing. “That’s why we dressed up like this; we wanted to have the full experience of the weekend,” Cindy Kopacek said. They’re halfway to the full experience.

I followed them around for a few minutes and learned that on a Friday afternoon, there are a lot of people who once lived in Minnesota.

In that clip you saw a former Minnesotans who’s now a dean at one of Tulane University’s colleges. And you saw the current drummer for Susan Cowsill, Russ Broussard, who was on his way to Los Angeles for a weekend of making music with Jackson Browne. Some Saints fan.

Despite being booed heartily at the New Orleans airport by passengers waiting to get on the plane, the Kopaceks were treated well. Few things in life are easier than being nice to someone on a Friday before a big game.