It was that time of year again when the final Pro football game is played for the season. The Superbowl has become an enormous event and continued to be even during the world pandemic. My wife was once again part of the pre-game and halftime game day setup and teardown team. Due to COVID, there were many changes to the events of this game including reduced crews needed for these events. My wife was still able to participate and made plans to be in Tampa for the week leading up to this game. Since quarantine would be a necessary part of this for me also (direct exposure to her), I joined her in Tampa taking a break from winter. Normally I would have explored a lot of the events happening during the week but not wanting to be around a lot of people in tight spaces, I kept my distance and avoided most of these this year.
We were staying in St. Petersburg and decided to go explore Clearwater Beach one afternoon since this was recommended as a beautiful spot to take in a nice tropical day. It’s a fantastic beach with Pier 60 jutting out into the ocean for some great views. While walking around in the area we came upon some sand sculptors working on a Superbowl related carving. It was far from complete but was interesting to watch as they surgically added and removed portions of sand working towards their final piece. As they worked, shovels of sand would be piled in certain areas followed by water spraying it down to compact it for better sculpting. We needed to leave as there was a halftime rehearsal happening later that day. Returning to see the final piece was now added to the calendar.
Saturday morning, the day before the Superbowl, seemed like a good time to hit Clearwater Beach once again to view the completed sand sculpture. There should be fewer people at this time and it was a nice day. While walking to the sand creation I noticed some activity in an area previously fenced off. Examining it a bit closer, there were TV cameras on staging indicating something was happening sometime soon. I proceeded to the sculpture to examine the final project and as usual, was amazed at the final result portraying both quarterbacks next to their helmets. How people are able to do such work is pretty incredible. Now seeing the finished piece, I headed towards Pier 60 where I had seen vendors beginning to set up. This would be a good opportunity to see what they were selling and maybe catch a entertainer juggler or something. On the way there I found out there would be a celebrity flag football game played here on the sandy beach in a few hours. Initially I thought about hanging out next to the fence surrounding the area to watch the game but decided to view it from a distance away from the majority of the crowd.
While hanging around, waiting for the game to begin, I watched the activity on the beach. During this time a parachute team had launched 2 small balloons in an effort to determine wind direction. Before the game they would be skydiving in with the game ball during the national anthem.
As game time was nearing, a brief storm had popped up requiring these skydivers to start early to avoid being caught in unsafe conditions. The parachute team landed safely, the storm quickly moved through, and minutes later, the celebrity football game was underway. As the players were introduced, I realized I didn’t know many of them as they were from several different professional sports and even a few tv personalities. It was still enjoyable to see for a little while as this was really the only Superbowl event I watched due to the crowds and COVID.
What better place for a fun game to take place then on this beautiful, soft sand on a warm, mostly sunny afternoon? It was a nice way to spend the afternoon watching the first half of this game before heading back to the house for the rest of the day to meet my wife when she finished at the stadium preparing for the game the next day. While on the beach watching the flag football game I saw something I had never seen before – a moving billboard attached to a boat. I should have expected such a thing but never really thought about it before.
The next day brought game time to one of the biggest events of the year in the United States concluding the week of talk, activities, and predictions. It also marked the end of our brief reprieve from winter reminding us we would be heading back home soon where temperatures where plunging well below zero degrees F. Another successful Superbowl after so many questions and wondering if it would even happen this year. Hopefully there will never be another one like it!
