Pats Fan of the Year Goes to the White House

The Pats Fan of the Year, Randy Pierce, will be present in Washington when the President congratulates the team on their Super Bowl victory.

I am heading to the White House where I will have the fortune of being
present as the President of the United States congratulates the Super-Bowl
Champion New England Patriots for their tremendous victory. In the event my
astounding experiences thus far have not been sufficient, I am yet again
preparing for an event I never dreamed might occur for me. Im still
assimilating the meaning of my teams monumental victory in a year which is
full of renewed Patriotism. A season which carried life messages in the
form of believing in yourself and achieving goals by teamwork and effort
despite seemingly insurmountable odds. Achieving because you believe and
put forth effort. Lessons which make me particularly proud of the character
as well as the ability of the team for which I lend my fandom. The year
constantly surprises me with the significant events for which I am granted
the means to experience personally.

Congressman Sununu of NH has ensured I will have this experience and I am
certainly thankful to his office. Attending with me will be Kyle McGovern,
private first class in the 10th Mountain Division. He was the radio
operator struck during mortar attack. Shrapnel in both legs and the loss of
two toes during the conflict resulted in his return home to Merrimack, NH
last week. He was awarded the Purple Heart and will be an excellent
representative of a true American Hero. The opportunity to meet with him
and give him my vocal appreciation and support will be as valuable to me as
any aspect of the trip to Washington. I am fortunate for more than the
awards and experiences which surround my football team, I am fortunate to be
an American. This trip will highlight my fortune and cap this entire
experience with one of the most meaningful encounters of my life.

As for the football aspect of this journey, I am and have always been
tremendously proud of my fandom though not for the accolade but for the
pride which comes from something which holds intrinsic value to you. There
is little doubt family and friends always have a priority above a pastime
and this is no less truth for me than for others. Football is a pastime.
It is a pastime in which I take particular delight and through which I
enhance my interaction with friends and family. My passion for football and
more directly the New England Patriots provides a great deal of enjoyment
for many of us through the strategy, rich history and physical execution of
the sport. I enjoy the sport and I've been fortunate to find many with whom
I could share the sport. Having some of those people thank me by writing to
the Mastrangelo family on my behalf was a credit to our friendship and
shared past-time. There's some simple fun in getting an accolade and a much
deeper satisfaction in knowing the shared friendship is at root in this
Patriotic kinship.

I believe in striding forward against each challenge which arises in
life. Football is a microcosm of this mentality. You take the challenge
and you examine a way to rise above it, develop a plan for such and execute
the plan. Each play, each game and each season the cycle repeats. You find
individual victories and group victories and when you properly immerse
yourself in these details, you share a bit of these victories. I've hung in
hope to the last with Steve Grogan throwing a pass to Stanley Morgan. I've
admired the courage and strength of a broken handed Steve Nelson playing the
inside linebacker position despite the pain. I've dared the curse of the
Orange Ball to bring it's best as we strode the underdog Wild Card road
games to the Super-Bowl. I've felt the pride in Sam Gash punishing the
punishers, I've joined an exuberant Drew Bledsoe in celebrating an overtime
rally against Miami. I've celebrated the hearts determination of nearly
every Troy Brown effort and the non-stop tenacity of a young Tedy Bruschi
using intelligence and drive to match his opponent. I've been a bit of all
these things as if reading some great classic novel but I've been close
enough to touch and feel the magic of those moments of personal battle both
in triumph and in setback. For one day I also stood on the field with them
and was in a fashion thanked for my part in supporting those moments which
have been my great pleasure to share over the years. Moments which will be
my tremendous pleasure to share for many more years to come. My thanks to
the Mastrangelo Family for establishing such a tribute both to their Father
and to the fans of our team. My thanks to Fleet Financial for aiding the
continued tradition in the respectful manner which shows their appreciation
for the endeavors. My thanks to the Visa Hall of Fans Program which brought
me to much of this experience. My thanks to the New England Patriots for
the great tradition they build stronger each season. Most of all, my thanks
to all those who each season join me in various aspects of fandom to
appreciate our friendships while immersed in this New England Patriot
Organization. I always Keep the Faith - Go Pats!