Food, fellowship and football — just as Thanksgiving weekend should be — accented by some thrown (and caught) fish.
The 2025 Vikings Unified Flag Football Team enjoyed all the above and so much more when it visited Seattle Nov. 28-Dec. 1 for this year's Unified Bowl.
The Vikings and Twin Cities Orthopedics sponsored Special Olympics athletes from the Omega Storm who signed contracts and met with Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah earlier in the fall.
"It adds a new level of excitement to be with the pros, and just to promote flag football sports amongst all different kinds of people is amazing," said Omega Storm Coach Deb Nohr, whose husband Dan and son Drew play unified flag football.
The Vikings Unified team received swag, from zip-up hoodies to custom-painted kicks, ahead of the trip and participated in a press conference and practices at TCO Performance Center in advance of the Unified Bowl. Brothers Patrick and Sean Healy, who were members of the inaugural Vikings Unified Team that played in L.A. in 2019, attended the press conference to encourage this year's squad.
"It really started with these two right here," said Special Olympics Vice President of Development Relations Mark Anderson. "Teammates from Rochester helped get this to where it is today. It's turned into a partnership between three organizations, but it's turned into a friendship."
"Let's keep this going so that everybody that looks at Minnesota says, 'We need to be more like the Vikings and include more people of all race and adversity,' " Anderson added.
The team also attended a Saturday walk-through practice by the Vikings in November where the group broke down the huddle and Jillian Sitarz showed off her selfie-taking skills alongside Justin Jefferson.
The Omega Storm, a Special Olympics Unified Flag Football Team sponsored by the Vikings, traveled to Seattle to play a team sponsored by the Seahawks.
An Incredible Journey
Members of Seattle's Blue Thunder drumline, Seahawks Dancers and mascot Blitz helped welcome both squads with festivities before the game and at halftime.
Ultimately, the hosting Seahawks-sponsored team prevailed 36-30, thanks to some big touchdown plays and effective blitzes down the stretch. The Vikings, however, were valiant in their comeback effort from deficits of 22-8, 28-14 and 36-24.
With Ray Roberts, a former Seahawks and Lions tackle (1992-2000) who now works for Special Olympics, and Sidney Rice, a receiver with the Vikings (2007-10) and Seahawks (2011-13), cheering for both teams, the squads lived out the Special Olympics athlete oath, "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."
Minnesota's Justin Evilsizer scored a rushing touchdown just before halftime, and teammate and Unified Partner Isaac Nelson intercepted Seattle on the opening drive of the second half.
Seattle, however, was able to score on a 36-yard pass before Minnesota's Emily Schlegel found Andrea Racioppi for a 12-yard touchdown.
The Seahawks squad struck quickly again, breaking free on a 35-yard TD run for a 36-24 edge.
Minnesota answered with a 7-yard pass from Lauren McCullough to Dan Nohr.
Nelson, a veteran of the Marines and fan of Harrison Smith because of the safety's loyalty and consistency, recorded his second interception of the game with 1:15 remaining. The Seattle squad, however, was effective with blitzes to halt Minnesota's final opportunity.
The sportsmanship displayed by both sides continued through a jersey swap and massive cheers when Evilsizer and a player named Sam from Seattle were surprised with tickets to Super Bowl LX.
It was an incredible journey for the Vikings team, who flew out early the Friday after Thanksgiving and arrived in the Emerald City in time to attend the Professional Women's Hockey League game between the Minnesota Frost and the Seattle Torrent, the first home game ever for the franchise, which was played in front of a sell-out crowd. The Frost topped the Torrent 3-0.
Players and their families enjoyed having time to explore Seattle, making their way to the famed Pike Place Market, where the fresh fish are thrown and caught as part of the sights, along with Seattle's Gum Wall.
Some athletes ventured to the Space Needle on Saturday morning.
While most of the team rode a charter bus to the Seahawks headquarters for the game, Aaron Clark and his father Kim, an assistant coach, were driven by Vikings equipment truck driver Terry Pernsteiner in the 18-wheeler cab that had transported Minnesota's gear to the Pacific Northwest. Upon learning of Aaron's enthusiasm for big trucks, Pernsteiner arranged for the special delivery, complete with Aaron getting to sit in the driver's seat and honk the horn upon arrival.
The camaraderie of the group was on full display during a team lunch. After fueling up, the athletes practiced touchdown celebrations, including a bowling strike that knocked down human pins.
The unified teams attended the NFL game between the Vikings and Seahawks the following day, and Minnesota's group returned Monday.
Special Olympics Minnesota Corporate Relations Manager Kaitlin Mack and Senior Sports and Training Manager Derek Schiebel were with the travel party.
"We're so thankful the Vikings have brought to the forefront our mission of inclusion and truly building on that," Mack said. "We're focused on the athlete, so you've got TCO, the Vikings and Special Olympics, and we're working together toward inclusion and healthy athletes. We want to see our athletes be healthy and strong and be included in a space, and sports does just that."
When Schiebel was a high school math teacher, he began coaching adaptive sports and "fell in love with the community." He now manages competitions, planning events year-round with 50 to 1,200 athletes, and trains coaches across the state.
"The Unified programming is a really cool way to see how change can happen, using sports as a vessel. You often hear that Special Olympics Minnesota is a sports organization. We do sports, and we also do a lot more, and it really comes from using sports as a vessel, or health as a vessel," Schiebel said. "It's really all about improving, all about change, and whether that's changing mindsets, changing actions, having inclusion at the forefront is really the big thing."
View photos from the 2025 Vikings Unified Flag Football Team participating in a press conference and practices at TCO Performance Center in advance of the Unified Bowl.
Meet the 2025 Vikings Unified Flag Football Team
Check out the favorites for each player and coach.
No. 6 Drew Nohr
Dessert: Culver's; Actor: Jack Black; Movie: Minecraft; Pizza topping: Sausage; Viking: Justin Jefferson
No. 7 Emily Schlegel
Game show: Wheel of Fortune; Dessert: Any type of chocolate or cheesecake; Actor: Chris Evans or Sebastian Stan; Pizza topping: Canadian bacon & pineapple
No. 11 Dan Nohr
Game show: Match Game; Childhood gift received: A chest that belonged to ancestors from Norway; Actor: Jack Nicholson; Pizza topping: Supreme; Viking: Kyle Rudolph
No. 12 Lauren McCullough
Game show: The Weakest Link; Karaoke song: "We Will Rock You"; Actress: Hayden Panettiere or Michelle Trachtenberg; Pizza topping: Pickles; Vikings: Adrian Peterson and Justin Jefferson
No. 18 Jillian Sitarz
Game show: Family Feud; Karaoke song: "Baby" by Justin Bieber; Actor: Zac Efron; Pizza topping: Sausage; Viking: Justin Jefferson
No. 30 Arianna Hawkins
Game show: Family Feud; Karaoke song: "Love is an Open Door" from Frozen; Actress: Scarlett Johansson; Childhood gift received: A tie blanket with ducks on it; Pizza topping: Pineapple
No. 33 Andrea Racioppi
Game show: Wipeout; Karaoke song: "Life is a Highway"; Childhood gift received: First softball glove; Dessert: Strawberry milkshake; Actor: The Rock; Movie: Cars; Viking: Randy Moss
No. 36 Justin Evilsizer
Game show: The Price is Right; Karaoke song: "Baby" by Justin Bieber; Movie: The Greatest Showman; Pizza topping: Cheese; Vikings: J.J. McCarthy and Justin Jefferson
No. 42 Isaac Nelson
Game show: Family Feud; Karaoke song: "I Want It That Way"; Actor: Chris Pratt; Movie: Lord of the Rings trilogy; Pizza topping: Sausage; Viking: Harrison Smith
No. 55 Aaron Clark
Game show: Jeopardy!; Childhood gift received: A LEGO movie theater; Movie: Bad Guys; Pizza topping: Cheese; Viking: Justin Jefferson
Coach Deb Nohr
Game show: Name That Tune; Childhood gift received: Organ; Actor: Hugh Jackman; Movie: When Harry Met Sally; Pizza topping: Hawaiian; Viking: Harrison Phillips
Coach Kim Clark
Game show: Hole in the Wall; Childhood gift received: Bike; Actor: Johnny Yen; Movie: Avengers Infinity; Pizza topping: Sausage; Viking: Randy Moss
