In a post for the Players Tribune web site, Julie and Zach Ertz shared what it was like being champions in their respective sports.
Julie, of course, was a 2015 World Cup champion with the U.S. Women’s National Team, while Zach became a champion this year when the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl.
Both recounted what it was like watching the other win the title, starting with Julie and Zach and the World Cup.
Julie
Yeah, that first game day, against Australia, was like a movie, almost, the way the excitement built up. Our locker room was pretty far away from the field, so you couldn’t hear anything at first. It was so quiet. We went through our pregame stuff in the locker room just like any other game, but as soon as we opened the doors, we could hear this faint chanting.U-S-A!
U-S-A!!
U-S-A!!!!
It got louder and louder with every step down the tunnel. And finally, when we got out to the field, it was just like … Wow. I still get goosebumps even thinking about it. And every game it got louder and more exciting. We were in Canada, so we weren’t sure what to expect. But so many of our fans made the trip, and they kind of took over. That moment was really special.
Zach
World Cup was amazing for me, just being able to see my wife accomplish something she’d worked her whole life for. Celebrating with her after the final at the postgame party made me feel like I had won something too! 😀
Then Julie and Zach talked about the Super Bowl.
Julie
From the moment Zach scored, our section went crazy. A bunch of family members of the Eagles players had started to leave their seats and run down toward the gate where the security guards were standing. They wanted to be the first on the field when the clock hit zero. So I started to walk down, but then New England got the ball back, and I felt like I was jinxing it. So I ran back up to my seat. Then they had the strip sack, and I ran back down. But then New England got the ball again, so I ran back up to my lucky spot. All in all, I probably ran up and down the steps like four times in a full sprint. I was standing at the top of the stairs when Tom threw the Hail Mary.Zach
When Tom threw that final Hail Mary, time just stopped. The ball just hung in the air for I don’t even know how long. Forever. Even after the ball hit the ground, it took like, five seconds for it to sink in and everybody to realize what happened. We all looked up at the clock and saw the 0:00.Wait, is that it? Did we win?! We Won!