The early word on the prizes in our Early Renewal Sweepstakes held in April and May for Jets Season Ticket Holders is: Bravo!
Donna Marinelli of Nutley, N.J., for instance, is still beaming about her prize — the opportunity for her and a guest to travel with the team to and from last Thursday's primetime game against the Patriots in Foxboro, Mass.
Marinelli, a Season Ticket Holder since 2007, made the excursion with her longtime boyfriend, Erik Carney. They flew on the team charter, and stayed at the team hotel in Providence, R.I. After the bus ride to Gillette Stadium on Thursday afternoon, they enjoyed pregame sideline passes, then watched the game from Section 120 in the Gillette stands.
After the final gun, they went through TSA screening again along with the players and business staff, made the flight back to Newark Liberty Airport, then boarded their final bus of the trip and arrived back at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center at 4 a.m. Friday.
"Thanks to the sweepstakes, I was given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend time with the New York Jets as if I were a Jet myself," Marinelli said. "The trip to New England to see the Patriots game created great new memories for me, new friends, and new respect for the entire Jets organization. It was an amazing time and I am more proud than ever to say I am a Jets fan and Season Ticket Holder!"
That was the driving force behind our sweepstakes: a heartfelt display of appreciation from the Jets organization to all the fans who renewed early for the 2013 season. Fittingly, we came up with 2,013 prizes, and we are still in the process of fulfilling all of the prizes.
One more road trip for two has been awarded to Alan Nestico for later this season, when the Jets journey to Buffalo, N.Y., for the Nov. 17 return engagement with the Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. "I was thrilled when I got the email," Nestico said.
Roy Kleiven, a Season Ticket Holder since 2000, will receive another coveted sweepstakes prize: two tickets to this year's Super Bowl, to be played at MetLife Stadium.
Other prizes include 20 pairs of game tickets only to selected Jets road games. Fifty-nine winners will get to experience home games throughout this season from the MetLife 50 Club, 59 more from the Coaches Club, and 100 winners more from a MetLife Stadium suite. Other winners will get sideline passes and will be involved in helping form part of the pregame players' tunnel and remaining on the field through the National Anthem.
We've already distributed most of the 500 autographed footballs and 50 helmets in the sweepstakes. And 400 fans each already received a pair of tickets to the Chase and Lexus Mezzanine Club for a preseason game of their choice. Merchandise packages are expected to go out over the next few weeks.
The prizes are just some of the ways the Jets organization wants to say thank you to all the Season Ticket Holders who renewed early and are helping to form the foundation for our home field advantage during the 2013 season.
