Herder of the Week - March 11th, 2007

Trojan Hotties

HOTW: Minx and Inga
by Mojack

The sun rises on the East Coast three hours before it gets out here in the West, and so some of the more passionate Trojans fans wake up a little earlier to cheer on their Trojans than us West Coasters. No, I’m not talking about that being unfair, and no, I’m not talking East Coast bias now, no, this is about an Easterner who is easily described with a one-syllable name. And when that name is said it has an instant recognition, like Cher, like Madonna, those other singular-name superstars. Yes, I’m talking about the Herd’s one and only…Minx. One of those West Virginia Trojan fans, okay there aren’t many, but Minx is definitely one of those Mountaineer Herders…(photo right: Inga and Minx) okay, again, there aren’t many, which solidifies my above point that there is one, and only one…Minx.

If you weren’t around in the old days, then you missed the time where Minx was the Trojan Hottie, her description on the old board, and guys flirted with Minx on a daily basis. Her story is unique and interesting, and before I continue to give Minx the props she deserves for hanging with us on the male-dominated message boards since the genesis of the Herd, I have to introduce Minx’s partner-in-crime, Inga. Better known as one-legged Inga. Not that we need to get into the whole one-leg thing yet, just know that Minx and Inga are traveling buddies, best friends, Trojan compadres, and dual-Herders to the core. They go together like Scooby Doo and Shaggy, like Herbstreit and Corso, or maybe the analogy works better if we imagine them to be Thelma and Louise with Bryan Springer (Mr. SC) in the back of their convertible as the shirtless Brad Pitt character. Minx and Inga have become such Herd icons that their names have been combined a la Brangelina and Benifer into “Minga”…(photo left: Minx and Inga at Notre Dame)

Shorty describes how he first met Minga, a year before the Herd’s first game, “It was August of 2000 and Red and I had just exited the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC, before the Kickoff Classic game against Penn State. We heard, "Red? Shorty?" Turning back we spot two gorgeous women, who else but Minxy and Inga. What followed was a legendary night: cosmopolitans (drinks), pictures of us riding cows, Red jumping out of a cab at a stop light to buy the girls flowers on the way to the famous McSorley's Old Ale House. And at McSorley's, the place is packed. There is a back room that seems to be all Penn Staters. Red announces, "HEY GUYS. THIS (pointing to the blonde Krista) IS INGA. SHE'S FROM SWEEEEEDEN AND DOESN'T SPEAK MUCH EEEENGLISH." Suddenly, Inga is being passed overhead to the back room. Almost as quickly, we lost Minx to the front room full of Trojans. Red and I went to the bar and had a couple of beers! Those girls are queens…”

Brooks continued, “Both Minx and Inga are such sweet ladies and such good sports. Minx is always chipping in for the underdog when the board jumps them. One time they were all over TFan when he was about 16 years old and posted "queers cheer for Old Notre Dame.” Some guys started harassing him. Minx just said I wonder if you guys ever said anything like that when you were 17. The harassment stopped. The kindergarten teacher came to the rescue.”

As stated above, Minx has been a great sport to participate on the boards with us. She doesn’t post as much as she once did, or as much as we’d like her to, for some great reasons as she’ll explain below. We’ve all congratulated her on her wonderful last year, and we thank Minx and Inga again for being a part of the Herd, and joining us on those rare occasions they can. Each time is a classic. For all the above reasons, Minx and Inga are our first Herdettes of the Week.

How did a girl from West Virginia and a Mountaineer also become a USC fan? And how did you convert Inga into becoming a fan of the Trojans?

First of all, Inga and I would like to say thank you for even thinking of us to be the Herder(s) of the week. We quickly realized that our responses and comments won’t be the “typical” responses that we’ve been reading thus far on the board. We haven’t been Trojans since birth, we can’t attend many games, and we don’t remember each game play by play. But we do consider ourselves to be part of a very special group of people, the Herd. We’re there in spirit even if we can’t be in person.

Okay, now I will give you the answer to your question. (photo right: Minx and Inga in the airport, having strangers do the wave) I’ll give it to you in short story form. Here goes:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Minx. A friend of hers was a USC Trojan fan. Being the loyal, sweet-natured girl that she is….she threw herself into the “Trojan culture.” She began posting on TFO, participating in football chats, watching any USC game they could find shown on the East Coast. At this point in time, the Trojans were making their way to NY to participate in the Kickoff Classic against Penn State at Giants Stadium. Minx needed a partner in crime so she recruited her Swedish friend, who really isn’t even Swedish, Inga. (a.k.a. Krista) She convinced her to attend the game with her. Inga was now hooked too.

Tell us about your Steelers and how huge a fan you are with that team. Do you have ny special moments as a Steeler fan you can share with us? What’s it like now that Troy P. has become one of the most popular Steeler players?

Well, pretty much attending ANY Steeler game in Pittsburgh is memorable. A few years ago Inga and I attending every single home game. (Pre-season, regular season, playoffs, etc.) That was definitely my most memorable year. It’s hard to explain the atmosphere unless you’ve been there. Those are some pretty die-hard fans.

I can also say I’m pretty sure Inga and I were the very first Steeler fans to rock the Troy Polamalu jerseys. I had them specially made following the draft, before he even signed a contract. (Thank goodness he did, but I still would have worn the jersey anyway!) Now you can hardly walk down a street without seeing fifty 43’s on the block. (band wagoners lol) J

The Herd came into being on an old message board, and you were there during the genesis. What were your thoughts, if you remember, as this thing was coming to fruition and did you realize what this could become, or did you just come along for the ride because the friends you had made on the boards were members of this group?

Honestly, a huge attraction for us to initially be in the Herd WAS due to the people that we had met. I feel that the people in the Herd are the true essence of what the Herd is really about. We realize that we are not able to participate like we could if lived on the left coast, but we are happy to participate in any way that we can. I knew with the leadership that was behind it, the Herd would go far….and it has.

How did it, and how does it feel for you and Inga to have been the early “sex” symbols for the Herd? You were some of the first girls on the Trojan message boards, and since it is a male dominated hobby, how did you adapt to becoming the “Trojan Hotties”? (If I remember the “label” on the old website you were given back in the day.)

Ha! Ha! We hardly consider ourselves sex symbols. (Where do you come up with these questions anyway?!) J (photo right: tree elves) I don’t ever recall Trojan hottie, but we do recall “Tree Elf” and “PFGH”. (think back….) But we thank you for the compliment anyway!

Tell us about some of Inga’s and your famous road trips with the Herd and other Trojan fans. The Penn State game. And the Cosmopolitans. The taxi ride in Washington, D.C. before the Virginia Tech game. The party at Trojanation’s house and the dinner in Long Beach before the Auburn game at the Coliseum. Great fun, great stories, and Minx and Inga were there. Give us some details.

Well, when I asked Krista about this, the first memory that came to her mind was of Watts, California, Red’s hometown, and of the horse buried in the backyard. (photo left: Herd dinner at Bacchus) From that night, what I recall most vividly, is the two men that stood beside our truck stating, “If these bitches ain’t showin’ skin, I’m getting the f$#@ out of here.” (Inga and I started to sweat in the back seat at this point.) Thanks Shorty and Red. It’s all your fault, again. Just like the 10 pitchers of Cosmos in NYC, (Who’s an 8?!)the camera that Mufasa stole, Krista getting passed over Shorty’s head to the back of the bar, and also losing her phone in the taxi in D.C. (Leave it to Red to call the cabbie and he actually brought it back to the restaurant.) Honestly, we have too many fond memories to list. Every time we go to answer these questions, we get sidetracked remembering and laughing about so many incidents. It has taken us days to answer these questions!

I know this next question is pretty personal, but break it down for us. What happened to Inga when she lost her leg? And how did she go about picking up the wooden one? And does it hinder her at all or is it a great topic of conversation?

Regarding the wooden leg, I must admit, it is a little too personal for her to talk about. Let’s just say- it’s part of her past that she would like to keep buried. (With the horse in the backyard.) I will let you in on a secret code though. Here goes: “Inga has a wooden leg” is secret code for…..yup, you guessed it, “Inga has a wooden leg.” If any of you are having trouble breaking it down, Shorty can help you crack the code. The password is Gillette.

What has it been like being a Trojan fan in West Virginia and Pittsburgh?

Obviously, we get the big question a lot….."WHY do you follow USC? How did you become a USC fan?" Truthfully, at this point, it doesn’t matter how it happened. We’re just happy that it did! We try and recruit as many new fans as we can…1 at a time.

Lots of Herdmembers consider the Herd as a strange second-family, like the cousin that lives in the trailer park. What has the Herd meant to you as far as new friendships? What has the extended family of the Herd meant to you? And would you like to share in more detail some of the big personal news that you’ve had go on in your lives over the last year?

The friendships are the most important to us. Don’t get me wrong, the football is great! (And I started out in the Ha$#^tt years….so I’m not a bandwagon fan.) But it’s the people that keep us coming back. (photo right: Minx, Inga and Mojack at USC-Auburn #1) I have come to really love the friends that I have made in the Herd. I don’t only care about them because of our love for USC football, but for so many other reasons. It’s easy to start viewing them as a second family. (Albeit a crazy one at times.) We’ve come to make some strong bonds over the years. We have always felt very well taken care of and welcomed by every single person. I might not see everyone often, but when we do- it feels like only yesterday since we’ve seen them. It’s something I would never trade.

Okay, news…..well as you know, Inga is happily engaged. I think she is trying to avoid all the planning she is going to have to do soon! LOL, I got married last summer and we are expecting our first baby in August. We’re so blessed.

What are your final thoughts about your Herd experience?

I would love to list everyone on this board and list why they are so special to me, but am afraid I would leave someone out. You all know who you are anyway!

Thank you for letting us be a part of something so special! Fight On!!!