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Shaheen blitzes contest to win trip to London with Jags

By Randy Lefko Sports Editor
Posted 9/18/19

OAKLEAF – Jacksonville Jaguars football fan Amy Shaheen did a little street-talking and campaigning for a special cause during the past few weeks.

"It was intense," said Shaheen, 42, and a …

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Shaheen blitzes contest to win trip to London with Jags


Posted

OAKLEAF – Jacksonville Jaguars football fan Amy Shaheen did a little street-talking and campaigning for a special cause during the past few weeks.

"It was intense," said Shaheen, 42, and a 25-year fan of the Jags. "I don't think I ate or slept the last three days."

Shaheen and her crack team of campaigning evangelists blanketed most of Jacksonville, parts of Miami and even San Antonio and Denver to win the Jacksonville Jaguars Global Ambassador Contest – and an all-expenses paid trip to London with Jaguars when they play the Houston Texans on Nov. 3 at historic Wembley Stadium.

"A friend sent me the screen shot of the announcement of the contest and said, 'This is totally you'" said Shaheen, a Clinical Nurse Educator for Baptist Health for the past 12 years. "From that day, Sept. 6, it has been a total Level 10 intensity effort."

Shaheen, who has two sons. Nick, a graduate of Oakleaf High and football player who played at LaGrange College, and Christopher, now a senior at Oakleaf, engaged a slew of friends, family and cohorts to create her buzz. But first she had to submit a 90-second video to the Jaguars to prove she was their top fan.

"The boys and I have a Jaguars Hall of Fame room upstairs in our house and that's where we started with the video," said Shaheen. "We went to a game at Dallas and there was a video clip of me on a local TV station doing my Jags/Du-u-u-val cheer and we were able to include that in the video."

Shaheen's video was one of three selected as a top three. From there, the contest began in earnest.

The three contestants had one week – Sept. 6-13 – to be on the Jaguars Twitter page to generate votes. During the week, Shaheen and work cohort Teri Briggs, blitzed (pun intended) the streets to push votes.

"It was close throughout for the top spot with the lead changing everyday with the votes tied on Thursday before the final Friday," said Shaheen. "Teri and some work girls left from work and we hit the Mellow Mushroom in Riverside to be near the Jacksonville Jaguar's Prime Time broadcast. We hit up with Calais Campbell, Brent Martinueau and a bunch of Jags fans to get a final push."

Shaheen's final surge came from the Baptist Health night shift workers on Friday morning.

"I didn't sleep, went in super early and canvassed the hospital night shift for votes," said Shaheen. "That morning I went to Jacksonville University for a Baptist class and got the JU football team to vote as they headed out to a South Carolina football game, and we hit a fundraiser at Baptist for the final push. Then we waited. It was excruciating."

On the Friday afternoon, voting stopped at noon and the tally was counted, but contestants were able to follow the count online.

"I had been up online but was so anxious that the final count might be different and I was crazy until I got the official email," said Shaheen. "I think, I finally was able to relax."

Shaheen noted the Ambassador will get two roundtrip airfares – her husband Nick will join her – for five nights and six days in London, two field passes and two tickets for the game, as well as a customized Immersive London Experience and $1,000 in spending cash.

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