'It’s truly nuts': Pride of Otautau part of glitzy ring ceremony
"I feel like it was just the other day Dad had me out there feeding calves and running around the farm. To think I now have two Super Bowl rings, it doesn’t feel like real life."
The pinch-me-type moments keep rolling in for the pride of Otautau - Atipa Mabonga.
Mabonga works for the Kansas City Chiefs, one of the more high-profile global brands in sport.
She is the Chiefs’ talent and culture marketing manager. It all followed the talented Southland athlete’s decision to take up a scholarship with the Southern Methodist University [SMU] in Dallas, Texas in 2017.
Her time with the Chiefs has coincided with the organisation’s back-to-back Super Bowl titles - the latest in February this year.
Last week the Southlander received her second Super Bowl ring at a private ceremony full of glitz and glamour at the Nelson-Aitkens Museum in Kansas City.
Players, coaches, and certain fulltime staff attached to a Super Bowl-winning organisation are given a precious Super Bowl ring.
In an extensive interview with The Roar Podcast, which will go live on Wednesday, Mabonga said it was an incredible ceremony to be part of.
“The Super Bowl in itself was electric and to be able to relive those emotions, seeing the players and the highlights and then revealing the ring was everything from exciting to feeling the nerves again. It was special.”
“To be able to hold those two rings is incredible.”
It was a moment in time that yet again prompted some reflection for Mabonga.
Her journey started in Zimbabwe before a shift with her family to Otautau, Southland, as a kid. Then it was onto the United States where she is now part of a back-to-back Super Bowl-winning organisation.
“It’s truly nuts. I feel like it was just the other day Dad had me out there feeding calves and running around the farm, and to think I now live in the States and have two Super Bowl rings, it doesn’t feel like real life,” Mabonga told The Roar Podcast.
The Super Bowl ring and the box it came in was personalised to Mabonga with plenty of thought put into it.
Inside the box is a mini iPad that plays highlights of the Super Bowl victory. There is also confetti from the game celebrations, while Mabonga’s latest ring includes her surname and two Vince Lombardi Trophy symbols which highlight she has been part of two winning campaigns.
There is also a nod to Las Vegas as part of the box given that is where the Super Bowl was won against the San Francisco 49ers.
“This one is a lot heavier than last year,” Mabonga said about the ring.
“The first one I received is big and is gorgeous and opens up and everything, but this one has a lot more rubies and diamonds on it. So it has a lot more weight.
“The first ring I got measured for my Dad’s fingers so it doesn’t really fit my fingers, it sits on my thumb if anything, but it is a little too big. This one slots perfectly on my right middle finger.”
So, what do you do with such a special piece of memorabilia? And in Mabonga’s case, now two species of memorabilia.
“I have them hidden in my house right now, because it doesn’t feel real. What do we do with something like this? It’s a very exciting but surreal feeling for sure.”
Mabonga will gift the first Super Bowl ring to her father Edwin, although it hasn’t yet made it back to New Zealand. She has some trust issues around getting someone else to transport it back so will wait until she can do it personally.
“I would trust my parents or myself, but my mum is very excited because she sees it as a great opportunity to come home to deliver it, but obviously to just be home.”
Keep an eye on The Southland Tribune or wherever you get your podcasts for the next episode of The Roar Podcast.