Welcome to Cheesehead Origins, an offseason series geared toward showcasing Packer fans with interesting fandom origin stories! CheeseheadTV is devoted to Packer fans worldwide, and we want to hear (and share) your stories. 

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So far, the Cheesehead Origins series has covered solely people who are not from nor have never lived in Wisconsin and their journeys to becoming Packer fans.

But there are plenty of Packer fans who were home grown, only to move and spread their love for the team elsewhere.

Take Wendi Hansen, for example, who has developed a following on Twitter at @WendiLooHoo3. 

“I’ve been an absolute sports nut since before I was able to walk,” Wendi said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to write and work for a handful of amazing professional sports outlets and networks and have met so many incredible people in the process.”

Wendi was born and raised in Wausau, WI (north-central part of the state, for those who aren’t from here). She then moved to Milwaukee, where she spent much of her young life through college. After grad school, she was ready to make a switch, and as an avid outdoor enthusiast, Colorado seemed like the perfect place.

“I’ve been here now for almost 10 years, and while Wisconsin will always be ‘home,’ Colorado is pretty dang neat and I don’t see myself leaving any time soon!”

Wendi’s unbridled enthusiasm for the Packers and sorts in general was influenced by early memories of watching the game with her dad. Her earliest Packer-related memory is watching Super Bowl XXXI with her father. 

“It was the first time I remember seeing a team from Wisconsin on such a grad stage like that, and I thought to myself, ‘Okay, Packers. I see you. I see you,’” she remembered. “After they had won, my dad picked me up and squeezed me so hard I thought my little eyeballs were going to pop out.”

Wendi described the moment as “pure happiness,” one that she will never forget. And so, a passionate fandom was born.

Over the years, Wendi grew to understand the intricacies of the game as she got older, and her fandom only continued to grow. 

“The game and this team is so much a part of who I am, not only because of my love of it, but the experiences and people I’ve been able to have and meet because of it,” she said. “I think that’s what I love the most about sports; their ability to bring people together, to create amazing moments, to fill your life with pockets of joy if and especially when you need it the most.”

Fortunately for Wendi, finding fellow Packer fans (and Wisconsin sports fans in general) in Colorado hasn’t been much of a challenge, so she hasn’t had too many barriers to keeping herself surrounded by that joy.  With plenty of Wisconsin transplants in Colorado, there are numerous options for Packer bars in her immediate area, which makes it feel like home. She also gets to see the Brewers and Bucks at least once a year.

Wendi makes it back to the Milwaukee area to see the Brewers and Bucks when she can, but has only been to one Packer game, and she was young. It was Reggie White’s last home game as a Packer in 1998, against the Chicago Bears.

“Reggie White was and will forever be my favorite player of all time, so this was a particularly special game for so many reasons,” she said. “My dad surprised me with tickets as an early Christmas present. It was a December game, but I remember it being one of the hottest games in history–no snow pants or hand warmers needed for this one.”

Wendi had what she called the “ultimate Lambeau experience,” including everything from pre-game cheese curds at Kroll’s to tailgating all around the stadium.

“The thing that stood out the most to me was the energy, the atmosphere, the people,” she recalled. “Packer fans are unlike any other group of fans out there. I just felt like I was at home.”

Wendi will finally break the Lambeau game appearance drought this year, as she will be makin the trip to Green Bay to watch the Packers take on the Patriots. Her boyfriend is a massive New England fan, and Wendi sais she looks forward to introducing him to Lambeau while watching his team “get their butts kicked.”

Though Wendi doesn’t have many in-person experiences in games at Lambeau, she still has many memories that have influenced her fandom. 

“Cramming into my favorite hole-in-the-wall Packers bar in Denver (shoutout to Badgers) for every playoff game and oftentimes getting drenched in beer after celebrations. Having weekly Facetime chats with my family to talk all things Packers. The absolute thrill of victory (and there have been a lot) and the deafening silence of defeat (also a few of those moments as well). I think for me the memories that stick out the most are the friendships I’ve built, the people I’ve got to meet, the opportunities I’ve had to work with some of the best minds in Packers journalism, and the many, many times the Packers have provided hope, solidary and happiness when times were hard.”

For a number of years, Wendi served as the social media manager for Acme Packing Company (a gig her sister, Lindsay, now holds), which opened up a bunch of doors to her to get involved in other parts of the online Packers fandom. 

She recently appeared on Acme Packing Company’s podcast with her sister and contributor Kris Burke and will be a regular guest (check it out–For Cheddar or Wurst). She has also been a part of a number of Game On Wisconsin podcasts, and co-hosted a Brewers podcast with Todd Varney and Francisco Castro. 

If you follow Wendi on Twtiter, you will of course be inundated with Wisconsin sports posts, but it will quickly become apparent that Wendy has a very positive and genuine nature to her. This nature has had an influence on her fandom. 

“I’m a glass-half-full, happy, hopeful kind of person, in sports and in life,” she said. “Of course, I have my moments of frustration and worry–that comes with the territory of being a Wisconsin sports fan. But I try not to take things too seriously. To have fun, and to encourage others to do the same.”

Wendi is excited to finally make the return trip for a game at Lambeau this year, but in the meantime, encourages anyone who swings by Colorado to find her for a drink. 

“Hit me up and I will buy you a beer at the local Packers pub!”

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Huge thank you to Wendi for participating in this week’s edition of Cheesehead Origins! Remember that you can follow her on Twitter at @WendiLooHoo3. 

Next week: a person who is something of a local legend in Green Bay. See you then!