The Minnesota Vikings will start Training Camp a mere 23 days from today. The team has released the schedule of events for the time they're in Mankato, so if you're planning on making the trip, after the jump you'll find the whole schedule for the Vikings' 2012 Training Camp.
The players will actually report to Mankato on the 26th, but practices won't start until the next day, which is Friday, the 27th.| Date | Morning Session | Evening Session | Morning Autographs |
| Friday, 27 July | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 2:45 PM - 5:30 PM (Helmets) | None |
| Saturday, 28 July | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 2:45 PM - 5:30 PM (Helmets) | None |
| Sunday, 29 July | Camp Closed | None | No Autographs |
| Monday, 30 July | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 2:45 PM - 5:30 PM (Full Pads) | Tight Ends |
| Tuesday, 31 July | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 2:45 PM - 5:30 PM (Full Pads) | Offensive Line |
| Wednesday, 1 August | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 2:45 PM - 5:30 PM (Full Pads) | Linebackers |
| Thursday, 2 August | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 2:45 PM - 5:30 PM (Full Pads) | Wide Receivers |
| Friday, 3 August | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 2:45 PM - 5:30 PM (Full Pads) | Defensive Ends |
| Saturday, 4 August | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM (Full Pads) | Alumni (5 - 6 PM) |
| Sunday, 5 August | Camp Closed | None | No Autographs |
| Monday, 6 August | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 2:45 PM - 5:30 PM (Full Pads) | Quarterbacks |
| Tuesday, 7 August | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 2:45 PM - 5:30 PM (Full Pads) | Defensive Tackles |
| Wednesday, 8 August | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 2:45 PM - 5:30 PM (Full Pads) | Running Backs |
| Thursday, 9 August | Camp Closed | None | No Autographs |
| Friday, 10 August | Pre-Season Game #1 | At San Francisco | 8 PM Central |
| Saturday, 11 August | Camp Closed | None | No Autographs |
| Sunday, 12 August | 10:55 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 2:45 - 5:30 PM (TBD) | Specialists |
| Monday, 13 August | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 2:45 PM - 5:30 PM (Full Pads) | Defensive Backs |
| Tuesday, 14 August | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 2:45 PM - 5:30 PM (Full Pads) | Entire Team |
| Wednesday, 15 August | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Walk-through) | 2:45 PM - 5:30 PM (Full Pads) | No Autographs |
A couple of different notes to go with this.
August 4th is Family Football Day at Vikings' training camp. The late session that day (which, as you can see, takes place much later than the other late sessions) will be a scrimmage at Blakeslee Stadium.
August 14th is Fan Appreciation Day. As you can see, it is the last time during the Vikings' 2012 Training Camp that you will be able to get autographs.
The Vikings Village will be open from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, and 2:30 PM to 6 PM every day that camp is open to the public. The one exception to this will be Sunday, 12 August, when it will not open until 10:30 AM.
And, yes, we here at The Daily Norseman will be at Training Camp again this year, just like we were last year. . .only it appears we're going to have a bigger presence and more time at the camp to bring you reports. Since Ted is going to be in charge of that side of things again this season (due to family commitments on my part), I'll let him handle the hyping of such things once he gets full confirmation of how much time we're going to have in Mankato.
So, there you have it, folks. . .if you're planning on heading to Mankato later this month, that's what you have to look forward to.