Beech Grove fifth grader wins Taylor Swift tickets from Jim Irsay
Oct 31, 2024
INDIANAPOLIS - The home of the Colts is officially starting to look like the home of Taylor as the Eras Tour makes its way to Lucas Oil Stadium.
As the clock counts down until Swifties finally get the chance to see their idol take center stage here in the Circle City, 11-year-old Ashten Daniel still cannot believe Colts owner Jim Irsay is making her dream come true.
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A video circulating on social media shows the moment Ashten got a phone call from her dad while she was at school. She was called up to the front desk, where she initially thought she had been summoned after getting in trouble for something.
"Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, gave me two free tickets to the Taylor Swift concert," her dad said in the video.
In the video, Ashten is overcome with so much excitement and disbelief that she begins to cry tears of joy.
"Thank you," she said, wiping away tears. "Thank you so much."
On Thursday, FOX59/CBS4 sat down with Ashten and her dad Garrett.
"I Just started crying," Ashten recalled. "It was crazy. And I couldn’t believe it was real. I was like, ‘Please, somebody pinch me right now.’"
Ashten fell in love with the emotions and spirit of Taylor’s music several years ago. Her dad Garrett said she now sings those tunes all the time, which is why he decided to take a chance when Jim Irsay posted on social media that he would be giving tickets away.
"I was just kind of straightforward," Garrett said. "I posted about my wife and daughter being big Swiftie fans, always singing it, always in the car together. And I just said I’d love to give my daughter the opportunity to go and see Taylor Swift. You know, it would be a dream come true for her."
Garrett and Ashten had no “bad blood” and no expectations of the “end game”.
"Only in my dreams would this happen," Ashten said.
But out of the thousands of people who applied, Irsay picked this little Swiftie.
"I honestly was just shocked and surprised, because you know when you do those things you don’t really think you’re going to win," Garrett said. "It’s a shot in the dark."
Saturday's show will be Ashten’s very first concert. She is filled with excitement and definitely cannot “shake it off.”
"I’m over the moon," she said. "I can’t believe it’s happening. I’m so excited to see her in real life, not only on TV, but to go like see her and feel her emotions as well and see all the other Swifties and stuff."
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A memory of a lifetime lies ahead and Ashten said she could not be any more grateful for Jim Irsay’s gift.
"I just want to say thank you so much for giving me and my mom and dad this opportunity," she said.