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KAVU Demo trip to Seattle!
By: Felicia Sturgeon
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Jesse, Neil and I were asked to do a demonstration jump for KAVU in Seattle at the opening game of Ballard FC soccer. Their stadium is right next to the Space Needle, and they wanted us to jump their game ball into the field.
What an opportunity!
This was going to be the first official trip I've done with anyone on the KAVU team. I was super excited for the demo jump, but was really looking forward to spending some time with everyone that makes the company so awesome. My impressions of the company and the Krew at KAVU is... they know how to have a good time. Wow, were my expectations far exceeded!
Instead of just going to Seattle, doing the demo jump and going home, Barry and the team decided to turn this trip into the coolest Washington trip I've ever had. First day there, we all got on Barry's boat on Lake Union to travel up to the San Juan Islands. Being on Lake Union is impressive by itself, and getting to see Seattle in the background was super cool.
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Then we got to go through the Ballard Locks! I've never been through, or seen locks before. We had to go down over 20 feet in the lock to get to the ocean!
Such a cool thing to see and experience.
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The rest of the boat ride to the San Juan Islands was also stunning. Eventually we landed at Roche Harbor, where Barry grew up. This place looks like somewhere out of a movie.
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That evening, we went for one of the best dinners I've ever had at a local restaurant called McMillan's. No doubt this place is special and well worth the visit if you've never been! We stayed the night there, and the next morning had a delicious breakfast at the Lime Kiln Cafe. Make sure you try the donuts if you ever go there.
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As if getting to see the area by boat wasn't cool enough, on the way back to Seattle we got picked up by a float plane operation right at the docks of Roche Harbor.
Again, another new experience being in a float plane, and I could hardly contain my excitement. Now we were seeing the whole area by sea plane and landing back at Lake Union.
SO COOL!
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After all the excitement.... it was time for us to go check out the stadium and get ready for our practice jump. After evaluating everything with the team, Jesse and I set out to the airport to meet the helicopter pilot and to finalize our plan. We had awesome conditions and blue bird skies for the practice jump, and with Neil as our ground crew, we were feeling good about everything.
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The practice jump went well, and it was super nice we got to do a jump before the actual demo... because it's a pretty intense jump over a city.
After the practice jump, I got to see the Seattle KAVU store for the first time. WOW, I've never been into an apparel store that's so cool. It's rare when I go into stores and literally want every single item in the store. Practical/useful and fun clothing everywhere. I could have spent hours in there.
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The next day I got to see the KAVU headquarters building and, to no surprise, it's the coolest and most fun office I could imagine working in. It was super fun seeing how the whole company runs, and the design process of everything. Plus, learning about the origin/history of the company was super fun. There is no doubt Barry has created a company and culture that inspires everyone and attracts some of the most fun, genuine people around.
Time for the demo!
It was supposed to rain on the day of the demo, but somehow, we got lucky, and it stopped in time for us to jump. Neil was all set as our ground crew again, and Jesse and I took off in the heli once more over Seattle.
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We circled around a few times waiting for the timing to jump. Then, we flew over the stadium with smoke in the Ballard FC colors and were greeted by excited fans as we landed!
I took out the game-ball and delivered it to center field. The energy in the crowd was infectious and the gravity of what we just got to do was setting in. I'm not sure how many people have had the opportunity to jump over Seattle, but I'm sure the list is small.
Ballard FC even ended up winning their opening game! If you're in Seattle, and they are playing, you should check them out! The guys are crushing it!
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Huge shout out to Barry and the whole KAVU team who helped make this happen. Neil crushed it with the paperwork and ground crew! Thank you everyone!
To really round out the full-Seattle experience, we picked up some fresh crab for our last dinner at Barry's house. Cooked by the man himself..... it was delicious.
My mind is blown. This whole trip was something from a dream. There is absolutely no company like this in the world. I'm even more impressed with KAVU and everything it stands for. I could not be prouder to be a part of this team, and to represent a company I support and believe in so much. There is no doubt I will forever be KAVU to the core.
Can't wait for the next adventure!
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