2017 Flashback – CSN Authentic Fan of the Game

On By AprilLeave a comment

In 2017, Jacob won the CSN Authentic fan of the game. They don’t do this anymore, which is sad because it was such an awesome experience. At least for people like us who really geek out on behind the scenes stuff, especially Jacob on anything A/V related. But of course, this was a March 9th game, and what better way for us to enjoy our anniversary. I posted this on my previous blog, and I wanted to share it with you here because it was such an awesome experience.

CSN Authentic Fan

If you follow CSN on Instagram you know what this is about. If not, here is a little info. CSN will choose a fan from social media (you have to interact with their post) to be the Authentic Fan of the Game. They do this for other local teams as well, not just the San Jose Sharks. For the Sharks they do it for the Thursday night games. You get to tour the CSN truck, SAP Center, Broadcast booth, fist bump the players entering the ice before the game, 2 tickets to the game, and you get on TV and on the jumbotron.

Jacob is an A/V guy, that is what he does for a living. So you can imagine that getting to be the CSN Authentic Fan was not just a want, but a priority for him. We tried a few times here and there throughout the season. Then when we figured out that our Anniversary was on a Thursday, we really tried to put ourselves out there to get picked. And you bet, we did! Jacob was chosen to the Authentic Fan of the Game for March 9th against the Capitals. This is how we celebrate our anniversary.

We met up with some guys that work for CSN prior to the game, took a little office tour of SAP Center and then a tour of the belly of the arena (underneath everything). Literally, got to see where they store everything at SAP Center. It was like walking through SAP Center’s garage. That is the best explanation for it. We toured the CSN truck and I stood back taking photos while Jacob walked with the guys and talked about everything they were seeing. I wanted to let him experience this as much as possible. We toured the rafters. We didn’t just go up there to go to the Broadcast Booth. We walked the catwalks and saw where all the cameras are, where the NHL guys hang to watch the game and do their work. By the way, I am terrified of heights.

The Goal Horn!
This is just my face. LOL

After all that, we went back down to get ready for the boys to come out and fist bump as they went out to the ice. This is a pretty unique experience so we tried to video while doing it. Don’t do that. If you ever get the opportunity to first bump the players as they come out of the locker room and head out to go through the Shark Head, just be present. Enjoy the moment. You might get video if you try. It might come out okay. You might get lucky. You also might miss experiencing the moment because you are trying to get that video. Don’t do it. It isn’t worth it. Be present. That is exactly what I will do if I ever get to do this again.

Being present and forgetting the photo is the lesson I learned throughout this entire season. Our adventures are so incredible and we have gotten to do things that some fans really dream of. I am fully aware of how lucky we are to have gotten to do some of these things. I hope it just keeps coming.

Women of Teal – Pass the Puck

On By AprilLeave a comment

One of the anniversaries Jacob and I celebrate is on March 9th. We are not big anniversary people, or maybe we are but we choose hockey as our way to celebrate. For the longest time the Sharks played at home (I think often against the Washington Capitols) on or around this anniversary. It’s become our thing. Now, as 365 Members, you have the option to trade in tickets and upgrade or add on tickets. You may have had similar options years ago but it is much more seamless now. This will be our second season in a row, where we upgrade to Lounge for our anniversary. Hockey is how we celebrate things.

But, in an interesting turn of events, this March 8th game was also International Women’s Day and when the Sharks held their annual Women of Teal night. This year they did something a little different and instead of panel speakers and time for networking, they held a Pass the Puck event.

This was a great opportunity for networking and to share advice with other women. There were tables with various questions for inspiring others. Questions like, how do you stay motivated, best career advice, one way you prioritize yourself, etc.. The answers everyone shared would be logged and available by scanning the QR code on a puck you pick up at the door. The idea is to Pass the Puck, share the inspiration with other women.

The other exciting thing about this night was the announcement of a Women of Teal Advisory Committee. This is a group of women from around the Bay Area who will provide guidance on initiatives aimed at growing the Sharks female fanbase. The press release can be found here: Women of Teal Advisory Committee. I was lucky enough to be asked to be a part of this Committee.
So yea, our anniversary plans changed but for good reason.