Embracing the Unexpected : Dear Oakley,

July 4th, 2014

Dear, My Inventor, Creator, and all involved at Oakley,

I am writing on behalf of my keeper. She is 24, recently graduated college, with a biology major, I think, not completely sure she just likes to work with animals. She is this awesome, girl when I met her, women that seems to always be helping and meeting new people. She has taken me all over the United States and I even got to see some of Canada. I love being able to show her the world though my lens.

I guess I should explain, my keeper grew up downhill ski racing in Wisconsin and now coaches for kids of all ages. She had only three different ways of seeing the slopes while racing and training her whole life: her own beautiful eyes, grandpa (her first pair of Oakley goggles) as I call him, and then me! She had Grandpa from five years old till she was I think 12. I call him grandpa because he went through many different keepers, like her cousin, sister, parents and then she got him. He was tough. I think that’s where I learned it from- good old Oakley grandpa. He was bright red and everlasting. Everyone would comment about how she needed to throw him away, but she couldn’t give him up. Too comfy and use to the world through his lens, until one day. Our keeper crashed, I mean crashed bad and somehow managed to punch herself in the face with a ski pole. This ended Grandpa’s life, he cracked right through the middle, but surprisingly kept her face safe! That’s when my story began.

She was pretty upset not liking to adjust to new equipment. But, her father took her into the bike shop in town, Wheel and Sprocket, to look for a new pair. She tried us all on, even brought her helmet to see how we fit in it. Nervously I waited for her to pick me up. That was my beginning. She was hooked, snug fit, looked great, and fit with the helmet! I was so happy to have my new keeper though kind of concerned. See, she was only 12 years old and most kids don’t take great care of us. Her dad made it clear next time she would need one of us she would be paying for it herself. For this reason, he bought me a hard case to live in on off days. Little did I know all the adventures I was about to get into and how well she would cherish me.

I took a lot of hits for her in slalom and some even in giant slalom, but I held in there knowing how much grandpa did for her I couldn’t be anything less. See she still kept grandpa with her mainly as good luck and just in case I didn’t cut it she’d suffer through the crack. Well I passed the test. I got to accompany her to the Junior Olympics at Winter Park, CO. Helped her dominate her high school career winning best female racer in the conference as a 10^th grader, and then she and her team winning state while she took 5^th overall as an 11^th grader, not evening counting the three years she went to High School Eastern National Championship on team Wisconsin! Her best finish was 9^th! I got scared out in New Hampshire because she bought a new helmet for the first time in 3 years. I didn’t fit that helmet very well. But, to my surprise, after her first race with the new helmet she sold the new helmet and not me! Phew, close call. I’m telling you her loyalty is top notch!

She decided against racing in college to focus on her education and chasing other dreams. Well, skiing and our partnership definitely didn’t end there. She immediately got into coaching her old high school ski team plus a few other programs here and there. She even went and got USSA certified to be a coach! My keeper was an awesome coach for the last six years! Her teams went onto winning state two times and placing top five three years in a row! Pretty awesome team!

Still my keeper kept me even though many years ago I started to get kind of cloudy and my foam started to wear out. I no longer protect her from wind hitting her eyes from the top or bottom, but she won’t give me up. She thought about replacing me but every time someone mentions it to her she laughs and says “I’ve tired but I can’t find a pair that fits like these.” She still took me further, snowboarding with friends, sledding, and snowmobiling.

Last year we raced again and she won the Badger State Games, fastest girl there, I’m so proud of her! Then this year she was all set up to coach at some big name teams then poof she got a job offer in Alaska, ALASKA! I had no idea what to think, except that we haven’t missed a season together in 12 years! My keeper, I tell ya, she rocks. I made it into her bag because turns out we were going to work with Deedee Jonrowe, Iditarod sled dog musher. Now this is probably one of the most famous female racers, in the sport, in the world! So now I’ve spent a winter in Alaska helping my keeper see the trails through my lens and I even got to meet Sarah Palin! I also met 10 other top Iditarod mushers.

Overall I am very lucky; 12 years of service to my keeper. I still can’t believe a 12 year old girl protected me and respected me enough to keep me around this long. I feel awful though because she really should replace me. I want her to see the world through the most clear and beautiful lens she can and I just no longer can give her that. I will not let her down though so I will stay strong just like I learned from grandpa, but my day will come when I will have to show her she needs to let go and find her next perfectly fitting goggles.

So after all this story telling, I basically wanted to say THANK YOU! Thank you for designing me, making me, distributing me, marketing me, and selling me. You’ve made me fit perfectly on her face into her helmet and last her 12 years of intense use. I couldn’t be more pleased of those who made me. Thank you so much. I am very certain that my keeper is even more thankful to you all and I’m pretty positive she will be looking for one of my more present generations of design one day. Who knows where this girl will end up, but I’ll tell you she definitely supports you guys by showing me off every season!

Thanks again! You guys rock at your job

For My Keeper, Liz Millman