How best to explain what I do? I demonstrate the proper way to off-road in a Jeep® for people who are interested in learning, or for people who may own a Jeep and have never put in into four-wheel drive. Basically, I'm a professional driver who teaches people how to off-road.
People always say "wow, that's your job?" or "that sounds awesome," "that's so cool!" and it really is. I say this because you get to interact with people all day long. Every five minutes you get a new group of people to work with, and everyone comes to the table with their own stories. At every city we go to we get to meet and know new people.
It all started about 4 years ago at the Boston Auto Show. I was selected to explain, through demonstrations on 5 obstacles, what goes in to trail-rating a Jeep. I go through each obstacle and demonstrate (quite vividly, I might add) how the Jeep can overcome them.
These are specifically broken down into traction, maneuverability, water-fording, and articulation and ground clearance. Over the course of the indoor trail, we put our Jeeps through a series of daunting obstacles that show how well equipped they are to handle these seemingly impossible tasks.
Jeep's "trail-rated" is specifically and uniquely a Jeep process, our competitors don't really compare. When you step into a dealership and see 'trail-rated' on a Jeep, it's hard to believe what we put these through to make sure they live up to the reputation.
And do we ever. Our team is at the show from open to close, maybe 8 or 9 hours each day. You get a pretty good idea of what to expect and how best to present the capabilities of these vehicles when you're constantly taking them through the obstacles.
I handle these demonstrations at Washington D.C., Miami, Chicago, New York and Cleveland auto shows, about 5 weeks a year and at the famous Camp Jeep®. It's a busy schedule, but well worth it to get people aware of what Jeep really stands for.
People have all sorts of reactions; sometimes they scream, they laugh, they swear, they're completely shocked by what these vehicles are capable of—and it shows. I love seeing the reactions every time we tackle a seemingly impossible obstacle; people just can't believe what a Jeep is capable of.
Some of these people wait hours for their chance to get a turn. Even people who are very scared to do this leave wanting to do more; they’re begging for another ride around the course once we pull back in to the loading zone. We get all sorts of riders too, from 5 years old to 95.
Another popular reaction I get: "I want to do this myself!" I have to imagine that some of the people who take this test ride get home and book their vacations to the Rubicon or Moab to get their own taste of what makes a Jeep a Jeep.
But the best part of what I do is interacting with the kids. I love getting kids in the car, because they laugh, they raise their arms, they just have a blast. It's always fun to make a kid's day and put a smile on their face.
If you see our display at the next auto show you visit, come check us out. You won't be disappointed—maybe you'll even be inspired to go on your own Jeep off-road adventure.
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Driving the Experience
