Photo courtesy Kyle Waters

SEATTLE — Kyle Waters is running through his day, and I’m already dizzy.

Countless meetings, only outdone by the glitzy walls and decorations adorning the brand-new BECU Storm Center for Basketball Performance, line the chief sales officer for the Seattle Storm’s day. It’s a Friday, about a month and a half into the team’s “offseason” by the way.

Waters is what many would define as a self-starter. He majored in sports business at the University of Oregon, worked in recruiting for the football team during his time at school and has now taken what started as a job in ticket sales for the then-Seattle SuperSonics and Storm into a successful career in the Pacific Northwest.

He started in the sports industry as an intern with the athletic department, where he assisted with all facets of recruiting. Then, in his senior year, he was promoted to an assistant for now-Director of Football Operations Jeff Hawkins, where he was recruited based “on the quality of their character, their integrity and their ability to work within the frame- work of a team.” per Hawkins.

It wasn’t the last time he would be needed in that capacity. Now in Seattle, with this next season being his 20th in the Storm organization, Waters is at the forefront of bringing people into the team’s community. The Storm’s sales team and social impact team work hand in hand with people on the fan engagement team responsible for keeping them coming back.

“So much of life is who you know, of course,” Waters said. “I’m thankful to be surrounded by some of the best in the world at what they do.”

Hawkins still follows Waters’ career and originally recommended “he try the ticket business route because it is integral to the entertainment industry and it’s not the place that most people gravitate to,” Hawkins said. “And lo and behold he took my advice, ran with it, embraced it…and look at him now.”

Excelling at building and keeping connections puts Waters in an exceptional spot, with the Storm “tripling to quadrupling where we were at three or four years ago,” in part due to the rise of the WNBA.

“We have such a great product,” Waters said. “So (by) being able to find different ways to market it, even if we aren’t having the best year as a team, there’s always a superstar and a draw to fans coming to town.”

Of course, there’s the technical side of things as well. Waters could speak for hours about getting season ticket holders to renew and getting new fans to the stadium. It’s also driving him crazy that the Storm’s Climate Pledge Arena isn’t always filled to the brim with its large 18,300 capacity.

“Curtains (which are commonly used to block off sections of seats not being utilized) are not our friend,” Waters said.

His Oregon fandom, in a world that bleeds Husky Purple, might just be Waters’ greatest test as well — far greater than competing for ticket sales in a city that three other major sports teams call home.

“Of course, being a Duck fan is interesting out here,” Waters said. “It’s all in good fun, of course.”

Home has become Seattle now for Waters, too. He could have gone to Oklahoma City when the SuperSonics moved. He’s also surely had other opportunities elsewhere. But he’s decided to stay in the city with the Storm, reinvesting in a community that he loves and working for a team he wants to continue to see succeed.

“We have such a great fan base and group of people here,” Waters said. “Working in social justice and with community issues is just another great reason to continue pushing forward.”

But, of course, his time at Oregon and livelihood as a Ducks fan have been with him the entire way.

“I love my Ducks,” he said. “I hope this is our year in football.”