ESPN

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— Kathy Deal and Steve Freeze, a couple from Kannapolis, N.C., met about four years ago and immediately discovered one thing they had in common; they both love bass fishing. Steve has been to the last five Bassmaster Classics and Kathy has joined him for the last three.

As residents of North Carolina, they are both fans of Bassmaster Elite Series pro Jason Quinn and proudly displayed their "I love Jason Quinn" t-shirts during last years Bassmaster American at Charlotte. What is more, they are both BASS Life Members.

To date their favorite trip was the 2005 Bassmaster Classic in Orlando, as they were able to fulfill life long dreams of going to a Classic and making a first time visit to Walt Disney World. To wrap up this dream vacation, they took a fishing excursion on Lake Toho and were able to fish the same water as the pros. While they were at the ESPN Outdoors Classic Expo, they won an all expense paid trip to this year's Bassmaster Classic in Birmingham. Finally, Kathy and Steve have already planned to attend several of the Bassmaster Elite Series events and all of the Bassmaster Majors.

This year, these two BASS Life Members won a unique opportunity to meet Jerry McKinnis. In an official BASS Media Press conference, Kathy and Steve had their photo taken with the fishing legend, have some lunch, and listen in as McKinnis addressed the media. They also were able to get a sneak peak at the arena before the crowds arrived and were able to see the production crew setup the most impressive stage BASS has ever produced.

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