The hotel was by far the best one I have been in my life!! We could see the contest right out of the huge glass doors of our villa. Hotel Amore was incredible. Right off the bat I got to see friends from across the world, and even meet some new ones! The next day was the elite race and my first surf heat.
Ever had one of those weekends when anything and everything that could go wrong, did? That's where some of my bad luck came in!! Certainly a lot of it was my own poor strategy. During the elite race, I just couldn't decide what to do with my leash. I had it on, it fell off and dragged. I took it off, and I got swamped by a breaking wave and lost my board for several minutes :( I definitely would have done the race differently if I had another chance at it. At first I was really upset and feeling pretty bad about myself and my abilities. But I knew that this was just a bad race, and it happens to everyone sometimes.
The next day was the distance race. I wasn't feeling too confident after the race the day before, but I tried to shake it off as I lined up at the start. I was getting over the small beach break and it was super crowded with paddlers! I was directly behind my friend Brit when a small wave came that lifted the tail of her board-and dropped it right down on mine!! The fin stuck right in!! I freed her board from mine and turned immediately around, trying not to get any water into the gash. I was so upset pulling into the beach and watching everyone paddle out. My mom started yelling for a sticker to cover the injury, and none other than the legendary Dave Kalama ran up to the Sayulita House for some duct tape. He carefully covered the gash on my board. I had people offering me another board to use, and I felt the pressure and was really nervous and kind of unsure on what to do. I tuned to Dave, and he said the ding was watertight. I looked out at the race, and everyone was out past the buoy. But I didn't come all the way from Florida not to race. I hurried back out and did the rest of the race! It was windy and choppy, but such a great experience--I had an awesome time!!
Then it was off to California for two nights. I got to visit UCLA, which is a beautiful school and I would have some opportunities to teach SUP there, but I'm keeping an open mind and looking at lots of schools. But then was the fun part, I got to go visit Quickblade!!! I had an great time playing with Sydney and Addie and getting to spend time with Jimmy and Lizzie. I put in some time in the tank and picked up some tips on cross training with Jimmy's weight set. There were also a ton of awesome people hanging out there that I was lucky enough to catch--Candice Appleby, Chris Aguilar, and Talia Decoite!! It was tough to leave but I was ready to get back home and see my brother and sister.
On such a fantastic trip it's especially important to thank all the people that help me out!! HUGE thanks to Bark Paddleboards for making sure I was taken care of in Mex, and to Sweet Waterwear for all of their help and support. Also to Quickblade for a great day and an epic goodie bag! Larry Allison Race Fins set me up with some great new fins that I am so excited to experiment with, and Maui Jim kept my eyes protected out on the Pacific. And of course Suncoast Surf Shop, my extended local family!! The biggest thanks goes to my mom, grandma, and siblings for being so supportive of my passion for paddling and all of the travel that comes with it <3
Not sure what the next month will bring, but I am back on the wagon with training to be ready for whatever this season throws at me!! :)
