Performance Paddling Jr Pro

When World Champ Candice Appleby and ocean athlete Anthony Vela announced that they would be putting on a special SUP event just for juniors, I was beyond stoked!! This would be the first ever truly professional event with just kids. She told me about it back in March, and I begged my mom to let me go for my birthday, which is the same weekend :) at first it looked like a definite no. I had my SAT that weekend, and there was no way I could miss that. I was actually sitting in the Quickblade factory at the time on my way back from Mexico, bummed that I would miss an event that would bring together my friends from all of the world. But then Candice suggested that I go ahead and take the SAT--at San Clemente High School in California!!!

I checked online and sure enough, you can take the SAT just about anywhere. All of the pieces fit together and I was all set up to go on a birthday trip to SoCal!! My mom and I arrived Thursday night and settled in the house where we were staying. We woke up early Friday morning and headed down to San Diego to tour some colleges. My favorite by far was University of California San Diego <3333 it's an amazing school, super close to the water, and it's broken up into 6 different colleges (almost like Hogwarts houses (; ) so it doesn't swallow you up. I absolutely love it and it's a perfect fit for me. Hopefully I can score some scholarships to be able to afford the out of state tuition!!

On Saturday, it was time for me to take my SAT. I arrived at San Clemente High and felt a little bit like a fish out of water because I didn't know anyone there and it wasn't exactly the kind of event where you make friends. But I felt like I did well, and I could feel the presence of SUP athletes like Candice Appleby and Brandi Baksic who attended San Clemente High School back in the day. After that it was off to Newport Beach for Stand Up for the Cure!! We missed the majority of the event, but it was cool to see some friends and check it out before it really ended.

It was another early wakeup call on Sunday morning for the Junior Pro!!! Finally!! The best part was seeing my old teammates and friends as well as making a ton of new ones. Some other Florida kids were there, as well as people from California, Utah, Oregon, Idaho, Hawaii, and even Australia!! It was truly amazing to see so many kids ripping in one place. The camraderie was palpable and everyone was filled with stoke and enthusiasm.

The race was not exactly my kind of race!! The kids from Hawaii and California had a big advantage over me because it was a super short race in and out of the surf. I managed to make fourth, and I'm pretty happy with that. I hung out the rest of the day (it was super cold-brrrr!!) before my surf heat in the afternoon. Originally, I had wanted to do the Girls Pro division, which I got an invite for. I ended up going with the age group category, which I regret because it ended up being a smaller field than the pro. But it was really fun, and I ended up in first!! I also won the Ocean Minded Essay Contest :)

By Monday it was time to go home again. It was a totally fun whirlwind trip and I had an incredible time!! Cannot wait for next year. 

xoxo bailey