Spring Break on Maui!

I had an extremely special Spring Break this year! I just got back yesterday from Hawaii, spending a week on Maui to train with downwind professional and coach Jeremy Riggs. I did so in order to prepare for a series of races taking place in July; the Maui to Molokai, Maui Paddle Championships, and Molokai to Oahu. They're all downwind races, which requires a really different skill set from the flat water racing I'm used to. I headed out to Maui to see if I could be ready for this trio of extremely difficult and technical races.

I was lucky enough to stay and train with pro downwinder and trainer Jeremy Riggs. He is an incredible teacher and an even better host!! My first day the wind was cranking perfect for the Kihei run. I not only paddled one perfect bump-catching run, but two! It was a great start and I learned so much. The next day I did my first-ever Maliko run. It was supper different from Kihei, but the wind was still super strong and I had a great time. Learning to downwind is a really tough transition from flat water paddling and there's a lot to think about. But I'm going to practice my best at home and train to the best of my ability so I can be ready come July.

One of the highlights of my trip was my 2-man OC Maliko run with Dave Kalama! I was so stoked when he texted me inviting me to paddle the OC with him. It was pure fun to catch all of the bumps that Dave could in the super fast canoe. In my week there, when I wasn't pulling downwinders twice a day, I was surfing! Because the time of year is between winter and spring, I even got to surf both the north shore and the south shore! The waves are so fun on Maui. It was incredible to be in a place where any conditions bring fun. No wind? Surf. High wind? Time for a downwinder. All of the possibilities are amazing and endless on Maui.

The week went waaay too fast and pretty soon it was time for me to leave. I went straight to the airport after a Kanaha surf sesh and arrived at home early next day--just in time to do homework for school Monday! Still making college decisions, but I can't wait to graduate in June!! My next race is this weekend, and I have Carolina Cup later this month. Can't wait!!

Bailey

Beach & Boards Fest

Since I started the Florida Junior SUP Team back in November, I have wanted to have a surfing day with all the kids. Surfing is a huge part of being a well-rounded stand up paddle athlete, developing proficiency at reading the water, and adding a new dynamic to watersports. The ideal opportunity presented itself at the Beach n Boards fest, a 2-day race event with a 3 and 1 miler on Saturday and a 7 miler on Sunday, which I competed in!

After spending the night on Friday, I woke up early Saturday to catch some waves with team members Will, Gracie, Hailey, Dylan, Lina, and Milla, who were staying at the hotel. After that we headed down to the race! It was a good race to compete in because it featured a lot of buoy turns for the team to practice with, and it was short so it didn't take too much away from surfing! All of the kids had a great time and as always, enjoyed spending time together. Some team members, like Connor, really stepped up and I'm blown away by their progress. 

The team had a quick lunch and headed down to the beach for some more waves! We were helped by Girard Middleton, Kieran Grant, and my assistant surf coach Izzi Gomez! Each coach took 3 kids so everyone got fairly individual attention. It was a blast to get out on the water together! The future of SUP in Florida is bright.

On Sunday I got to race in the Elite 7 Mile off of Cocoa Beach. We lined up on the beach before the wind kicked in and I got a great start out through the surf! From there I worked my way upwind and cruised back downwind a couple minutes clear of the next female competitor. It was a great race for me! I was stoked to win first.

Now time to prepare for my next adventure--a spring break trip to Maui!

Huge thanks to my sponsors, Ocean CREST Alliance, Quickblade Paddles, Suncoast Surf Shop, Mi Ola Surf, Sweet Waterwear, Bark Paddleboards, SUP Race Fins, and Coach Mike's Training Center. 

Training and Racing with Danny Ching

This past weekend I had a really unique and awesome opportunity to train with hands down one of the best paddlers on the planet—Danny Ching! Danny made the trip over to Florida to host some clinics, including a stroke clinic right at Suncoast Surf Shop. On Friday night before the clinic, we had dinner with Danny and the other 404 guy Brett at my grandma’s beach house. They are both super nice and it was too fun to sit around the fire pit with them & some of our other friends. The next day, bright and early, I met Danny at the beach for a workout and some coaching. He is so perceptive and experienced, I learned a lot more about my strokes, what I am doing wrong and what I’m doing right, and how to be aware of my technique and fix it. After our training session I helped out with the clinic, which was mega informative and entertaining. Everyone walked away as a better paddler after that class.

Later that day I did an interview with Operation Innocent, a ocean awareness group creating a video about using surfing to promote conservation of our beaches locally and globally. We did the interview right at the shop and I really enjoyed it. I’m so glad that I can use my position in the public light in order to promote causes I really believe in. That’s big reason why I’m going to be working with Ocean CREST Alliance, an organization that uses education and inspiration to work towards the betterment of our oceans. I’m really excited to be promoting their mission and making a positive difference in the world.

On Sunday, nearly the whole Florida Junior SUP Team headed over to Treasure Island for a training session with Danny! He essentially gave a shorter version of his clinic adapted to a kid’s understanding, and the whole team absolutely loved it. After running some drills, they took turns on the baby waves breaking on the sandbar right across the street from the surf shop. I can’t help but smile every time I see the amount of stoke they have for surfing and paddling! I believe that their lesson with Danny helped a lot of them to further understand stroke, and it’s awesome to have renowned paddlers come and work with them.

After practice the team headed down to the Sweetwater Paddle for the Cure, where they took over the race! Many of them raced the long course, and the younger kids raced the shorter distance. They all crushed it, and I’m seeing a staggering amount of improvement. It will only take a couple of years before they are topping Florida podiums over much older competitors. They’re bringing the sport to a whole new level and I can’t wait to see how far they go.

When I started the team, I never anticipated it getting any kind of funding other than sponsorship from surf shops buying tee shirts once a year or so. But I’ve received some very generous surprise contributions that I’m so humbled by and grateful for. I just want to give thanks to Stephanie Davis, Danny Ching, Ralfie Steiz, and Bob & Sandy for their contributions to the team. All of the families make sacrifices so their kids can paddle, and I’m so glad that I’ll be able to support them more because of your support. Next on my to do list—buy decals for the kids’ boards!! Thank you all <3

March is a training month in preparation for some BIG BIG things to come! Can’t wait to share them with everyone who supports me so much!!

xoxo Bailey

Lazy Dog Paddle Fest

Sometimes it’s not the places that make a trip special, it’s the people.

I can’t think of a better example of this than my visits to Key West, where I am always so warmly welcomed by the Lazy Dog girls, who travel to plenty of events in Florida and beyond, and are always my #1 supporters (besides my mom, of course ;) ) on the beach. On the weekend of February 8 & 9, they invited me down to the Lazy Dog Paddle Fest to give a kids clinic, host a presentation on the youth movement in SUP, and, of course, race! My mom and I flew down to Key West Friday night with a bunch of extra kid size Quickblade paddles in anticipation of my clinic the next day.

I couldn’t be happier with how it went! I had about 15 kids who were all super stoked on paddling! During introductions I always ask what their favorite thing about SUP is, and more often than not, most of the kids reflect on how much they enjoy the experience of just being in the water and observing all of the ocean’s biodiversity. That gives me a lot of hope for the state of our world ocean in generations to come. The clinic included paddling basics, skills, turns, and even fun relay races! I ended up exceeding my 2 hours (oops) because the kids and I were having so much fun!

Later I gave my presentation on the youth movement in SUP. I went back through the archives of a lot of different events to analyze under 18 numbers, and the statistics I came up with showed both staggering growth and surprising disparity between the West coast and the East coast. The symposium got a rave reception and I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be collaborating with Distressed Mullet’s John Beausang to make the Carolina Cup Junior Race into a really fun and dynamic event. The Lazy Dog girls said I really inspired and motivated the kids down there to paddle, so I’m stoked!! They have a lot of talent and a great venue to paddle from, so there’s most definitely a lot of potential there.

The next day was the Bone Island race! Luckily, my friends the Navarro Family were able to let me borrow a Bark board (thanks Milla & Dekai!) so I didn’t have to ship or fly with my own board. I had a great race and ended up in first place! The field wasn’t super deep, but I actually ended up in 5^th overall, and of course Key West always presents the usual challenges; wind and heat, plus the added challenge of having to swim around a boat halfway through the course! But I went fast and had a ton of fun. After a quick stop at the Southernmost Point of the US to take cheesy tourist pictures with the Navarros, my mom and I were dropped off at the airport so we could head home.

What a crazy fun whirlwind weekend! Huge thanks to the Lazy Dog girls for hosting me, and for always supporting me so much!! Also thanks to my mom, the Navarros, and my sponsors; Ocean CREST Alliance, Maui Jim, Quickblade Paddles, Bark Paddleboards, Mi Ola, Suncoast Surf Shop, Sweet Waterwear, SUP Race Fins, and Coach Mike’s Training Center. Couldn’t do it without you!

Bailey

Orange Bowl

I had a great weekend at Surf Expo and the Orange Bowl! On Thursday I arrived in Orlando for Expo, where I got to check out all the new stuff on the market in the coming year, including visiting some of my favorite brands like Maui Jim and Mi Ola! I got to do an awesome poster signing at Maui Jim, even a few stars like Steve Walden and Wingnut came and picked up signed posters. I picked up a super cute bikini from Mi Ola that's perfect for paddling, it stays on really well and feels awesome. I'm looking forward to working with them more!

On Saturday we left for Miami to meet up with my kids team for a quick pre-race practice featuring special guests Lina Augaitis and Coach Mike Metzger. The kids were amped and I'm so proud of how they did this weekend! A lot of them really stepped it up and I'm super proud of them. 

I had a great race too! I took a risk and used the Batboard, made by Jim Terrell, the creator of Quickblade, an amazing sponsor and one of my role models. It works best in flat conditions, which fortunately we had the whole race. I had a bad start but came back strong, and ended up in second behind Lina! I took second in the sprints, too--stoked! I couldn't be happier with my performance. 

But I didn't have any time to celebrate. From the moment I got in the car on the way home from Miami, it was study time for exam week. Hoping I did well, fingers crossed! Now I'm looking forward to kicking up my training and surfing this week. I have a couple projects in the works right now which are going to be incredible! Can't wait!

Thanks for reading!

Bailey