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
