Blog Roxy

SUP gear and swimwear shoot for girls by girls

From Margareta, my Star-Board team manager, I receive an email a few weeks ago to join a SUP girls- photo shoot organized by ‘Standup Paddle Magazine’ located on Oahu, Hawaii. The shoot is for SUP girls by SUP girls. Different brands SUP boards, SUP paddles, swimwear, ‘athletic wear’, shoes and sunglasses are shot by photographers and their staff. A special 14 page 'women guide line for SUP gear' will be produced for spring 2010.

Roxy is part of the swimwear and athletic wear that is used in the shoot.

Reid, the editor of the magazine came up with a fun idea to gather his ‘models’ with different SUP levels. Pro paddlers, intermediate paddlers and beginners are all part of the shoot as women with all different levels can identify themselves this way with the girls who are used in this shoot. Plus all ‘models’ are very passionate about paddling; which I think is an extra cool and 'real' aspect of the shoot.

I hang out most with Starboard team-mate Nikki Greg (who develops a fitness routine on SUP and who charges wild water rafting rivers with her SUP). After the first day shooting and before dinner, we decide to take a new Star-Board design “POD” 7’4” x 29.5” for a walk into town. The short dimensions are great for on the water. Off course, the smaller SUP likes a few extra paddle strokes to get going. Once in a wave, she responds fast and quick. The little SUP measurements are also much better for traveling which is important to me. SUP boards this way fit better in cars, in airplanes and... you can even take her with you if you want to walk the stairs 5 story high! :-)

 

Winter X Games Day 1

I rolled out of Salt Lake City Wednesday afternoon, headed to the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado. After struggling through a snowstorm and too many close calls on the slippery roads, I had to play it safe and get a hotel in Grand Junction for the night. Thursday morning the skies and roads had cleared as I cruised into Aspen just in time to witness the best women’s skiing slopestyle event I’ve ever seen. Last year was the first time the X Games gave the skier girls a chance to compete in slopestyle (even though it’s their best event) but sadly the girls had to ride during a blizzard which kept them from really showing their stuff. This year both the women and the sun came out shining. The girls threw down powerful runs with loads of 540s, switch 720s, and 900s.

Roxy’s own Sarah Burke pushed X Games organizers for years to get a women’s skiing slopestyle event, in last years snowstorm-slopestyle she broke her back (literally) trying to prove the girls had a right to be there, and this year she pushed women’s skiing even farther, trying a 1260 on the Moneybooter (I’m pretty sure this is the highest rotation any woman in action sports has ever tried in competition!). Big props to Sarah and all the girls for such an impressive performance. And in case you missed the action, see it here at ESPN360.
Later in the day as the sun was setting the women’s snowboard superpipe qualifiers were just getting started. Roxy rider and reigning X Games superpipe champ, Torah Bright, opted out of this year’s competition due to an injury, but our Norwegian shredders, Lisa Wiik and Kjersti Buaas, threw down some strong runs. New this year are chips in competitor’s bibs that measure amplitude and speed (so futuristic!), so I can say for certain that the likes of Kjersti and Kelly Clark were consistently going more than 12 feet out. Unfortunately, both Kjersti and Lisa had some wobbles that kept them from advancing to finals. Good job to all the competitors- I was stoked to see so many grabbed stylish spins, technical flips, cab 9’s and huge airs!

Stay tuned for more as tonight Sarah must protect her X Games superpipe crown, and tomorrow Kjersti and Lisa get their chance in the slopestyle course.

Watch Torah Bright on Universal Sport’s “Inside Out”

In case you missed Torah Bright’s amazing feature last night on Inside Out with Summer Sander’s, you can watch the whole thing online. I love the behind the scene footage of her house in Park City Utah (including her amazing trophy den) and when Summer and Torah snowboard together.

Sneak Peek: 2010/11 Torah Bright Signature Snowboarding Collection

Check out this sneak peek of Torah Bright’s 2010/11 Signature Collection. They won’t be available until Fall 2010 but it’s still fun to see them! Sign up for our email newsletter and be the first to know when they’re in. You may have seen Torah sporting these clothes during her interview with NBC. Go Torah! You can shop her 2009/10 collection online now.

LOVE her jacket. It comes in both powder pink and grey.

Torah Bright pants to match.

Her Signature Goggles.

Torah’s underlayers: Layerit Jacket and Straight Up Pants

And…the Eminence board.

Team Australia Claims Fifth Consecutive Quiksilver ISA WJSC Gold Medal

Team Australia continued its dominance of the junior surfing scene, winning the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Champions for a fifth consecutive year in New Zealand today. 

In dramatic fashion, wins to Lennox Head's Tyler Wright and Port Macquarie's Matt Banting lifted Team Australia into the top spot.

Coming into the final day of competition ranked second behind Hawaii, Australia rallied to finish in the lead with 6015-points nearly 1000 clear of Hawaii (5038) in second and the USA (4958) in third. 
Australia's win is also their sixth team's title victory since the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship was launched eight years ago in 2003. 

Australian Head Coach Martin Dunn summed up his team's performance. “It‘s great that we ended up winning,” he said. “A day or so ago it was looking like Hawaii and the USA were in the box seat. But our surfers had to make finals in the end and they did. The reality is that our surfers are experienced and don't fault under pressure. And that's what gave us the points to win the overall teams title.”

Lennox Head star Tyler Wright continued Australia's strong hold on the prestigious competition, retaining her Under 18 Girls title in spectacular fashion.

Wright, who became the youngest ever surfer to win an ASP World Tour event, amassed a 16.00 two-wave combined total (out of a possible 20) to defeat Hawaii's Alessa Quizon (12.74), South Africa's Sarah Baum (9.72) and the USA's Roxy Girl Lakey Peterson (9.66). 

 

Roxy Refreshments 16: Walking on Sunshine!

Roxy Girls Win Top Spots in Laax

Burton European Open Slopestyle Ladies Winner 2010, Enni Rukajarvi

The success of the Roxy Team in Laax continued today with Enni Rukajarvi winning the Ladies slopestyle competition in impressive form. Enni was riding really well all day and although she was already guaranteed top spot by the time she dropped in for her last run, she stepped it up again and scored more on her last run than on her other two, convincingly beating her nearest rival, Sina Candrian, by nearly 20 points! She laid down a super smooth frontside 3 to backside 5 to cab 7 combo on the kickers and was silky smooth on the jib section too. Sarka Pancochova took third spot and Roxy rider Lisa Wiik took 4th with a solid run including a backside 540, switch backside 180 and a backside 360. Good job Enni and Lisa! The other roxy riders in the slopestyle semis today also rode really well and just missed the final. Britte was 9th, Aimee was 10th and Alyona was 11th. A great day for team Roxy.

Enni's success build on the success of Roxy rider Ty Walker last week in the junior competition. Ty, who also qualified for the ladies semis in slopestyle, easily won the girls slopestyle and was a solid second in the girls pipe. Well done Ty!

We are now all go for the pipe tomorrow.

Paulina wins the halfpipe at the BEO!

The Roxy snow team have had yet more success at the Burton European Open today with our very own Paulina Ligocka winning the ladies title with an impressive frontside 900 to kick off her run. Paulina was looking strong all day and held off local rider Ursina Haller and Japanese rider Akiko Miwa, to stay in the top spot. Young Roxy rider Emma Bernard, one of the youngest in the contest, finished in a career best position of 6th place beating Roxy veteran Lisa Wiik, who finished in 8th place. The riding was very strong today and the conditions perfect, with blue skies and a perfect pipe.

Team Roxy have had an amazing ten days and have won the last 3 six star TTR events. Team Roxy will next show what they are made of in the next stop of the Dew Tour in the US and at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado where Kjersti Buaas, Torah Bright and Lisa Wiik will compete for the top spots, before heading to the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver in February.

Paulina on the podium

Laura Enever est la championne du Monde Junior ASP 2010 !!!

Grande journée pour Quiksilver et Roxy qui place un de ses athlètes au firmament de ces Championnats du Monde Junior ASP. Aux côtés de Maxime Huscenot, c’est l’australienne Laura Enever qui devient Championne du Monde Junior ASP. 

 

La jeune surfeuse française du Team Roxy, Johanne Defay, réalise l’exploit de prendre la 3ème place de la compétition. Grâce à ce podium, la Réunionnaise de 15 ans seulement prend date pour l’avenir. 

Stand Up Paddle for health and fitness event on Maui

Earlier this week Harry sends me an email with a You Tube link about Suzie’s event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5aShHCrB_U

Last night I get some pictures sent by Suzie from the ‘paddle for health and fitness event’ I participated in a week ago. http://www.standuppaddlingfitness.com/

All fun and heart felt moments come back to me as I remember what happened that day.
First of all ; the amount of women who show up at the beach at 7.00 am is just overwhelming! 400 women; young, old, beginners and advanced all come together to support and motivate each other in and out the water.
The event is free to enter and the request from Suzie is to make a donation to the breast cancer donation instead.

Also; I am asked by Suzie to lead the advanced women; which is an honor and a lot of fun! I love sharing my stoke and ocean knowledge. It is one of the reasons I love my job besides getting my own ‘ocean fix’ many days a year ;-)). As we paddle with firm and fun strokes towards Makena, we see a big show of hump back whales out on the ocean. It is as if they want to be part of our paddle and I am sure they picked up on our ‘stoke’ and happy energy out there.

Once coming back to the beach, we hang out with all the women that SUP for the first time ever. These women are being taught and guided by professional water sports athletes like Tiffany and a lot of volunteers that help all women launch their boards in and out the shore brake (that happens to be 2-3 ft - Hawaiian- big!)
A third group joint us shortly; the intermediate group who is SUP’ing an scenic 45 min cruise with Suzie.
Once safe, dry and excited about our water time, we hydrate and refuel with healthy snacks and drinks as we listen to 3 motivational speakers.
These speakers touch all of us as they talk about dealing with chronic diseases, surviving cancer and nutrition.
There is a big message from each of them for us; to take care of ourselves, appreciate out health and our life and to find the strength to deal with everything that comes out way.
Dancing the Hula is next followed by a big ‘raffle’ where a lot of prices are given out.
What a day, what an impressions and how awesome to be part of it!

pictures by: Mike Adrian and Ovi Banuta