I was first introduced to stand up paddleboarding years ago when I was approached to teach Pilates on the board. Having never really paddled a board before, I was amazed to find that the board I was given to “play with” was essentially a floating yoga mat. It was wide, flat, stable, and it even [...]
Experiences Are What Make Life Worth Living!
April 16, 2013 By 1 Comment
TIME TO GET THAT EXPERIENCE! Experiences are what make life worth living. I recently lost two family members who both lived long, happy lives but it really put things back into perspective for me that life is about creating memories and leaving legacies – not about how much money you made or how many great [...]
Lucky
April 2, 2013 By 1 Comment
I landed at Boston’s Logan airport shortly before 7am on March 17th. St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve always been a big fan of the quasi-holiday, perhaps in part because a substantial part of my national heritage is Irish, perhaps because I had the opportunity to travel around Ireland quite a bit in my 20s, or perhaps [...]
Why Do You Paddle?
March 30, 2013 By 3 Comments
Maybe we should make this question a monthly meditation. But really, why do you? What is it about paddling that keeps you doing it? What has it brought to your life? “Paddling” is a loose word, and I define it as simply that. Paddling. It doesn’t matter what I paddle; I just have been doing [...]
Renewal
March 28, 2013 By 3 Comments
Growing up in Wisconsin, we looked forward to spring like a man at sea looks forward to seeing the port come into sight. I always knew spring was right around the corner when my mom and dad would come home from the grocery store with crocuses. The slender shoots were indicative that spring was coming, [...]
Pushed to My Limits
February 19, 2013 By 1 Comment
I had just finished padding in the East Coast Champs in July 2012, when I got this text message from my friend Michael. It said, “ChattaJack 31 Race, October 13th: 31 Miles on the Tennessee River.” “You doing it?” I replied. “No,” he said, “you are.” I wasn’t so sure about that. I had been down the [...]
Shivering with Intention
January 25, 2013 By 11 Comments
That’s me on the right there. The short one, trudging into the frigid water next to my swimming partner, Jerome Leslie. All seven feet of him. Now, look a little closer at the body language. See my left hand? It’s all balled up, isn’t it? That curled fist is where the intention I felt in [...]
Choose Your Own Destiny
January 2, 2013 By 4 Comments
It’s hard to believe I’m at the end of my year with Athleta! Time flies! If you’ve followed my blog this year, you know that I’ve written a series that captured the experiences I had as I battled through two back-to-back shoulder surgeries and scrambled to prepare for the barefoot waterski world championships. This blog [...]
Swim Angels
December 5, 2012 By 3 Comments
Through my Athleta sponsorship, I have had the privilege of coming into contact with some amazing women. These women come from all walks of life and represent the gambit of athleticism. Some just want to live a healthy lifestyle, while others strive for perfection on a worldwide stage. I have been fortunate to forge friendships [...]
The Power of Girlfriends
October 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Considering my time with ocean-related sports, I’m surprised that I haven’t carried my interest over to rivers. The only time I’ve ever river rafted was the summer before my last year as an undergraduate, with a handful of girlfriends on the American River. There was little rafting. It was mainly floating with a cooler or [...]
