SURFING THE DREAM | CAROLINE MARKS

The World Surf League’s Tour kicks off the season on Apr 1st for the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and we can’t wait to see some phenomenal surfing. One of the competitors that we will have our eye on is Caroline Marks WSL Champion for 2023, Olympic Gold Medalist from Paris 2024 and is currently ranked World #2 for the 2025 season.

We wanted to know more about her love for surfing, how she came to it, and how she stays in shape when she is hitting those barrels! We also wanted to know more about her soon to be released Red Bull film, Now Days, her brand Pro Balance Brands, and her recent ambassadorship with Lexus!

ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s so great to connect with you!

CAROLINE MARKS: Hello! I’m currently over in Australia. I’m starting my season, actually the first day of the waiting period is tomorrow!

AM: It’s great to have you as this month’s cover!

CM: I’m really excited. You’ve had a couple people I know on the cover, so that’s pretty cool. I just surfed this morning, now I am talking with you, and then I will be back out surfing!

AM: We assumed!

What is your first memory of surfing and when did you fall in love with it?

CM: My first memory is pretty funny, because there’s actually a photo of it. I was in Costa Rica with my dad and I was on the front of his longboard. I was super young, maybe 3 years old. Then there’s another photo of me and I’m literally standing parallel and my borther’s like in the ackground and he’s kind of making that, “oh my gosh face.” I have a little bow in my hair and it’s pretty cute. I remember falling in love with it. It’s pretty funny because I surfed when I was little and then I actually got into horseback riding while growing up. I loved animals and stuff so I actually wanted to be a veterinarian when I was younger and then started barrel racing competitively, and did that until I was 10 and then didn’t really surf much then.

My oldest brother Luke was a competitive surfer so I kind of just thought surfing was his thing and I just kind of let him do his thing and I rode horses, and then I pretty much just wanted to impress my brothers really bad, and that’s why I started surfing. Then I remember when I was 11 years old, I was at the U12s Girls. There’s this event called USA Championships at Lower Trestles and it’s the biggest amateur event as a kid. All the best kids from Hawaii, all the east coast kids, and all the west coast kids come out and compete at Lowers and I ended up entering the event just because my brother was in it and I ended up winning. I was like, “whoa, I must be all right at this!” I just remember getting this big trophy and surfing all day and just having so much fun. I couldn’t believe this is a thing you can do you know? So, I remember from that moment forward, that I want to do this. This is so fun. So that’s where I really was like, I want to be a professional surfer. Wherever it takes me, I’m having so much fun.

AM: Not to say that there is, but is there a similarity or some kind of crossover between barrel racing and surfing for you?

CM: I mean, yeah, if you think about it, I was actually talking about this the other day in an interview, which is funny. I never thought of it like this, but you are on something that’s very out of your control. The ocean’s very, very out of your control. You’re on an animal and you don’t really know what it’s going to do. You can try to control it, but you really can’t. You know, they have a mind of their own.

I guess trying to go fast, like in surfing, going fast is a good thing. It’s like riding horses, that’s kind of like an art. And so certainly, you’re swerving around the barrels and in surfing, you’re riding the waves. I guess there is a little bit of crossover, more than I realized. So it’s pretty funny.

I’ve got some funny photos when I was like little. It was pretty classic.

AM: Obviously surfing on its own is a great sport, you know, for the total body to stay in shape. But what are work3outs that you do to optimize yourself in the sport?

CM: I love Pilates! Core and surfing is really important. I do a lot of lower leg work in surfing. Definitely having strong legs is really important because obviously you’re on the board a lot. I also love swimming because it’s just really good for your paddling and really good for your lungs and breathing and stuff. So those 3 things I do as well as cycle in between. Biking and swimming are kind of the things that I go back and forth between, but I mostly do Pilates and then just typical stuff in the gym with my trainers.

AM: What is your favorite maneuver when you’re surfing?

CM: This isn’t really a maneuver, but getting barreled is probably the ultimate feeling as a surfer!

AM: Oh wow!

CM: Oh yeah! You’re obviously in the tunnel of the waves.

AM: It looks so beautiful, but it looks so scary at the same time!

CM: Oh yeah, it is a bit of both for sure, but definitely getting barreled is something that’s just such an amazing feeling and then just doing a big frontside carve obviously just like laying into a big turn that always feels really good going really fast and just like laying into it. So those two things I like!

AM: You are a 2X Olympian who won a Gold medal in Paris. What has that meant to you to surf on such a global stage – you have had many stages, but what does it mean to do it for the Olympics?

CM: The Olympics, it doesn’t really get any bigger than that you know? It’s obviously a very global thing. It’s one of the only things that brings the whole world together. Not everyone knows about surfing, but everyone knows about the Olympics.

AM: Right.

CM: I was really proud to represent my country on that big of a stage and obviously to win. I mean, it’s just so incredible. It’s definitely the proudest moment in my career. I mean, it’s obviously about the world title. It’s hard to say one win for a WSL Championship versus the Olympics as both were the biggest dreams of mine as a little girl and the fact that I did both of them at 22 is pretty crazy! I am super grateful. It was amazing and it’s pretty hard to describe the feeling of being able to represent your country, but I’m really proud.

AM: Are you thinking about LA28?

CM: Of course! I want to be in as many Olympics as possible, but obviously, you know, LA28, it’s at a wave that’s like Lower Trestles. It’s 5 minutes from my house and obviously to be the hosting nation is just extra motivation because, it’s at home, which is pretty incredible. So I’m definitely thinking about it for sure.

AM: We can see you there! Anytime we’ve seen you surf, we can see you’re in your element and are just happy to be one with the water, it’s all zen and then we see you owning that barrel!

CM: Surfing has brought me everything really - a lot of the best moments of my life. I’ve met some of my best friends through surfing. The ocean is such a healing place for me, which is pretty cool to be able to say that about my job.

AM: Yeah.

CM: My career is - I just go in the ocean. Your day is instantly better, which is pretty amazing.

AM: You just mentioned at the top that the World Surf League Championship Tour kicks off its 50th season starting tomorrow for the first on-call day in Australia for the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach at Bells Beach in Victoria, Australia from Apr 1 – Apr 11th. What are you looking forward to as it kicks off?

CM: Yeah. I mean, first off, we’ve had our longest off-season of our career.

AM: Yeah.

CM: Just with them changing it around the schedule. It used to be - well way back, before it was my first couple years on tour it was April - December and then they switched it to January – September. It’s been that way for 5 years and now it’s back to April so in order for them to do that, we ended up having a 7 month long off season which for us, that’s a very long time. So usually our off season is pretty short compared to other sports. I think everyone’s just very excited because you haven’t really seen us in jerseys in a while! We also have some of the goats coming back like Carissa Moore and Stephanie Gilmore, which is amazing and they also extended the Women’s Tour, so there’s a lot of like milestones that have been broken this year already! I think everyone’s just really excited to see what happens. I have no doubt it’s just going to be a firework of a year. So I’m pretty excited.

AM: What’s your favorite one on the WSL Tour?

CM: Well, that’s a hard one. I know.

AM: We ask the tough questions!

CM: It’s a hard one. I mean, Cloudbreak’s pretty incredible. It’s such an incredible wave. Jeffreys Bay, which actually is not on tour this year, but it’s in South Africa, that’s another iconic one. Tahiti, obviously, just from winning the Gold there. I just have a lot of great memories there. And then Lower Trestles, of course. Lowers and Tahiti are probably my favorites, just with Lowers being in my backyard. It’s just such a fun wave. But it’s hard because everywhere has such beautiful things about it. But I’d say Lowers is probably my favorite wave on tour.

AM: Clearly you travel around the world to different places quite frequently. Are there 3 items that you tend to take with you to make any city or stop kind of feel like home?

CM: I mean, definitely. I’m not really one to bring a pillow. We just have so much stuff. We have our board bag, all of our clothes, and stuff like that. But I think just like a shirt from home, something I sleep in at home, just bringing it on the road. It’s the little things like that which kind of make me feel more at home or your favorite coffee cup or whatever things just make you feel more homey. But I feel like I’ve gotten so used to traveling that I’m able to adapt to it pretty quickly. I do travel with an eye mask. That’s something I do travel with to sleep on the planes with. That’s important. But nothing too crazy. Actually, this year my sister-in-law packed me a good luck charm in my bag so I just leave it in my luggage and it goes everywhere I go which is pretty cool!

AM: You definitely know it’s always there because it’s just in the luggage waiting to go.

CM: Exactly! i just leave it in there and it’s a little good luck charm which is kind of cool. I’m not too much of a creature of habit in that sense. I kind of just go with the flow.

AM: We had the pleasure of watching the screener for Now Days right before chatting with you. This is such a great film and so enjoyable to watch. It’s shot beautifully and it’s really great to see the 6 of you being able to navigate the waves and to tell your story. You recently had an event for this here in NY even though the film debuts in May. Why did you love being part of this film and what can you tell us about this?

CM: Thank you so much. I’m stoked you got to watch it. First off, there hasn’t been an all female surf film since 2011 and that was Leave a Message. That film left such an impact on me and I know it has for many other girls. It was so cool to see that. As much as it sounds simple to do, an all-female star film, it’s so difficult to get everyone together. We all have crazy schedules from different countries. We’re also each other’s biggest rivals.

AM: Right.

CM: That’s another thing that’s pretty funny, but I’m just really proud of it. I think, you know, obviously hopefully it inspires the next generation. And I feel like... that’s kind of our job in this generation is to inspire the next one and to push this forward and grow this forward and that’s what the generations did before us! That’s why we have equal pay. The girls in this film and this generation, I feel like we just had very good timing. All the girls before us that fought for this and for us and so now this film hopefully inspires the next generation to go harder and to push more. I’m really confident in that and I’m just really proud of it you know? It’s like two and a half years in the making coming to Red Bull and anything they put their hands on is pretty special. I knew the surfing was going to be amazing, but I also love how it tells a story of “hey, we all obviously want to win.

Surfing is a very cutthroat individual sport, but we also like pushing each other in a healthy environment and we are all good friends.” You know, I see these girls more than my family most of the year.

AM: Yeah.

CM: I’m with them so much. So, it really shows that. And we’re all able to relate to each other in a way that we probably won’t with our other friends, because we live this exact same life. So, yeah, I’m super proud of it and I just hope that the young girls, young guys, whoever watches it is just really inspired and wants to go surfing. It’s pretty cool to see the fruits of the labor because it definitely was a lot of work, but it was worth it!

AM: 100%! One of the things we like most about Red Bull films is when they have a number of individuals within the same sport, like Mark McMorris who was our cover this past December, he had just debuted PAVED.

CM: Yeah.

AM: It’s incredible to see people in a sport, but to see the individuality as well as the things that bind them together, it’s just so cool. We don’t surf; however, living in NY we love the surfing culture in Rockaway and Long Beach. It’s so cool to see how surfers show drive, grace, and flow which is what is evident in this film. People are going to enjoy it once it premieres.

CM: Thanks so much! I hope so. There’s definitely been even for this event, there’s been a lot of people asking about it, which has been really cool to see the hype around it. You know, it was something that was out of my comfort zone. Like I’ve always been so just hyper focused on competing and winning. That’s really what it takes in order to win. So this was cool because it was something that was new to me and different. I’ve never done a film like this before. So I was really proud of that.

AM: Well, you also just became a surf ambassador for Lexus, which is awesome. Why are you excited about this partnership? And why did you feel it was synergistic to your brand?

CM: Yeah, I mean, first off, Lexus makes such cool cars. And one of my friends, Griffin Colapinto, he got signed a year prior to me.

AM: Another cover of ours.

CM: Yeah! So I think just seeing the car and seeing how it fits my lifestyle, it’s a great combination between, sporty and luxury - I really like that. I like how they celebrate that. Also just getting to know everyone behind Lexus, everyone’s really cool. It’s a very family-oriented vibe, and I come from a big family, so I really love that. And so... I feel like it was a great partnership. I got one here in Australia with me and everyone’s like, nice car, nice wheels. I’m getting all the compliments on it.

AM: Wow.

CM: It’s pretty cool. I got to roll to the first event in style, it looks so cool.

AM: We have a Lexus SUV which is great because sometimes for the magazine between photography gear, styling items, transporting the team to shoots or even doing an event with goodie bags, you need to be able to carry everything – it needs to be fashionable, but you want to be able to get to where you have to go with everything in one piece.

CM: Absolutely. I feel like it fits all my boards. It fits wetsuits, everything I need. And also like it’s comfortable and it’s safe and it’s sturdy. And I also just love it aesthetically. I love and have the GX 550. I love the way it looks. So that’s also a bonus. I’m proud to drive the car. So yeah, it’s awesome.

AM: Well, what does the partnership look like in terms of what can we expect to see you doing with them and with the car? What will that look like from a consumer side?

CM: So Griffin and I, we’re going to do some collab videos here. We’re both in Australia, which will be pretty fun. So there’s a lot of beautiful beaches here, a lot of great scenery. So stay tuned for a cool video with that. And obviously, you know, I’m going to be traveling a lot this year. But wherever they provide me a car, we’re going to be providing content. Lexus sponsors the U.S. Open, so I look forward to seeing what they have in store for this year’s event. I think I’m doing a signing with them. We have great things coming up. And yeah, I’m really excited about it.

AM: Clearly you’re a business person as an athlete and someone who has a number of sponsors, and you have added to your portfolio by creating your own brand, Pro Balance Bands. Tell us about this and why did you want to launch it?

CM: Thanks for asking. It’s cool. My dad, he’s very business-minded. He comes from that background. He taught me a lot about that side of the world, which is really cool. I really trust his opinion. I think after the Gold medal, we kind of thought, how do we capitalize on this? The bands felt so natural to me and and my main thing was, I travel a lot and I don’t want to put a product out that I can’t travel with because most of my life is on the road, So the bands feels so perfect. I’ve also been training with them since I started working out way more consistently in 2019, my second year on tour and that was the year I made the first Olympics. I just use bands everywhere and I bring them everywhere I go. They come in like a little pouch. It’s great and you can do a lot with bands so it felt so natural and it’s been really fun.

It’s my first time starting a company and obviously I have a lot of help doing it, but, it’s been really cool and all the bands are really good material. I use them every single day. So it’s great. You’ll see me if you watch the webcast warming up with them. So I’m really proud of it and it’s been going good so far. I think we’re going to come out with some new products as well.

AM: Nice.

CM: We started with the bands, but we’re going to keep adding more things in. We also have weekly videos of myself, my brother, our other ambassadors doing videos as well. My trainer too, he does videos, which is cool. So if you want to know how I train, you just go on the website Pro Balance Bands or on our YouTube. It’s exciting and I’m enjoying it. It’s been fun.

AM: Well, when you’re not on tour or shooting campaigns or doing all these different things, how do you take time for yourself just to have a moment to yourself?

CM: Honestly, I’m a pretty simple girl. I love just being with my friends whether it’s as simple as, you know, going to get a coffee or going out for dinner or watching the sunset. Things like that bring me a lot of joy. I think just kind of being in one place and being with good people - I call it my “feel good people.” When you’re around people you really know, there’s no effort.

AM: Exactly.

CM: You end up leaving hanging out with them with more in your battery - it becomes more full. It’s how I recharge. And I also do love my own alone time as well. I just love whether that’s just sitting on my couch at home or just going for a drive, that’s also really therapeutic to me as well or going on a beach walk or whatever. Things like that sound really silly, but that’s kind of how, what helps me unwind and I love that.

AM: Being that you’re in that next generation of surfers, you’re trailblazing, you’ve gotten all these different awards and accolades. What do you want your legacy to be seen as in this sport or even in life?

CM: I mean, I just really want girls and people in general to be inspired. I love surfing. It’s really fun to me and I hope I kind of give off that persona. I just want to leave a legacy of being hardworking, but also enjoying your life too. You know, it can’t always just be like work, work, work like this. We live such an amazing life and we should enjoy it. And there’s more to it than surfing too. We’re in these different countries. We’re in different cultures. It’s really cool. Obviously surfing is what brought me here. But there’s so much more than that. And I think hopefully I can leave a legacy of just a really positive outlook on life, surfing, and fun. I hope that makes sense.

AM: It does. We always think about that when you’re doing stuff, especially now that obviously we live in an age where people can see stuff socially, you’re touching corners of the world that someone who grew up that isn’t living your life or experiences personally, they can envision that for themselves. Maybe if it’s not that same thing, but something similar and it just creates a spark and wonder. So that’s really cool.

IG @caroline_markss

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | FRONT COVER. PG 16 ,PD 24, PG 26 Ed Sloane/World Surf League | PG 19 Tony Heff/World Surf League | PG 20, PG 29 Brent Bielmann/World Surf League | PG 22 ROXY | PG 30 Ryan Miller/Red Bull Content Pool | PG 33 USA Surfing | PG 34 Domenic Mosqueira/Red Bull Content Pool | PG 36 Nathan Adams/ Red Bull Content Pool | PG 38 Marcelo Marafni | BACK COVER CHAMPION |

Read the MAR ISSUE #123 of Athleisure Mag and see SURFING THE DREAM | Caroline Marks in mag.

HAPPINESS IS GOLD

We made our way to Olympic Week a few days ahead of the Opening Ceremony taking

place for the Winter Games in Milano Cortina courtesy of Hershey’s for their Fireside Chat at SOHO House’s LES destination, Ludlow House. We had the opportunity to sit down to hear from Paralympic Team USA Snowboarder Amy Purdy (1S, 2B), and Olympians Team USA Gymnastics Aly Raisman (3G, 2S, 1B), and Team USA Figure Skating Jason Brown (1B). The 2 of them participated in a panel moderated by Hershey’s at the Hershey Company Senior Brand Manager, Katrina Vatter to talk about their Happiness Campaign featuring US Olympians. We heard about their athleticism, their passion for their sports and how they enjoy the happy moments that take place on and off the podium.

KATRINA VATTER: We are so pleased to be with all of you during Olympic Week and to have you here! I’m so honored to be doing my dream job and having a dream moment right now being here! Coming into this role, this brand has been around for over a 100 years but I felt that we have had this opportunity and this moment to bring what we do into the relevancy of today! Hershey’s has always stood for happiness. But for us, now more than ever, as we look around the world you see where we want to get happiness – this is where we got to to get to this campaign!

We knew that this campaign is a moment where folks are really striving hard for an incredible accomplishment and you know, happiness is really the goal here. This is an important moment to celebrate the achievements, but also to look at all of the hard work along the way. You can see the film that we created with our Olympic and Paralympic athletes and then we’ll have a nice chat with our athletes to talk about what happiness means to them and what it is sparking for them as well as we launch this campaign.

It’s my distinct honor to welcome our esteemed Olympians and Paralympian. Give it up for Jason Brown, Amy Purdy, and last but certainly not least, Aly Raisman. Thank you for being here again and thank you for participating in what I am deeming is a heart to heart on a Tues that looks at happiness and the meaning of life. The ability to have the balance\ to strive for something that you are really passionate about but then finding those moments along the way that make everything worth it.

To start us off, I’m a mom with 3 kids and I’m curious to hear how you guys got started on this journey? When you entered into your sport, what were those initial moments of pure happiness? My daughter’s dabbling and skating a little bit of gymnastics, and she just seemed like pure joy out there, and I know at some point that shifts into the competitive intensity, but I’d love to hear from you. Jason, what were those initial moments on the ice like for you?

JASON BROWN: So I fell in love with skating, cuz I have an older sister, and she took skating lessons, and it led to the annual ice show at the local rink. I saw her in that ice show and I saw all these kids skating to music in costumes, expressing themselves together, having so much fun. And it just was, like, I want to be part of that world, and I want to be able to express myself and I want to speak to music and I want to work hard to perform like that, and it just was like that pure happiness and joy that I just instantly gravitated towards.

KV: I love that!

AMY PURDY: I grew up in Vegas, which is not exactly where you expect a professional snowboarder to come from, but my family skied. I was horrible at skiing, but my friends snowboarded, and the first time I got on my snowboard, I just felt freedom like, I’ve never felt before. My sister was a cheerleader, so I was trying to be a cheerleader, and I didn’t make it. But then I found myself, I found myself. I found my friends. I found my passion it made me feel alive. I’d snowboard every day after school, which we had a lot of snow outside of Vegas at that time. I literally found myself and I knew that it was something that I would want to do for the rest of my life, didn’t know I would go on to compete, had no idea I would lose my legs at 19, and then go on to compete in the Paralympics so, but I just knew that I wanted snowboarding to be a part of my life in some way for the rest of my life, and it took me places that I never could imagine.

ALY RAISMAN: I started gymnastics when I was 2, and I just fell in love with it. I started with Mommy & Me classes, and I just can remember that I would daydream all day about going to gymnastics practice. And then, when I was 8, I watched the ‘96 women’s Olympic gymnastics team, and it was on a VHS tape, and I just watched it over and over again. I loved it and I think part of the magic of being a kid is that for me, it felt like there was no dream that was too big, and so I watched them. And at 8 years old, it didn’t occur to me about how hard it would be to get there, and that it was so difficult to make it. Now there’s only five gymnasts on that team, so it’s just there’s so little room for error. But at that age, I just sat in front of that couch and watched it over and over again, and I loved it. And I knew I, that was my passion. And I wanted to be out there. When I look at little kids doing gymnastics now to see the joy they have it just brings me back, and it makes me so happy. You know, my hope is that every kid has something that they love and makes them so excited. Whether or not that is sports, but I think about if every person in the world has something they were passionate about and they loved, I really think the world would be a much better and happier and more healing place.

KV: I love that. I love what all you guys said, that thread of, I can be free - I can finally be myself in this moment, kind of lose yourself. I think that’s so powerful. As you shift ahead, then to your Olympic/Paralympic journey, what were some of those things those comforting elements along the way that either took you back to the beginning or would help ground you as the competitive intensity would get started?

AP: I think one of the things that always kept me grounded was visualization. So, I’m a huge visualizer, I’m sure all athletes, are. You really need to be because you need to be able to see yourself win, you need to be able to see yourself perform in the way that you want to perform. And even when I lost my legs, I was laying in the hospital bed, visualizing myself snowboarding again, and I thought so vividly, and it makes me emotional to think about. I didn’t know how I’d do it, but I knew that I would. And then I did, and so I just kind of took that visualization into everything that I did standing in the staircase at the Paralympic Games, like visualizing every single move that I wanted to make, or even the night before, when I would get nervous and I think about, I’m going to make a mistake and I’m going to mess this up. You’re feeling the pressure, the world’s watching, and I’d just go back to visualizing. I would take some deep breaths, remember why I was there in the first place, knowing the impact that it makes to actually just be there and get the opportunity to be there. I would also just visualize as a means to ground myself for what I want to do and how I want it to feel and then kind of just letting it happen. So for me, that was very much a pretty nice grounding practice.

KV: Thanks so much for sharing and it’s super inspiring to hear that even in these very difficult moments, kind of like envisioning how you want it to be, how you want it to feel. Jason, how about you?

JB: I mean, there is as you mentioned, so much visualization that goes on. And even when Ali was talking about just that, seeing the kids at the gym for me, you know, as we get older and as the goals get bigger, we can get this tunnel vision and this focus and just be on the ice with it’s better just aspiring to better themselves. There’s just this unbridled joy around them. For me, when you’re skating to music, it’s like they’re skating to whatever song like warms their heart, and they’re just like running around the rink. Seeing the kids have that camaraderie with their friends, and that always brings me back to why I am in this sport. We have the opportunity in skating to perform in shows and that is another outlet where, when that focus on competition gets really heavy - you have that opportunity to express yourself to different pieces of music, explore yourself and who you are in different ways. That outlet is just so special and unique to the sport.

KV: The outlet piece or the balancing the intensity of the competition is a great element to highlight. It is something to see the unbridaled joy of children when they’re doing sports. It’s so fun to see the world, through kids eyes.

Ali, how about you?

AR: I loved both of your answers! I’m trying to think about something else that has helped me because both the visualization and then also just being around kids and seeing their joy has really helped me and impacted me, I think. Also, for me, being honest with other people - my support system about what I’m experiencing and what I’m going through. I think people tune in and might see the highs and the exciting moments of us competing at the Olympics, but there’s so many days where I don’t feel my best or I’m having a tough day, and so I think leaning on people in my life that I can go to for help and support, where I’m having a tough day or I’m just feeling a little bit off has been really critical for me in my gymnastics career, but then also post gymnastics career is just knowing that I’m not alone. And I think when I was younger, it was when I was competing in 2012 and 2016 that you know anxiety and depression wasn’t as much of a conversation as it is now. It’s still very stigmatized, but it’s still too many people are suffering in silence, but I think, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve really realized that when I’m vulnerable with my friends and open about what I’m experiencing it, it feels scary, but it also allows other people to open up and share what they’re experiencing and then, I think we form a deeper connection and relationship, and then I can feel like I’m getting better from it and able to work on myself in a way, and so I, I think leaning on my support system and being honest, especially in a sport like gymnastics where a lot of the things we’re doing are very scary and very dangerous. So I think communicating with my coach and letting him know if I felt a little bit off or felt like I might need a little bit more of a spot on something one day was very important, because, it’s hard to be at your best all the time. And it’s impossible. So I think allowing ourselves that Grace has been something I’ve had to learn and work on and being okay with asking for help and being comfortable with that, I think, has been one of the biggest gifts I’ve given myself is just letting go of this perfectionist mentality or having to be the best because I think being courageous and brave is being able to ask for help because we all deal with stuff. We’re all human.

KV: Thanks so much for sharing that. I think that’s super powerful. I feel like sometimes there’s always this pressure to be fine. But really, that power in connecting with somebody and opening up, helps you realize that you’re not alone and things like that.

As you think through where you guys started from and then heading into our Olympic/Paralympic Journeys, how does the definition of success change for you? What did success look like for you in the beginning, how did that evolve over time, and what do you think about it now after all of your accomplishments and achieving the heights of your athletic careers?

JB: Oh my gosh! It’s changed drastically I think throughout every experience. You know, when I was younger and still to this day, but my parents, I’m so grateful, celebrated everything. They celebrated every win. They celebrated every loss. Because of skating, I got to travel the world and compete all over. And we saw the world, you know when I would go to an event good bad, however, you know what? We took the next day to really explore the city that we were in and, and that’s something that I really don’t take for granted. And we did that when I was. young, traveling the Midwest. I’m from Chicago, and like we would be in Iowa and we’d see the city there, or if we were in Des Moines, or wherever we were. We really took the time to explore that place and I think that it really grounded me. But also, there was this level of happiness and joy that this sport that I loved was this vehicle to see the country and to see the world.

As I got older, of course when you have that tunnel vision, you have those goals. It gets harder and harder, and you know you want to grip on tighter and tighter. Having that reminder and having that perspective that my family always gave me in those tough moments win, lose, or draw - you wake up the next day you, you’re hungry for more. And I think what’s so incredible about this campaign, but also about that search for happiness is that it’s, it’s a constant thing that we seek that we have at times that comes naturally that we also struggle with.

You know, Ali talked about that anxiety and that pressure and being able to say I’m not okay, I’m not happy. How could something that I love so much, also tear me down in some moments, and how can I struggle with something and be okay with that? Being able to share those moments and it’s a constant learning experience.

It’s not something I think that we ever master or ever reach. It’s a constant striving to grow, learn and adapt. And I think that, as I got older, and the more I achieved, the more I learned that you just keep waking up hungry for that next experience.

AP: Well, I love what both of you guys are saying and along the same lines, so for me, how happiness has changed, and maybe success has changed. So I think earlier in my career going into Sochi, I put so much pressure on myself that even though I loved my sport and I loved what I was doing, I felt the pressure and that took some of the happiness away because I felt like this is my first time to show what we can do as Paralympic athletes. It was the first time that snowboarding was a Paralympic sport, and I was kind of the one to watch. And I was, like, I’m still trying to figure out what I’m doing myself, you know, and I hope I do good. And so, I put all this pressure on myself. I’d see myself on billboards, and I’d see myself on like, you know, in magazines and all this stuff, and I would just get so nervous, and so then, going into my second Paralympic Games, I thought I don’t want all that pressure. I just want to enjoy the ride. I just want to enjoy it because I might not have it forever. I know I won’t have it forever, and so I loosened up. I allowed myself to just be present and enjoy the ride. And then, now I am retired. And I would say success for me now is not trying to be the best, which is kind of as a perfectionist self that I’ve had to overcome, it’s trying to take care of myself, the best. And when I do that, then I show up as my best self. When I can sleep good, eat good, relax, listen to my body, listen to my mind, and let that pressure go. It’s really hard as athletes because you’re competing against each other. Even though you’re on a team, so you don’t necessarily feel like you can always open up to your teammates about what you’re going through, so you’re kind of like this furnace, you know, like, ready to combust, sometimes with all this pressure that you feel, but being able to really focus on self-care. Like now, if I’m not comfortable, I don’t want to do it. I used to be uncomfortable all the time. I’m pushing my comfort zone all the time. And now, I’m like, no, I can actually sit back, take care of myself, and enjoy what I’m doing. I can be present and make sure my head’s on straight, like that, feels like success to me to have that breathing room and to be able to do that.

AR: Can I ask you, what age do you feel like you got to that point where you felt comfortable prioritizing how you feel?

AP: Okay, so I’m 46 now, and I will tell you what one of the best things about aging is that’s what comes with it, because even I think when I was 40, so I actually got injured, severely injured, injured my left leg that knocked me out of my sport and everything until now. I’m still kind of working my way back, and it was really hard because I still wanted to show up. I still wanted to compete. I still wanted to be the best because I felt like I was at the top of my game when it happened. And then I had to learn some real acceptance of, like, I’m not gonna be what I was and really be able to do it. I was grateful that I didn’t, but then with that came this aging thing that, you know, so many people, especially women complain about right now - of how it feels when you’re in your mid-40s in your mid 50s. But for me, there’s a sense of calm that I appreciate so much. I don’t feel like I have to compare myself with anybody else. I’m proud of my accomplishments. There’s more than I want to do. There’s just this calm confidence that I’ve never felt in my life, especially being an introvert. I honestly think it’s also just age, and it’s something that we can really look forward to. And I find myself more happy in the little moments now.

KV: I love hearing all of this and as we’re passing out some golden chocolate medals to you now, I would love to hear from you guys in your Journeys, whether growing up or at the Olympics and Paralympics, what was a moment where you’re like, no one knows about this, but like this deserves a medal! What are the small things that epitomize what it means to be happy along the way?

AR: I think I was pretty good at pin trading. Did you guys do that? It’s really cool, because at the Olympics, you have your credential and you’ve got pins, and not everyone speaks the same language. So it was really cool to be able to communicate with athletes from around the world and to trade pins, and I just loved it. And then you get to have all these really cool memories, and I became very competitive with it, and I loved it so much, and it was just a really nice, healthy distraction.

And then, I’d also say, my favorite moments from the Olympics, I love this Hershey’s Campaign because it really is meaningful to me when I think about my Olympic career. I’m not thinking about the podium. I’m thinking about really the fun times with my teammates, and we all still have such a great relationship, but we would laugh so hard when we weren’t at the gym, and we really, you know, when we’re at the Olympics, we’re in the Olympic Village. We’re training, eating, and sleeping. That’s it. And we just, it was, like, laughter, was the best medicine for us, at least for me. I can’t speak for my teammates. I was so stressed, and so to have that just being goofy and silly and just having fun together. I just cherish those moments so much because it really helped me stay grounded, and so the pin trading and the friendships that I made, I think, are my medal moments.

KV: I’ve heard about this pin trading situation. It sounds amazing and like the perfect balance to everything that you guys are experiencing.

AR: Do you guys have pins?

KV: We don’t! Next time for sure, we have to!

AR: Ok for LA the Summer Games for LA28!

KV: It’s happening!

Amy, how about you?

AP: I missed out on the pin trading in Sochi because I was so focused on competing and I didn’t realize that everybody was doing this whole pin trading thing until I went to my next Games!

It’s not really a moment, but I think it’s everybody who supported me on the path like they should get the medals because there was so much that went on behind the scenes that people don’t realize. I think about my doctors who saved my life, my kidney transplant doctor allowed me to do things that most transplant patients can’t do. I traveled the world, and you know, he knows that. So, he’s like, part of my team. I had engineers working on my legs. Prosthetists who make legs, literally working hundreds, if not thousands of hours on my legs, to get them comfortable enough for me to snowboard again. So for me, I think I’d turn the medal to give it to everybody who supported me on the journey.

JB: Truly what you guys both said, I wish I was a better pin trader to be completely honest. I was so nervous to go up to anybody. When I went to my first Olympics in 2014, I was just so star struck. I felt like a kid in the candy store! Just everything and everyone, I couldn’t believe that I was a part of something that I had grown up looking to. But what Amy said, it’s that support team. Many people don’t realize how much truly goes into it. You see these medal moments or you see these moments when we’re out doing the sport that we love and a lot of the times, it’s like game face on and you’re locked in. But like people don’t see all those scars or all those long days or all the good and bad moments and highs and lows that go into that. I think that those moments of perseverance, those moments of growth where you learn so much about yourself - and your team that unconditional support from them regardless win, lose, or draw. They’re like there the next day, being like, okay, how are we gonna turn this around, or maybe get better or learn from this moment? Or, and we’re here to celebrate. And I think that those are the moments that people don’t always see.

KV: I’m just curious if there’s any words of wisdom that you would give to your younger self or those striving to be where they want to be?

AR: I would tell myself to trust my gut. I think that we live in a world where at least I noticed this with gymnastics, where, from a very young age, I was kind of taught if I finished a cartwheel - I would immediately turn to my coach or the judge for approval, and I think along the way, I forgot to think about how it felt for me first. Because it’s a subjective sport, I was always seeking outside approval. I’ve just seen over the years, whether it’s parents or coaches and well meaning people. When a kid says, you know, oh, my foot hurts, or I’m kind of tired. They’ll say, no, does it. You’re fine, or they’ll push them to keep going.

And you know, sometimes, when we do ask for help, we don’t always get the support that’s important. So, to not give up until I find someone who does support me and does believe in me. It’s also about doing what makes me feel calm, gives me peace and prioritize what makes me feel good and be okay with saying no, which I’m still working on.

JB: I constantly struggle with the ability to trust my gut! I still, every single day, I’m fighting that battle, and like, trying and as Ali mentioned skating, being a subjective sport. There’s so many people giving so much input all the time that it’s very easy to lose your way in situations so huge, huge one.

I think another big thing that I learned along the way is there’s no one path. I think that we sometimes fixate on do X, Y, and Z - it will get to a certain point and I think that sometimes it’s A, B, and D. There’s just no formula in that sense, but if you are doing something because you’re passionate about it because you love it because you’re driven and motivated, that’s the formula to success, because as we have discussed today, the definition of success has changed drastically through our lives and what we think we want or what we think will be that definition or that defining moment, isn’t or may not be. I think some of the my lowest moments or some of the times where I haven’t trusted my gut and it’s gone poorly, I’ve grown the most because I’m never gonna do that again, and it’s taken me places that I never thought I could imagine. So, I think those are big things that I would definitely tell myself.

AP: I’m kind of along that journey as well. It’s not about the outcome talking about happiness and trying to find happiness. It really is the journey, and it really is finding purpose in the journey. If you can live in a way that you have purpose every day, a drive, whatever it may be.

Like what that taught us? It was just having this driven purpose is really what created so much happiness for myself, and so I would just ket my younger self know that that it really is in the pursuit of happiness that you find happiness, not once you win that Gold medal.

We truly enjoyed being able to hear from these 3 athletes while enjoying a very cozy lunch. We were given some time to sit with them to delve more into what they talked about on the moderated panel, as well as a few questions that we had that we know our readers and community would like to know more about as they were all heading to the Olympics as Aly was experiencing her first Winter Games, Amy is one of the Olympics Team USA Creators for the Olympics as well as the Paralympics, and Jason was a first alternate for Team USA Figure Skating.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We enjoyed hearing you guys on the panel and I’m glad we have some time to chat as our readers/community are always happy to hear from their favorite athletes and I have a few additional questions.

Happiness means what to you and where do you find it?

AP: I’ve just learned it’s not really about the outcome. It’s not about, like reaching the thing that you’re going after. It really is having purpose, so if I can wake up and have purpose in my day, that makes me take action that keeps me busy. That keeps me moving towards something that’s meaningful. That’s where happiness comes from for me. And I’ve even found it in my darkest days, so I severely injured my leg years ago. I already mentioned that, but, in some of my darkest days where I wasn’t walking at all, and I went actually a couple years like that. I had 10 surgeries in a 3-year time frame. I wasn’t walking at all and I didn’t know if I was going to walk again. I definitely didn’t know if snowboard would happen again or any of that.

AR: I just think that’s really powerful.

JB: How you said purposeful action! I think that combination, because I think you can feel like I have this purpose, but you feel stuck. I think that feeling of actually taking the action, taking the steps to move towards something whatever that might be, whether that’s that athletic goal, whether that’s a mission that you have or honestly, a relationship, and any in any given way.

AR: Those answers were so powerful. I really appreciate what they both said, and I think it’s really feels like what you guys are saying is such a value-driven answer and so meaningful. I really think about the fact that I’m almost 10 years out from competing, which is a really long time, and I think I’m sort of at a point in my life where I don’t think about my gymnastics career all the time, and I think for a long time my worth was defined by how I did or didn’t do, and I was so devastated and so hard on myself. If I didn’t do well. I try to think about if I Googled myself and deleted everything on there, who would I be and what would I be doing? I think when I try to really give myself time to reflect on what makes me happy - who am I with, What am I doing, where am I an really reflecting of even going to dinner with friends. Do I feel good about myself after? Does it feel like a really meaningful relationship? Do I feel really drained, or what are the types of things that I want in my future, and what am I doing to get there?

I also saw this thing online that said, if you were a movie and everyone was watching, what would they be screaming at you, telling you to do? I just think that’s really powerful.

JB: Oh my God!

AR: I tried to also give myself Grace and realize we’re all human. We all have good and bad days, and I think as long as we are trying to be in alignment with what’s important to us. I think that that’s a recipe for success, and I think success means something different to each of us. But for me, now, it just means waking up and feeling peace and spending my time with people that are just really good people. And then I can learn and grow from, like, you guys.

AM: The Olympics and Paralympics is such a global stage that you have all done. What did you love about doing that, and what are you looking forward to and looking at? I mean, we’re days away from 2026, which is exciting.

JB: I think for me. I think the fact that you get to share what you love to do with the world is so special. I think that is something that’s so rare and beautiful about the Olympic Games. I think that’s a reason why there is so much pressure to get yourself there because you know how not only rare of an occasion, it is, but also how badly you want to do what you love on the biggest stage and really get to share your passion with the people around you! As I’ve gotten older, and as I’ve experienced more, I think you do realize that you’re able to do that everyday. Like, regardless of an Olympics or not, but I do think that heightened attention is also something that you just, you just also know, and everyone around you. There’s a different energy and a different intensity and a different focus and a level of –

AR: Scrutiny?

JB: That too! It’s interesting, too. I think it. It brings out the best and the worst. I think it tests you and it challenges you and it teaches you. And sometimes, it’s like magic happens and sometimes you fall. It’s really tough. I think that’s the beauty of the Games.

AP: Okay, the very first Games was incredibly special because it was the first time that snowboarding was in the Paralympic Games. Snowboarding was my passion before I lost my legs. I lost my legs below the knees when I was 15, and all I cared about was snowboarding again. So I went on a mission to figure out how to do it, and I ended up building my own feet to snowboard in because there weren’t any feet at the time for snowboarding. And I knew the motion that I needed, and so I like built a pair of feet where I took like an ankle from one brand and a foot from another brand and turned the ankle around backwards and added all this wood under the heel and a bunch of duct tape, and I realized that I could snowboard with prosthetic legs.

At that point, my boyfriend, who’s now my husband, but we started a non-profit organization called Adaptive Action Sports so that we could help other people with disabilities snowboard, and through that we were able to help to get snowboarding into the Paralympic Games for the very first time. So we really kind of in the US, headed the charge to get snowboarding into the Paralympics. So, then, to actually be at the Paralympics in the start gates, thinking of everything that I went through to get there, even walking out in the Opening Ceremonies that was incredibly euphoric and emotional because I thought, oh, my gosh, it took losing my legs to get here. It took every little step along the way and we created a sport, literally created a sport, and it’s here, and there’s people from all around the world competing in it. It was just the most powerful experience to go, we did it, and you can create something that doesn’t exist and you can. And there’s people who believe in you and there’s other people doing it. And like, you can have a vision and actually have it come to life on the biggest stage in the world! What a cool life experience to know that you can put something out there and make it happen. It wasn’t just me, but like, collectively, make something happen that didn’t exist before. Now to sit back and watch because now snowboarding has been in the Paralympics and will be in it’s fourth Paralympic cycle.

I did 2 out of the 4. Now, I watch all these athletes from around the world like, it’s just grown. It’s taken on the life of its own. There’s athletes, I don’t even know. It’s, like, I mean, it’s unreal. The level of competition is huge. So for me, I get to be a super fan, and like I was a part of the beginning of it, and now I get to sit back and just be like, you know, in awe of what the athletes are doing so. I’m just really. I’m proud of it. I think I’m in a spot where I get to be, like, proud of it because we helped to create it and let it kind of launch and do its thing.

AM: That’s amazing.

AR: I’m going to be in Milan, so I’m very excited, and I feel so grateful that I get to be there to watch. It’s my first Winter Olympics getting to watch in person. So I think for me, this it also kind of, I think, allows me to really reflect on my own career, so I’m really looking forward to watching it and just being able to try to be present and just take in. You know, I think that in the Olympics you use this word and I use it too - there’s so much magic, and I think it really brings people together from around the world, and it’s a really beautiful thing that I’m really looking forward to is to be able to cheer on athletes from the US, but also from other places around the world and to hear other people’s stories and experiences and to see sportsmanship and to see so many wonderful stories and I think positive with social media is that we’re not just now hearing about the athletes that are on the top of the podium, we’re learning about athletes who you know in Paris, there was someone that was going viral for eating a muffin on TikTok.

ALL: Yeah!

AR: My teammates call me Grandma because I never know what’s what’s happening, but there was someone talking about eating muffins. People are now being recognized, not just for their performance, but for their sportsmanship. And just like their personalities and who they are, and that was really not the case when I was competing, and so I really like that because it’s too much pressure. And I think it’s not right to only showcase athletes who are winning, and I think the fact that we can really get to know who these athletes are and to hear about the amazing charities and organizations they’re starting is really wonderful. And that’s what I’m excited about it. I think this will hopefully be a pinch me moment just to be able to be there in that experience, and I’m really looking forward to it.

IG @alyraisman

@amypurdygurl

@jasonbskates

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Hershey’s

Read the FEB ISSUE #122 of Athleisure Mag and see HAPPINESS IS GOLD in mag.

HER HALF PIPE JOURNEY | BEA KIM

This month, we have all enjoyed watching the Olympics and seeing so many stories whether our favorites or new to athletes that hit the podium, played our favorite sport, or just seeing them navigate their Olympic journey! We love snowboarding and Team USA had a number of great stories that we enjoyed watching. Bea Kim has been on our radar for a bit, watching her journey on the global stage along with seeing her hanging out with Chloe Kim and Maddie Mastro. We caught up with Bea as soon as the Olympics concluded to talk about her Olympic debut, the sport, being at her first Olympics and more!

ATHLEISURE MAG: What is your first memory of being on a snowboard and when did you fall in love with it?

BEA KIM: I honestly don’t think I can remember my first memory on a snowboard. I just remember things about when I started. My family would ride on Chair 7 at Mammoth and I had a green jacket and this 8-ball helmet. The jumps were tiny but I was having the time of my life. I think I’m honestly trying to chase that feeling every time I strap in.

AM: When did you realize that you wanted to snowboard competitively and at what point did you go pro?

BK: I realized I wanted to try snowboarding competitively when I randomly entered and podiumed at the JLA Banked Slalom in Mammoth. I saw a kid ride by with a Mammoth Snowboard Team Jacket and I told my dad I wanted to join. He initially laughed because we live by the beach, not close to the mountains, but he allowed me to join and has been my biggest supporter since. I decided I wanted to go pro when I watched Chloe win her first Olympic gold in Korea. That was a pretty pivotal moment for me.

AM: Tell me about halfpipe and why do you love doing it?

BK: I love the halfpipe because it’s always challenging me, both mentally and physically. There are always new tricks to learn and technique to refine. I honestly nerd out on the super little things and sometimes my coaches have to say, “Stop thinking so much -- just go snowboard!” Great advice. I

think playing that line between being analytical and going with what feels right is super exciting.

AM: We always like knowing about what athletes do to optimize themselves in their sport. Are there 3 workouts that you do that you can share with us?

BK: My top three are:

• Bulgarian split squats

• Squat jumps

• Shoulder press

AM: What is an average week like when you are preparing to compete?

BK: Hectic. I’m historically not great during competition practices, so I typically feel a little weird on my board. Majority of the week is spent recovering physically and resetting my brain to approach the next practice or competition day with a strong mindset.

AM: This year, you made it to the Olympics and you placed 8th in your debut! What has the journey to get to the Olympics been like and what are your biggest takeaways in competing this year?

BK: The journey has been wild! I mean it’s been almost a decade now, so to finally get to the Olympics and have the opportunity to compete was super surreal. If I’m being honest, I got caught up in the “Olympic stress” leading up to the Games and had a few rough days. But landing a run in finals really reignited that childish love for snowboarding and has made me super excited for the future. Moving forward, I am going to try and not take everything so seriously. Still put maximum effort and hard work into everything that I do, but loosen up. It makes the journey more enjoyable.

AM: What were the Opening Ceremonies like?

BK: A lot of standing haha. It felt like prom or a graduation because everyone was all dressed up taking pictures just hanging out. I like to think it was our joint celebration of the hard work we all put in of training and qualifying for the Olympics.

AM: We’ve enjoyed seeing images of you and Chloe Kim together. How did you guys connect and what has it meant to you to be able to share your Olympic experience with her competing as well?

BK: We connected through the U.S. Team once I made the pro team. It was very full circle to be able to share my Olympic experience with her. Before she even knew who I was, she was inspiring me to go out and snowboard. Now, she not only continues to inspire me but treats me like a little sister. We talk about snowboarding and life. Lots of selfies and exchanging lip products haha.

AM: When you were not competing or preparing to compete, what was your favorite Olympic experience?

BK: Ooh. The late night pizza runs after training.

AM: What’s next in terms of your snowboarding career?

BK: Having fun. That might be in the halfpipe, or the backcountry, or just riding with my little brother. I want to keep pushing myself while learning to maintain a better relationship with snowboarding.

AM: This Fall you will be attending Columbia University, which is exciting! What are you looking forward to?

BK: Everything! It’s going to be such a new experience and world, than snowboarding, so I am looking forward to all of it. Getting to meet new people and grow a different part of my brain!

AM: You partnered with Protect Our Winters. Can you tell me more about that and why this is synergistic with you?

BK: I grew up in the outdoors. Snowboarding, camping, and hiking were such a huge part of my childhood and who I am as a person. The outdoors has given me my career and so many amazing adventures and opportunities. As I started to travel more it became impossible to ignore climate change. I got in contact with POW because I want future generations to be able to explore and adventure like I did.

AM: When you are not snowboarding, how do you take time for yourself?

BK: It’s pretty simple, haha. Reading, eating, spending time with my friends and family.

IG @hellobeakim

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 78 - 82 Courtesy of Bea Kim | PG 84 Trevor Brown Jr./X Games | PG 87 - 89 Isami Kiyooka/Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games |

Read the FEB ISSUE #122 of Athleisure Mag and see HER HALF PIPE JOURNEY | Bea Kim in mag.

9LIST STORI3S | BEA KIM

Read the FEB ISSUE #122 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST STORI3S | Bea Kim in mag.

JAMIE ANDERSON | DEFYING GRAVITY

One of the most decorated women’s snowboarders is none other than 3X Team USA Snowboarding Olympic Medalist and 21X X Games Medalist, Jamie Anderson. With a number of accolades under her board, she owns the most X Games hardware of any female athlete and the second most Winter medals of any athlete! She’s a 5X ESPY Female Action Sports Award Winner, is an 11 career World Cup winner, has 8 career U.S. Open wins, and wins across every other major action sports series in the last 2 decades! She has even joined X Games League Winter Founder Athletes ahead of the Winter League debut in 2027.

We wanted to know more about this phenomenal athlete, her passion for the sport, how she approaches snowboarding, and competing at Rockstar Energy Open last year, as well as the X Games which took place this month.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Do you remember your first moment on a snowboard and when did you fall in love with it?

JAMIE ANDERSON: I fell in love with snowboarding when I was 9 years old. My two sisters had started the season or two before, and as soon as I fit into their hand me downs, my mom took me to Sierra Tahoe and I had a ski school lesson. I remember it being super difficult at first, but later that day or the following day, I remember it clicking and being able to kind of ride and do my turns and that’s the moment I really fell in love with snowboarding and just having that freedom being on the mountain, exploring, riding trails through the woods. It brought me so much joy and presentess - just being in the moment. And literally almost 30 years later, I still just absolutely love snowboarding.

AM: When did you realize that you wanted to go pro?

JA: I would say relatively early, I think by 12 years old, I had a few years under my belt and I was starting to compete in amateur events right away. I really loved it and loved the whole industry. When I was 13, is when I qualified for my first X Games and I was definitely still an amateur at that point, and competing at Boardercross at the X Games, but I knew I really wanted to go Pro, travel, and have sponsorships. It was about two years later when I was 15, when I got to compete in freestyle and slopestyle, and I won my first medal. That really was the start of my professional snowboarding career.

AM: You are focused on Slopestyle and Big Air. What is it that you enjoy about competing in these 2 areas?

JA: I love Freestyle because it’s creative, it’s fun, it’s ever changing. I like going to different parks around the world and riding and figuring out my flow. It’s just fun. It’s playful. I kind of imagine it like a playground on the mountain for adults. 


AM: In order to perform at the most optimized level, what does an average week of training in terms of fitness routines/methods?

JA: Well, I’m a lot different than most athletes. I now am a busy mother of two, so my training program is a little bit all over the place. I like to do yoga. I try to snowboard as much as I can, but sometimes that is two or three days a week. And yeah, when I can, I like to do some weight training -- but I haven’t, to be honest in quite some time. For me, my kind of overall fitness and health routine is trying to get good sleep eating, nourishing, whole foods, exercising and staying as active and fit as I can without a gym -- the walking, the yoga, the carrying little babies around.

AM: How does nutrition play into that and what are 3 foods that you eat to assist you in your training goals?

JA: Nutrition is everything. I really believe we are what we eat and I love whole foods. I don’t have any necessary diets, but I try to eat as much grass-fed or wild meat.
My fiancée hunts, so we eat a lot of venison. I do a lot of pasture eggs, I like milk and apples and I also love my carbs. I eat a lot of pasta. I like making lasagna. I like Mexican food. I like anything as long as it’s fresh and good ingredients. 


AM: How important is recovery in this sport?

JA: For instance, at the Rockstar Energy Open event, we had a nanny come in and help me with the kids during practice. But when I got home, I would hang with the girls, maybe take them for a walk or go swimming, do a little stretching and a recovery, and then try to look at footage and make a game plan for my run. Then have dinner, maybe take a bath and go to bed. It’s very busy with the two kids because I really love momming and it’s my number one priority. We’re trying to kind of balance a lot, but it’s fun.

Recovering in this sport is huge. I think you have to feel good to perform good, so I think being strong and flexible is really key, and nutrition plays such a huge role in recovery as far as breaking up lactic acid, having your body and muscles hydrated. I often travel with a Bemer mat, which is like a PEMF, that really helps flush lactic acid and helps me recover. I’ve been using the Bemer mat for many years and I think it really, really helps me. It’s key. Taking care of my skin and letting it recover is also super important while spending so much time in the mountains. I love using First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream.


AM: You recently competed in the Rockstar Energy Open in Breckenridge and it seems different than other competitions, why did you want to participate in this event?

JA: Now we’re a little bit past the Rockstar event, I chose to support and compete in this event because it felt like a real core snowboard event. I like that it had a different format with the final round being head to head. I loved that the course was unique and creative and it had rails. It had a butter pad type of jump. It had a hip, a quarterpipe, which really showcased all over skill and talent, and I just thought it was so fun. I’m really stoked I landed a good run. I ended up in the finals. I ended up in the last final round and took second place, and I am so grateful and proud of that.

AM: This month, we have the X Games and you are one of the most decorated snowboarders to have competed! Why do you love being at this event and what’s that like?

JA: Oh, I love the X Games because honestly, it’s like the mecca of action sports. I feel the X Games has done so much for snowboarding and all action sports, and it’s just fun. They have a sick course and take good care of the riders. My sponsor Monster is a huge part of it. It’s just a really fun event that I look forward to every year. My career started there when I was just 13 years old. Here I am, 35, still doing it and still loving it more than ever.

AM: Of course, all eyes will be on Italy for the Olympics. As a hopeful, what is it like for you to compete on this global stage and are you excited to be going back?

JA: I am so excited to be hopefully going back to the Olympics. I’ve yet to lock in my spot, but I am doing my best to ensure I make the US Team. I feel nervous about the big world stage, but I feel honored and that it’s truly such a privilege to compete at an Olympic level event. And not even an Olympic level, just at the Olympics itself is really an honor and a privilege. I feel so stoked to represent the U.S and ride with our team. I think it’s going to be a really beautiful experience. And I’m so excited to soak up the Italian culture. Eat a lot of pasta and just embrace the whole experience.

AM: You also love pushing boundaries in the Backcountry - why is this part of snowboarding so important to you?

JA: Backcountry snowboarding is kind of like it’s riding for your soul, you know? Backcountry snowboarding is just so fun. I feel like it really fills my spirit with joy and there’s nothing like riding the powder, riding Alaska, riding big lines or even just writing the resort with all your friends after it’s blanketed with beautiful, fresh snow. Yeah, backcountry snowboarding is a gift from God.

AM: As someone who has been in this career for awhile, who has had many success and is a mom of 2, how do you feel you’re approaching the sport now?

JA: Now I feel I have a way different approach to the sport. I’m kind of doing it for fun. I know the younger generation has progressed the sport so much, and I know I’m not going out there trying to do the most technical runs, but I just feel stoked to be getting out there at all and linking fun runs and just doing my best. My approach is way more relaxed in shell and I feel at peace with it.

AM: Tell us about the Jamie Anderson Foundation and what it does?

JA: So I started my foundation in 2013 to essentially give back to kids in the community. Growing up in a big family, I’m aware of how expensive it can be getting into snow sports ao I wanted to give back to kids in our community. We sponsor young athletes, peers and snowboarders, and give grants to help them with their careers, with travel expenses, accommodation, even snowboards and outerwear and things like that. It’s still pretty grassroots, but I want to see it grow more as time goes on, and hopefully help as many kids as possible.

AM: You have amassed a number of accolades and have competed at the highest levels! What do you want your legacy to be known as when people think about Jamie Anderson?

JA: I mean, I hope when people think back of me, I would like my legacy to be like spreading the love, having fun, embracing the journey, having a lot of gratitude and a full heart, and giving back to those around me.

IG @jamieanderson

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | X Games

Read the JAN ISSUE #121 of Athleisure Mag and see Jamie Anderson | DEFYING GRAVITY in mag.

NEW YEAR, N3W YOU

Read the JAN ISSUE #121 of Athleisure Mag and see NEW YEAR, N3W YOU in mag.

PUSHING THE LIMITS | MARK MCMORRIS

This month, we end the year with a cover star that we are very excited about who is the most decorated snowboarder in X Games history, with 24 medals (G11, S10, B3) as well as being a 3X Bronze Olympic Team Canada Snowboarding medalist - Mark McMorris! He is known for taking to the snow in Slopestyle, Big Air and Backcountry as he truly has a passion for his sport! His love for it has taken him all over the world, whether he’s competing or doing stunning films such as his latest PAVED in collaboration with Red Bull and Burton, that are both sponsors of his! He has additional coveted list of sponsors as well as including Oakley, Dove Men + Care, KLM Airlines, and Toyota to name a few.

We caught up with him ahead of some phenomenal competitions including Rockstar Energy Open that took place this month, X Games next month, and the Winter Olympics 2026 in Milano Cortina, Italy - for his 4th appearance - just for starters. We wanted to know more about how skateboarding led to snowboarding, the styles of snowboarding that he enjoys doing, the importance of competitions, how he approaches training, the upcoming season, and how he gives back through the McMorris Foundation!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We know that you enjoy skateboarding. What took you from that sport and drew you to snowboarding?

MARK MCMORRIS: Honestly, we went on a family trip and my brother and I are 2 years a part and my mom was about to have us go on a ski lesson and we saw snowboards for the first time! They were on the wall in the rental zone where you would sign up and get your gear for your lesson. I had skateboarded the entire Summer before and I thought, “I want to stand sideways, I want to be able to skateboard on the snow.”

Thank God our neighbors on our street were skateboarders and kind of got me into that and hooked on that! If not, I might have went into ski lessons! I’m very thankful that I became a boarder and it is a huge kudos and thank you to skateboarding!

AM: At what point did you think that you wanted to go pro and really do this as a career?

MM: I think when I was 12 or 13. I knew that I had potential and that I loved nothing more than being able to snowboard and to be up in the mountains with my friends. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I was definitely plotting that I would be able to stay in the mountains and to enjoy this and to do it for the rest of my life! I didn’t know what avenue I was going to go, but I did have my mind made up that I wanted to snowboard for the rest of my life.

To do so professionally was the dream. I mean, when you’re super passionate about something, it’s crazy how hard the human can work towards it!

AM: 100%!

You’re known for Slopestyle and also Big Air, can you tell us about these disciplines and why you are drawn to them?

MM: Slopestyle is a combination of rails and jumps – kind of what you would see around every single snow park. Most resorts will have a couple of jumps and a couple of rails. That’s what a lot of kids grow up doing in that freestyle of things of riding. There’s less and less half pipes nowadays. Where we grew up in Western Canada, there wasn’t many half pipes if any! So, that’s kind of what I was drawn to and obviously, I liked catching big jumps.

So, catching Big Air, is just one single jump. Slopestyle is a combination of jumps and rails which we really love and are drawn to. That’s kind of what you would see in the movies and things like that. So, I have always had a big love for it, and still do!

AM: Clearly, snowboarding is a full body sport, but do you find yourself doing other fitness methods or workouts that help to optimize you when you are doing this?

MM: For sure! Having mobility and strength in those deep ranges will keep you less injury prone, will make you be able to stay on the mountain longer – so strength and mobility are kind of the 2 bigaboos and I work on those daily. Especially as I get older, it’s always been very important to me and I came up during a time where my elders were like, “you have to stretch and you have to do gym work.” If you want to be a pro, you have to be a pro athlete and you have to have fitness and that kind of strength to be able to do it at the level that we are doing it and to of course have that kind of longevity! You want to try to stay out of that rehab zone!

AM: From what you can tell as we’re talking to you as you’re preparing for the Rockstar Energy Open in Breckenridge – how is it different than other competitions that you have been in as I know this is their first debut in snow.

MM: Yeah. I think it is really exciting that there is a different kind of contest that is happening in an Olympic year where it’s usually very regimented. It’s nice to be able to switch it up and kudos to them to get a unique group of riders together and to have a very unorthodox, fun, creative course that we would normally not see and to have a fun twist on things! I’m really stoked to be here and it’s nice to have this break in the season. You’re still competing and you still want do well and you’re making a plan and trying to do a run. At the same time, it feels a little more laid back and you’re not chasing points to qualify for the Olympics or going for broke on some 80’ jump – it’s all fun sized and extremely creative.

AM: You have the X Games coming up as well as the Winter Olympics. What’s a week of training look like when you are focused on competitions like that. Are you doing anything different?

MM: A week of training during a major competition like the X Games or the Olympics, is a lot of planning around when the practice sessions are. You’re trying to peak at the right times, trying to get the rest you need – when you have a day off, maybe you’re going to do a lift then. Most of the time, it’s a lot of recovery and mobility, breathwork, thoracic spine, and things like that – trying to just keep the chassis in tip top shape. Trying to eat clean and prioritizing a good 8 hour rest, things like that.

I would say that on non-competition weeks, you’re lifting more weights and doing harder gym sessions. But the practice sessions are a ton of impact and a ton of mental stress. So when you get off the hill, you’re in the gym, but it’s more about spinning, recovery, mobility, eating clean, and sleeping.

AM: Wow!

You’re one of the most decorated snowboarders and with the X Games being a few weeks away, what do you love about competing there and what are you looking forward to?

MM: The X Games has been so amazing for my career! I have had great success in Aspen and I love the town – it’s a special place. I can’t say enough good things about X Games and Aspen – it has truly built my career to what it is. I’m just thankful that I am still doing it and my first X Games was in 2011 in Aspen –

AM: Which is crazy because that’s veteran status there!

MM: Yeah, 15 years now! I’m thankful to still be going out there, I’m thankful to still be able to have a shot at winning. I’m feeling healthy and happy and I’m really excited to be able to get back there!

AM: This will be your 4th Olympic appearance. What does it mean to you to represent your country, participate in the opening and closing ceremonies, and to compete on that kind of global stage?

MM: It’s an honor to represent your country! Like you said, it will be my 4th time around which I am extremely proud of. There’s not a single male that I competed with in 2014 at the Sochi Olympics that will be at the Olympics in Italy. I am proud of that longevity and I am proud of the hard work that I have put in. I am really looking forward to going out there and doing my best and riding to the best of my ability. I really feel like that if I do that, I have a good shot at some hardware. I’m excited for family and friends to be around because the last one in 2022, it was quite COVID’d out. It wasn’t a ton of spectators.

When I go to an Olympics, it’s always been pretty focused mode – horse blinders on. Not really like taking in a ton – you’re just kind of focused on what you’re doing. I actually went to Paris for the last Summer Games and it was a lot of fun to be able to take in an Olympics and not to compete! I could just be a fan and I really enjoyed that! So I’m excited for friends and family to come to get that experience and obviously, as I get older and mature more, I know that there is a lot more to life than that, but I will definitely be locked in and focused and I will try to enjoy it as well as the pizza and pasta as well!

AM: Pizza and pasta – that’s our language right there!

MM: Yup! If we’re going to get a big work in, you get to have a carb load!

AM: As someone who has competed all over the world, you have filmed all over the world, are there 3 places that are your top destinations to snowboard in that you can share?

MM: It’s really hard for me and I guess I’m biased, but I will say that Western Canada has got to be in my top 2 if not 1! I think Japan is a place that if you love to ski or snowboard, it’s a must! Anytime after the New Year to late Feb, it’s really hard not to score there. It’s a really special place and it’s neat to go there and to experience that culture. I spend a lot of time on the glaciers in Europe during the Fall for training and I like spending time in Switzerland, Austria – places like that! I really like Italy – their mountains are amazing and the people and the culture are also amazing there. I think that the Alps, Japan and Canada are my 3 favorite places to go.

AM: Because you do travel so much, are there 3 items that you like to take with you that make you feel like you’re at home?

MM: Yeah! You know I return to the same spots a lot over the last 15 years. Something that always comes with me is this little portable blender and then I have juicers all around the world at the places that I stay! Then, there’s my roller! Like I bring that in my carry-on because sometimes I get off the plane and when I am waiting for the next flight, I can just roll my back out and it’s such a good feeling – I love it! I would say that those are obviously my essentials – I mean clearly there’s my passport and things like that.

But the things that I bring that I like, my portable smoothie, I have juicers everywhere and my roller!

AM: What do you think has allowed you to have such longevity in this sport?

MM: I think what has helped me to have such longevity in this sport is keeping a good circle of people around me. Keeping friends, family, agents, and managers that keep it fun for me. That’s really important and people that want to work hard and succeed, you need to surround yourself with people that have like minded goals for sure! Then there’s my overall passion for snowboarding, my love for snowboarding has been something that has definitely pushed me and helped me to elevate my career. My love for the community of snowboarding, and how thankful that I am that it has given me the life that I couldn’t have even dreamed of. It has literally been something that I couldn’t have even dreamed of. It’s really important for me to try and to give back. We do that with the McMorris Foundation and things like that. We just try to break down the barriers of entry. I think that giving back to a community that has given you everything is really important with longevity. Also not just competing my whole career – it’s also breaking off and doing some films and just not doing the same thing constantly – it has kept it fun for me!

AM: You mentioned the McMorris Foundation that you started with your brother, Craig, did you think that it would be where it is at today?

MM: No! Honestly, I’m so thankful that we did it as far back as we did. It kind of seemed like we weren’t big enough to have a foundation when we started it, but that’s not true. We got to meet some incredible people and some generous people and have had quite a big outreach. We’ve had connections to other athletes, we’ve got to do some amazing things and to raise tons of money and I feel like we’re so lucky and have been able to play hockey, to play baseball, to snowboard and to do this and to do that. It taught us a lot in life. You can learn a lot through sport and I want every kid to have that experience and it is something that is near and dear to my heart.

AM: When you’re not competing, how do you take time for yourself?

MM: Um, I am a huge sports person so even when I have time off, I’m engaging in sports whether it’s surfing, playing hockey, skateboarding, going to sporting events! Obviously, spending time with my family – we all like to golf. I like to chill with my friends really and just doing normal stuff. I definitely like to try and experience some of the places that I have been lucky enough to go to, but it is so work focused. So I prioritize that more by going on trips to see places and really immersing myself in the culture which I quite enjoy. It can be like I said, like horse blinders sometimes when you are going to these places and you have such a goal and it’s like work – well it is work because you’re grinding. So, I want to experience these places and more things and those places that I love. I’m a huge food guy, I love food from different places around the world. So I really indulge in that when I can!

AM: You’re also known for snowboarding in the backcountry and last night, we watched PAVED.

MM: Nice!

AM: Yeah, it was the best 42 mins of our time last night watching this in prep for this interview!

MM: Sick! That’s really cool to hear – thank you!

AM: We’ve snowboarded and we are nowhere near your level, but we do like doing it to go out a bit and then to have drinks after.

But watching you and the other athletes in the backcountry at locales around the world was really great to see as we are fans of theirs as well. Tell us about this movie as we know it was done in partnership with Red Bull and Burton and why did you want to participate in this?

MM: I mean, it was a little tricky timing in terms of being in such a big year coming up. It was something that is so important to me in being able to have such a presence in the backcountry and the film world. It was really cool to hear that you watched it because you see how cinematic it is in the backcountry and how it looks. Of course it can look a little scary sometimes.

AM: Oh it was terrifying to see the ones in Alaska – couldn’t imagine it!

MM: Yeah it’s like wow! Snowboarding on these untouched slopes it’s just so majextic and picturesque and honestly, it’s a ton of fun to be out there for me. I love pushing myself like that as well and it’s such a team effort filming. You’re all helping each other and you have each other’s backs! That’s a nice change sometimes – I mean we all have each other’s backs, but we’re also competing. So being in the backcountry with Zeb Powell (X Games G1 + S1) for the first time and long time friends with Danny Davis (X Games G2), Brock Crouch, and Ben Ferguson (X Games S1 + B1) – to have that crew together and just making an awesome film! Thank you to Red Bull and Burton for giving us that rad opportunity! It was something that I definitely couldn’t pass up and I think that they did an awesome job on the movie!

AM: It was beautiful and what came to mind was in watching surfing for years and specifically things like the big waves in thinking about HBO’s 100 Foot Wave, you know about the tow in for surfers. The film illustrated this with drops ins from the helicopter as well as the Ski-Doos - not sure if that is correct...

MM: Oh yeah the Ski-Doo, you’re right – you nailed it! It’s crazy what you can access on those things and that’s a big part of it. Of course, as you saw, the triangle has the Helli on top which is the top mode of transportation! But Ski-Doo, they’re amazing what you can get to. I loved being back there and being able to enjoy that with friends, it’s freaking special and you don’t have that kind of instant gratification. Like if you’re doing a competition and you do well, you’re on that podium. But when you do this and you get clips and you see it all come together, and it’s such a team effort – that’s comparable, if not more gratifying at times.

AM: The film was awesome and the music – everything was just produced and came so well together. It was very cool!

MM: Thank you! I’m happy that you enjoyed it.

AM: You have 24 medals from the X Games, 3 from the Olympics, you’ve won US Opens, you have coveted brands that are sponsoring you, you’ve been in a number of films, and you have left your fingerprint on the sport. What do you want your legacy to be known as when they are looking at Mark McMorris and this incredible career?

MM: Ooo. Someone that pushed the limits. Someone that had a love for the sport and really focused on all sides of the sport and wasn’t just kind of like a one lane kind of guy. Someone who gave back to the community. That would be something that I would be truly proud of!

AM: We appreciate you taking the time, we didn’t realize that you will be training tomorrow in prep for the competition that is taking place this weekend!

MM: No problem! I’m so excited for this cover and it’s so neat that I will be on the cover as there have been some very impressive people that have been in it!

IG @markmcmorris

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | FRONT COVER/BACK COVER Chris Singer/Red Bull Content Pool | PG 16, 27 Frederik Kalbermatten | PG 19, 20, 28, 30, 34, BACK COVER Aaron Blatt | PG 23, 24 Emily Tidwell/Red Bull Content Pool | PG 33, 40, 44 - 51 X Games | PG 36 Christian Pondella | PG 38 Cole Giordano/Red Bull Content Pool | PG 42 Rock Star Energy Open |

Read the DEC ISSUE #120 of Athleisure Mag and see PUSHING THE LIMITS | Mark McMorris in mag.

NEW YEAR, N3W YOU

Read the DEC ISSUE #120 of Athleisure Mag and see NEW YEAR, N3W YOU in mag.

LEXUS US OPEN OF SURFING

PHOTO CREDIT | Lexus US Open of Surfing

Over the next few days we can take in some amazing surf matches at the Lexus US Open of Surfing. If you missed previous days, you can catch up on everything at WSL.

Check the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

9PLAYLIST MULTI | BRIANNA COPE

Read the APR ISSUE #112 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST MULTI | Brianna Cope in mag.

BBQ BEACH BITES WITH BRIANNA COPE

We love checking in with those that we may have learned about in a previous interview. Back in our AUG ISSUE #92, we had the pleasure of interviewing the Creator and Executive Producer of Prime Video's Surf Girls Hawai'i, Monica Medellin who introduced us to 4 surfers that we were able to watch navigating their careers and growing up. One of the surfers featured was pro surfer Brianna Cope.

We wanted to sit down to find out more about Brianna's love for the ocean, how it fuels her, competing, and how she continues to stay fit outside of surfing. With a passion for cooking, we also wanted to hear about how beach and barbecues are the perfect compliment and how she's able to make amazing meals in a portable way!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We're so excited to be chatting with you. We actually first became aware of you when we interviewed Monica Medellin (Red Bull: Making History: Women Free Ride, Teahupo’o Surf Camp: Road to Paris 2024, LA28 Stories: Black Surf) who was the Creator and Executive Producer for Surf Girls Hawai’i.

BRIANNA COPE: Yeah Surf Girls!

AM: So what was your first memory of surfing and when did you fall in love with it?

BC: Oh, this is like, one of my favorite parts to talk about just because I feel like it just was the best moment of my life, I was actually born with a small hand. So, I started surfing at 3 or 4 years old, and that first wave, you know, you fall down, and it's the best thing because you're like, I just can't wait to do it again, right?

AM: Yeah.

BC: I’ve done so many other sports like, you fall down - ice skating or skateboarding. You're like, eh I don’t know if I want to do that again.

AM: Right.

BC: But in surfing, for me, there is this thrill and that excitement! That connection with something so much bigger than us, like the ocean was really cool for me.

AM: Wow!

When did you realize that you wanted to do it professionally?

BC: Probably the next day. I know that it was a really, really young age. That was my calling in life and the connection that I had with the ocean was much deeper, like, I just felt so much more relaxed when I was in the ocean. Like, you know, when people go and surf sometimes, they're like, oh, I feel nervous, right? The water for me was so healing, and I knew at a really young age. I want to say like when I was really younger, I knew I wanted to be a pro surfer.

AM: That's amazing.

About Surf Girls Hawai’i, what made you want to be a part of that show?

BC: I think for me, wanting to be a part of Surf Girls Hawai’i for Hello Sunshine was about women’s empowerment, right?

Like in sports, we are always told to be better than the other person, or to beat them. Don't get me wrong, I'm very competitive, but I think there's something more powerful to like living in the moment and supporting each other and uplifting instead of tearing each other down, so that's exactly why. A lot of my friends are on the show, so it was really fun.

AM: I mean, it was so fun to watch and we just loved digging into the sport more and seeing the dynamics between you.

When is the surfing season and how has it been going so far for you?

BC: So, the surfing season, thankfully, we get to surf year round, especially living in Hawaii! We have amazing waves. The competitive surf season starts in June this year, and it goes until the end of the year, because of the late start.

The CT starts in January, but the Challenger Series starts a little later. So, in the meantime, I'm competing in a couple races, which is super fun.

AM: Nice.

BC: I love it more for the mental challenge and it’s second nature for me. But, I'm getting ready to run 410 miles in a relay race known as The Speed Project from LA to Vegas with some friends. So that’s a really fun push, and I feel like it translates into my surfing of wanting to push in bigger waves and stuff.

AM: Can’t even imagine, but that sounds fantastic!

What do you consider to be your superpower in terms of when you're surfing?

BC: Oh, I think, for me, it's the connection with the ocean. I just feel like I have a really good read on it, and that's my superpower. I feel like it's the thing I'm most connected to in the world, like when my friends go and hike and they say that they feel so grounded, I never feel that I feel very grounded in the ocean, I think. For me, it's the connection I have to the ocean.

AM: Honestly, you have such a peaceful Vibe.

BC: Ha! It’s crazy because I was in a rush to get on here and I was all stressed!

AM: Well just listening to you – love this Vibe. We need this around us, a lot more!

BC: Call me anytime.

AM: So obviously you love the water and surfing is such a great way to stay in shape. What are three workouts that you do outside of, you know, surfing, or, or in the ocean in general that keeps you in shape because our readers always like knowing what can we add into our routines?

BC: For sure. I think for me, I'm big into strength working out. So, like, I do a lot of rotation movements. I do a lot of squats to build the strength in my lower body and of course, I’m really into running right now. I just love that more for the exertion because you're running for a certain amount of time. Surfing is so quick. You catch a wave, then you're back out there. There is a lot of sitting, so I feel like running really helps. I like to swim, but I am a bad swimmer. My form isn’t great ha – but swimming is really fun for me, too.

AM: How do you take time for yourself when you need a reset?

BC: That's a great question because I love to just go go go, like, if I could, I would go 24/7!

AM: Same.

BC: You just want to take over.

AM: Yep.

BC: Whatever you can do is great. Meditation is really big for me. I love starting my morning off with that and like, for me, I need to have that, like, even if it's 5-10 minutes in the morning to, like, set my day up. That's important. And just like, honestly, listening to my body, I'm not the best at doing it.

AM: Same.

BC: I feel that my glutes are a little sore, but I’ll think to myself that I should still go run. You know, taking that time, in a sauna or in a cold plunge every day, I think that's really helpful.

AM: Well, when you think about going to the beach, here in New York we do have our beaches and obviously, we think about beach activities, but we also think about, barbecuing, and various foods when it comes to the beach. Do you enjoy cooking and what do you love making?

BC: I love to cook! That's actually how I feel like I cannot be on my phone. I'm super present. You're just like in the flow, and it's my favorite thing to do. I actually grew up watching my grandma cook, and then I just took on that tradition myself, but in Hawaii it’s super normal to have beach barbecues, right? You are gonna go down the beach and somebody's gonna be barbecuing or somebody's gonna be cooking on the beach. It’s so normal for me, and when Gozney made this new oven, I was like this is perfect for whether I'm on the beach or if I want to do it after a hike. It's also really light, because like sometimes, you don't really want to start a fire from scratch. I might starve if I do that. But it’s super easy and growing up on an island that was so second nature for us.

AM: And how did the partnership happen because it seems like it’s such a natural synergy.

BC: I slid into Tom Gozney's DMs, the owner of Gozney.

AM: Nice!

BC: I told him I was a huge fan of everything that they were doing. I freaking love to cook. I literally made steak on the Gozney last night.

AM: Oh wow!

BC: You can make so many things on the Gozney.

AM: Nice! We like a multi-purpose situation.

BC: As much as I would like to eat pizza every single day, sometimes I gotta switch it up, right? I like to make food, and so when I saw everything that they were doing, I was like, this is so cool. It's so adventurous, it's not like the typical fine dining. Like, I don't know how to plate my plate like that. But I love to cook and I like having my oven and having a perfect pizza in your house is amazing.

AM: I mean, that must be amazing - now knowing that you put a whole steak in there, you can make all these things and be virtually anywhere to create these dishes.

BC: Yeah, actually. When we were doing the shoot for the Tread and we had pizza on the beach, and it was super fun, but then we took it the next day, and I actually tried to make a steak on the beach and it was pretty cool.

I love to just cook and to be able to hang out with your friends. I feel like on the beach, it’s such a great place to do it and to enjoy it!

AM: What does this partnership look like in terms of what we will see you doing with Gozney?

BC: Hopefully more adventure stuff. I mean, they're so fun to work with. It's like they let me, do you know kind of whatever I want in the content space. It's so nice to just be able to like express how I use the oven. It's been a long partnership and they're awesome.

AM: Are there any upcoming projects that we should keep an eye out for? I know that you're going into competitions, and we have this great season ahead.

BC: I mean, I think there's always things coming out. I'm pretty sporadic, too. I'm always like I have a calendar, but I never really look at it.

AM: Wow!

BC: Staying tuned on Instagram is probably the best way to keep up for sure.

IG @briannacope

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Gozney Ambassador Brianna Cope | 63MIX ROUTIN3S Brianna Cope/IG |

Read the MAR ISSUE #111 of Athleisure Mag and see BBQ BEACH BITES WITH BRIANNA COPE in mag.

63MIX ROUTIN3S | BRIANNA COPE

Read the MAR ISSUE #111 of Athleisure Mag and see 63MIX ROUTIN3S | Brianna Cope in mag.

IN THE AIR | HAILEY LANGLAND

The 24th X Games Aspen 2025 takes place Jan 23rd - 25th for its 24th year. These games will take place in Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen Snowmass where the world's best action sports athletes competing in ski and snowboard events. These days present men’s and women’s ski and snowboard competitions in the disciplines of Superpipe, Slopestyle, Big Air, Knuckle Huck and the debut of medaled event Street Style.

We're excited to see a number of our favorite X Games and Olympic medalists which have included Chloe Kim, Mia Brookes, Ayumu Hirano, Scotty James and local hometown heroes Red Gerard and Alex Ferreira.

There will also be performances by EDM artists deadmau5 (who appeared at the games in 2016), Big Gigantic, Aspen Tessla, Daily Bread and ILLENIUM.

We sat down with 2X Olympic Team USA Snowboarding and 3X X Games medalist, Hailey Langland who will be a snowboarding analyst at the X Games. We spoke with her to talk about her career, passion for the sport, and the upcoming games.

ATHLEISURE MAG: You grew up in Southern California and clearly, you're an amazing snowboarder, but you were also a beach loving girl that has a love for surfing, skateboarding, soccer, mountain biking and more! What do you love about playing sports and having that ability to play a number of them?

HAILEY LANGLAND: I have to owe a lot of credit to my parents. My dad was always trying to get my little brother and I outside to find a passion and an outlet from the rest of the world. We were well versed when it came to sports. I find that it’s helped round me into the athlete I am today. Snowboarding is my first love, but I always try to make time for other passions like surfing and biking in the summer.

AM: What is it about snowboarding that you love?

HL: I definitely fell in love with snow boarding because of my dad. I could see how excited he was to share his passion with me, and I enjoyed chasing him down the mountain. One of my favorite days was learning how to ride goofy, and my dad and I rode switch for the entire day. He always made it fun, and reminded me to keep it fun.

AM: When did you realize that you wanted to be a professional snowboarder?

HL: I’ve always known I was meant to snowboard my whole life. But I don’t think I even thought about being a professional until I went to my first “pro” competition in Mammoth when I was 14. It was a contest that had competitors from the Sochi Olympics and girls I watched in X-Games in it. I ended up winning the event, and I remember standing on the podium besides Anna Gasser and Enni Rukajarvi. I thought, oh my goodness, maybe I can be like the girls I watch on tv. After that event I got wildcard spots to Dew Tour, X Games, and Burton US Open; all contests I watched religiously growing up. That really jumpstarted my career and made it a reality.

AM: As a surfer and snowboarder, what are the synergies between these sports?

HL: Surfing is super hard, which makes me appreciate snowboarding so much. There’s a lot more thoughtfulness to surfing that I think a lot of people realize. Surfing not only requires good athletic abilities, but also the ability of wave knowledge and reading the ocean. But I love watching videos of surfers like Coco Ho, Stephanie Gilmore or Caity Simmers, who have tons of style, and thats something I try to bring to my snowboarding. I find the best cross over from surfing and snowboarding is when you’re riding powder, and it feels just like surfing on a wave, weaving back and forth just trying to make it look good.

AM: You have had 7 Games appearances and are a 3X X Games medalist and have earned a Bronze, Silver, and Gold medal in Slopestyle and a Gold in Big Air. Can you tell us what Slopestyle and Big Air is?

HL: Slopestyle is an event I specialize in. It’s where you ride the given features of the course; such as: jumps, rails, and transition features like a halfpipe wall. Big Air is a smaller version of slopestyle based on one jump. Usually, the jump is bigger than in a slopestyle, and the criteria is to spin or flip as much as you can, and land the trick, as well as make it look good. My favorite event is slopestyle because it is what I grew up doing.

AM: In 2017, you were the first woman to land a Cab double cork 1080 in competition at X Games Aspen! What did it mean to you to achieve this and tell us about what a Cab Double Cork is?

HL: It’s pretty crazy to look back on that time. I was just a kid, and had no idea what I was doing in that contest. I did the Cab 1080 on accident in practice and just thought, alright guess I’ll try that in the contest. Luckily for me it worked out, and I was able to land it second try. I wish I still had that ability to adapt and try things like I could when I was 16. To help visualize, a Cab 1080 is when you ride switch into a jump, for me that is goofy stance, and you would spin to the right three full rotations.

AM: You're known for your ability to push the boundaries of progression on jumps, distinctive style with solid grabs as well as difficult ones! You have received a number of awards including FIS World Cup with 5 career podiums (3 in Slopestyle and 2 in Big Air), you competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Big Air and in Slopestyle and again at the 2022 Winter Olympics, and more. What does it mean to you when you look at your career and all the things that you have experienced?

HL: It makes me really proud, looking back and seeing what I have accomplished, through all the ups and downs. I will always be grateful for snowboarding. It has been the reason I have gotten to travel so much of the world, and have met so many amazing people within the industry.

AM: This year, you are making your debut at the X Games on the broadcast team as a Women's Snowboard Analyst! Why are you excited to be part of this team and what are you looking forward to?

HL: In November I had ACL reconstruction on my right knee, so I will be out for this season unfortunately. I’m excited to stay involved, even if it doesn’t mean I can ride. It will be cool to see X Games from a different perspective, and to see what it looks like to be another part of such an important contest.

AM: How are you preparing to be on the broadcast team?

HL: I’m going with the ‘on the fly’ approach. Luckily, I’ve known Craig and Brando for years at this point now, so hopefully it will just feel like watching a competition with friends.

AM: Do you have any upcoming competitions that you are preparing for?

HL: Since I had ACL surgery at the end of November, I most likely won’t be snowboarding for the next year. So as of now my preparation is mostly physical therapy for my knee, and getting the rest of my body back in shape.

AM: At Athleisure Mag, we love knowing about how people stay in shape and as you are very active, what is an average week of workouts like for you?

HL: It depends. In the summer, it is very much go, go, go. I am lucky to live somewhere I can surf, or bike, play tennis, and golf all pretty much in my neighborhood. In the winter, snowboarding is primarily all I do. It can be an every day thing if the weather is good, but sometimes there are competitions we go to that get completely canceled because of the weather. On days off, I love getting in a core workout, and trying to get steps in. Any movement you can get in the winter is a big win.

AM: When you're taking time for yourself, what do you enjoy doing when you're not in between projects?

HL: I actually started crocheting a few years ago. I love making beanies for friends and family, and lately I’ve been getting into making bags which has been really fun. I’m pretty crafty and I usually always find a way to keep myself busy.

AM: We also know that you're dating fellow snowboarder, Red Gerard Team USA Olympic Slopestyle Gold Medalist, 2X X Games Medalist, 2X Dew Tour 1st place - to name a few. It must be fun to be able to share your love of snowboarding and surfing together. Do you have any upcoming trips that you are excited about?

HL: Red is my best friend. He’s so fun to be around, and he always pushes me to be better person and snowboarder. Since being injured, it’s been really hard to watch him pack up for a snowboard trip, and for the first time in our relationship, I don’t get to come along. It’s been another motivator for me to do whatever I can to get better, because I miss being around him, and taking laps together at our favorite resort. I think at the end of the winter we’ll try to go on a trip somewhere warm with waves.

IG @haileylangland

@xgames

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 46 - 48 X Games Aspen Trevor Brown Jr. | Red Bull Content Pool PG 51 Lorenz Richard, PG 52 Dom Daher + PG 57 Christian Pondella | 9LIST STORI3S PG 54 X Games Aspen/Mark Kohlman/ESPN + PG 54 X Games/Joshua Duplechian |

Read the DEC ISSUE #108 of Athleisure Mag and see IN THE AIR | Hailey Langland in mag.

DOUBLING DOWN ON THE TRACK | TAI WOFFINDEN

We love when worlds collide and this month's cover does just that. Tai Woffinden is a 5x Speedway World Champion and an open format DJ/Producer. We wanted to know more about Speedway racing and how he got into the sport, how he stays in shape for it, his passion for music, and why he became a DJ.

Since signing onto Armada Music, he released Body, a collaboration with Grammy nominated Gabry Ponte and vocalist Yasmin Jane. This was followed up by Feeling Super Naughty with CERES which just dropped recently. With all of this movement, we took some time find out more and to see what we should keep an eye out for.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We're excited to be able to talk with you as your background as an athlete as well as a DJ and a producer is such a great mix! When did you fall in love with being a Speedway Rider?

TAI WOFFINDEN: I first got into Speedway way way back in 2002. I went to my Dad’s mate’s house to ride on their private track and there was a speedway bike tucked away in the corner. I said to my dad at 12 years old, “I wanna try that” so we sold my MX gear and went all in from that day on.

AM: You are a 3X World Champion in this sport. What do you love about racing?

TW: It’s hard to explain but there is a feeling when you’re railing the fence on a nice little dirt line as fast as the bike will go and you’re on the complete limit of what you’re able to do on these bikes and you either make it around the corner or bury it into the wall. There is no better feeling in the world (not that I have found yet anyway) and I chase that feeling every time I race.

AM: Can you tell us about Speedway racing from what the bike is like and what races are like?

TW: They’re a one-of-a-kind motorcycle, built to only go left, 500cc, methanol-burning bulls with no breaks!

The races are super short and fast averaging about 1min per heat (4 laps). In a Grand Prix, we do 5 heats and the top eight go to the semi-finals and the 1st and 2nd place from each semi qualify for the final. It’s a wild sport! In Poland it’s huge in Warsaw we race in front of 55,000 inside the national stadium.

AM: To optimize yourself as a racer, what kinds of workouts do you do to stay in shape and meet the goals you need to be a champion rider?

TW: I won’t bore you with this too much but 5 days a week strength work, 6 days a week running or cycling, and a good nutritional plan to get through the workload and recovery.

AM: Your season is over this year. Are there any races that you are preparing for in 2025?

TW: Yes, it’s all done now so full focus on 2025 prep. Next year I will race most weekends in Poland, most Mondays and Thursdays in the UK, and some in races in Sweden on Tuesdays. Plus, four qualification rounds for the Grand Prix and possibly the European championship.

AM: What was the first song that you heard that made you fall in love with music?

TW: I can’t remember exactly, but it would have been something my mum had on in the car when I was a kid. My first hook on EDM specifically would have to be the Old EDM. Specifically it would have to be the Old Skitz Mix CDs back in the day.

AM: What led to you becoming a DJ and a producer?

TW: I went to watch Fisher headline his own show in Perth, Western Australia, and as Fisher was a surfer before he became a DJ, I was just watching him thinking well if he can do that, so can I. So, the week after I started my DJ course with Lab Six.

AM: How would you describe the Tai Woffinden sound?

TW: It’s been varied as I navigate and find my sound, I started out with some Tech House, but I’m a Techno guy so I want to focus on that Mainstage vibe after my first release on Armada Music with Gabry Ponte. But, my current track with CERES and my next single are still slightly different in sound so I’ll continue to play around with it all and see where it takes me.

AM: What would you say are the similarities between racing in front of large crowds and being able to DJ in front of them?

TW: For now, the biggest crowd I’ve played to as a DJ has been 12,000 people at Forestland Festival. It’s hard to say if it’s the same level of intensity as when I race, but from my history, the bigger the crowd, and the more pressure, is exactly where I thrive.

AM: How do you get inspiration for your music?

TW: Same as most people I would guess. Hearing a track I like that sparks an idea, or an individual sound. In the world that we live in today with everything at our fingertips it shouldn’t take too long to be inspired by something.

AM: Tell us about Body and what it was like to collaborate with Gabry Ponte and vocalist Yasmin Jane?

TW: So my A&R at Armada sent over the vocals, I then made a little demo and we sent it to Gabry’s team to shoot our shot. Four days later he said he loved it and wanted to work on it and a week later got it back, we were all stoked with his influence on the production! From my side, one, it was huge to have my first release secured with Armada, and for that track to then be a collaborative with Gabry Ponte was just amazing!

AM: Feeling Super Naughty is your latest with CERES - what is the meaning behind this song?

TW: Again, I heard the vocals and just immediately thought there was something about it. The track was a bit more Techno originally, but I was listening to some track at that time from Indira Paganotto and starting to play with that sound myself so that’s how it came to the final song you hear now. I’m super happy with it. I guess the track is just about having a great time!

AM: You were at ADE this month - what was that like?

TW: ADE was wild…it was my first one and I really made the most of it. I met some great people, made lots of new connections, and did a lot of partying. I already can’t wait until next year and hopefully I can get a few DJ sets locked in as well.

AM: You will be at You&Me Fest, a multi-day NYE fest in Australia. How excited are you to be performing there?

TW: Yes, I am! I’m super grateful that Bailey and Isaac called me up! I’m in Australia all summer and I’m ready to build my presence in this part of the world so why not kick things off there with the local boys. They’re killing it over here in West Australia, I mean you only have to look at this year’s huge line-up to see!

AM: Who are 3 people that are on your bucket list that you would like to work with?

TW: Timmy Trumpet would be one. We have chatted about a track and getting him on one of my race bikes which would be wild!

Also Maddix for sure. I love his sound. Finally, Will Sparks, I'm just a fan of Will. I met him in Newcastle UK this year and we chatted for ages backstage. He is a great guy and a beast at what he does. I also love his DJ performances. Anyway, enough fanboying haha!

AM: Do you have any upcoming festivals or tours that we should know about?

TW: Not right now. I’m in the studio and You&Me is my next big one. However, I have an important meeting coming up which I hope brings big opportunities and parties into 2025.

AM: You do a lot of traveling. What are 3 things that you like to have with you when you're on the road?

TW: I'm a simple man! As long as I have my passport, phone and USB, I can do everything I want…

AM: Whether you're racing or hitting the stage, are there routines you do?

TW: Maybe this comes as a surprise, but I have no routines, pre or post events. I literally just live in the moment and enjoy whatever is surrounding me, be it the stage or the racetrack, I soak it all up and enjoy the process.

AM: Are there any upcoming projects that you would like to share?

TW: I have one track that’s just come back from clearance, and I think could be my biggest yet but can’t say much right now. I plan to host my own event again in the UK next year. I threw a one-off this summer and we sold 12,000 tickets in just 11 days and it was fully sold-out which was insane.

My full focus now is on getting ready for the 2025 season ahead.

IG @twoffinden

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Front/Back Cover + PG 16 - 21 Tai Woffiden| PG 22 Tai Woffiden Press |

Read the OCT ISSUE #106 of Athleisure Mag and see DOUBLING DOWN ON THE TRACK | Tai Woffinden in mag.

63MIX ROUTIN3S | GRIFFIN COLAPINTO

Read the AUG ISSUE #104 of Athleisure Mag and see 63MIX ROUTIN3S Griffin Colapinto in mag.

RIDE THE WAVES | GRIFFIN COLAPINTO

This month we're excited to share a number of stories from athletes who will be competing at this year's Paris 2024 games! While the majority of athletes will assemble in Paris for this year's Summer Games, those who are competing in surfing will make their way to Tahiti in Teahupo’o. This month's cover story is with World Surf League's #2 ranked pro-surfer Griffin Colapinto who will competing with Team USA Surfing, and will make his first Olympic appearance this year.

In addition to the success that he has had throughout his career and this year, we know he has an array of fans which includes Matthew McConaughey who has shown his public support of him at a number of meets. In addition to surfing, he is also in a film that is currently in the film circuit, Trilogy: New Wave and will be released this September. He stars alongside Australian Olympic surfer Ethan Ewing and Hawaiian Seth Moniz. The film focuses on the non-competitive side of surfing.

We wanted to know more about how he got into the sport, going pro, Paris 2024, and his partnership with Procter & Gamble's Athletes For Good alongside the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and his chosen charity which focuses on mental health.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in love with the water?

GRIFFIN COLAPINTO: I fell in love with the water when I was about 3 years old!

AM: What was the moment that you realized that you wanted to surf professionally? Where did that journey come from as we know that you love the water, you loved surfing, and then you wanted to do it as a professional.

GC: Well, the journey started down at my dad’s surf camp. He started a surf camp down at Santa Clemente the year I was born and he ran that for 20 years. So I was just growing up with the beach and him and he was in love with surfing and the ocean and he was a lifeguard and a teacher so that carried over to running a surf camp in the summer time. He just created a rad family dynamic down there with all the instructors and I was just growing up on the sand every summer! That and I just started – I don’t know it was natural, I wasn’t forced into surfing and being a competitive person and playing games. I just took to it naturally because I was on the beach and the sand. I remember a lot of the kids that were down there and the instructors that were there would always be on the beach. I just wanted to be able to impress them with the things that I was able to do in the water. I remember taking a surf board out there in front of them and wanting to surf for them.

I had this one moment where I was probably 7 or 8 and I felt like I caught some air on a pipe and I remember looking at all of the instructors on the beach and they were cheering. That feeling right there triggered competitive surfing for me right there! Being able to perform for people made me really happy!

AM: What is an average week like for you when you’re out there surfing whether you’re training for competitions or whatever?

GC: Yeah, well! I definitely think that there is a lot of discipline on my routines whether I’m waking up early and doing everything that makes me feel good like meditation, writing, and surfing of course! Working out and all of those things are important. It’s also essential to give yourself time to rest and to recover and I also have fun! I enjoy golfing a lot so that’s a nice way to take my mind off of surfing because sometimes you can just plow yourself through into the ground too much! It's a good balance.

AM: Congrats on qualifying for Paris 2024! What are you looking forward to?

GC: Yeah, it’s pretty wild! So our Olympics, we will be in Tahiti which isn’t near Paris, but it’s going to be on its own little adventure over there! It should be pretty exciting from what I have heard! They have put in a lot of work over there in Teahupo’o and although I can’t say what it will be like yet, I’m excited!

AM: And you’re ready for it!

GC: I’m ready!

AM: Tell us about Athletes For Good as we know it’s an initiative between P&G, IOC, IPC – can you give us a little background on that?

GC: So the Athletes For Good, P&G granted us money to donate to our favorite charity. I donated funds towards To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) a mental health organization that provides the tools and mental health resources for anyone that is going through challenging times in their lives due to suicide or maybe there is a close family member in their family that did commit suicide and needs someone that they can talk to about it. You can go to TWLOHA and you can get a local counselor nearby and they just provide rad things like that. It is definitely a big deal these days with social media and everything going on and it can take you away from the source of where we came from. I’m really proud to be able to represent it.

AM: Had that been an organization that you had been involved with before? What drew you to picking TWLOHA in terms of where you wanted the donated funds to go to?

GC: Well, I originally got into mental health through surfing. My dream of being on the World Championship Tour and being a World Champion, it comes with a lot of challenges, and anytime you have a big goal in mind, there is going to be a lot of ups and downs with that. So, through that, the mental side of things plays a big role and I realized that and it opened my eyes to a lot of different perspectives and other people. I just kind of realized that there are a lot more people on similar paths that go through hard times. For me, I was super fortunate to grow up with amazing parents and to grow up in a beautiful community with a lot of support and I still find myself on days struggling with some slight depression and not very happy and not knowing why. I just felt that there are people who got dealt with a bad set of cards, a lot worse than me and I can only imagine what they are going through. So that’s what drove me into this space and it's really cool that P&G gave us this grant and I’m excited!

AM: You mentioned that when you’re taking time for yourself, you play golf! Are there other things that you do to take time for yourself to be in the place that you need to be so that you can infuse that energy into other areas of where you also want to be?

GC: Just kind of being aware of how I am feeling and what is best for me in the moment. As an athlete, it’s easy to over do it, to over exert yourself and to just be addicted to the hard work and you feel like you need to work, work, work, work, but in reality, half the battle is just being good at resting too! So learning that has been a big part of it and I feel that slowly but surely, I’m getting better every day!

AM: Which is an awesome skill to have too!

You can find out more about Athletes For Good that recognizes the efforts of athletes to improve their communities off the field. Griffin shares more information about TWLOHA and why he is involved with them in his IG post.

IG @griffin_cola

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | FRONT COVER, PG 16 + 20 Trevor Moran/Red Bull | BACK COVER, PG 18 + 22 Ryan Miller/Red Bull | PG 24 P&G |

Read the JUL ISSUE #103 of Athleisure Mag and see RIDE THE WAVES Griffin Colapinto in mag.

THE DESCENT | LAURA MCGANN

Prior to the release of Netflix's The Deepest Breath, we had the pleasure of watching the screener for this documentary film that not only brings us into the world of freediving, the relationships between freedivers as well as safety divers, but the dedication and the complete use of the athlete's body when they are competing. We are introduced to Alessia Zecchini who is known as the Deepest Women on Earth at 123 meters, 38X Freediving World Record, and 17X World Champ. We also meet her safety, Stephen "Steve" Keenan who was passionate about this sport as well as protecting the freedivers who continue to trailblaze in this sport.

For those that may not be aware, we wanted to give a bit of background on the sport as well as some terminology. Freediving is the practice of holding your breath when diving underwater without the use of breathing equipment, such as a scuba tank. This takes on more meaning when you realize that prior to Alessia winning the 2023 AIDA Oceanquest Philippines in Camotes Island, she broke a world record in the Bifins discipline during the 2023 Secret Blue International Depth Competition in the Philippines by achieving a 109 meter dive in 3 mins and 38 seconds. She broke her own 2-day old record of 107 meters set on a 3 min 26 sec dive in March and surpassed the previous AIDA record by a 10meter margin. Her world and Italian records are definitely astounding and even more so when you realize that this is done by simply holding your breath as depths are being navigated!

In this sport, there are blue holes which are a large marine cavern or inkhole, which is open to the surface and has developed in a bank or island composed of a carbonate bedrock. They can be an oasis in an otherwise barren seafloor. Blue holes are diverse biological communities full of marine life, including corals, sponges, mollusks, sea turtles, sharks, and more.

If you have yet to see this documentary film, you can stream this now on Netflix, but this interview may have spoilers. We sat down with the film's director, Laura McGann to find out about why she wanted to share this true story, bring this sport to life, show how one trains to do it, and to transport us to phenomenal locales around the world.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What drew you to want to direct The Deepest Breath and how did you find out about this story?

LAURA MCGANN: Look, I love the sea and we moved to live by the sea because we love swimming all year around and it gives me a lot. I’m a better person for the sea for sure!

So I suppose, that I would be attracted to anything about it and I remember seeing it in the Irish Times and I didn’t know what freediving was and I had to Google it. I was met by these incredible images of humans behaving more like dolphins and holding their breath for what felt like forever. It was kind of like learning that there was a group of people who had cracked the code on flying and that they had just learned how to fly! I was like, what? So it started there and then I learned more about Steve and Alessia, that’s when I really felt like, oh God this could be an incredible story, an incredibly cinematic documentary and if I were possibly able to tell it in the moment, and go on their journey with them – Alessia the World Champion freediver and Stephen Keenan an expert safety diver and their lives are just so incredibly dramatic and also just really inspirational. Just seeing that if you just live your life a little bit differently, follow your dreams – what it is that you can end up doing!

AM: When we first heard about the movie, there was a general sense of what freediving was but the first 5 or 10 minutes of actually watching your film, you get the depth of the intensity of what the film as well as what the sport is about! It really puts you in awe about all the things that have to come together to compete in this with holding that breath and really using your body as an instrument.

How did you immerse yourself in being able to really know about what the sport is and to get those moments so that as a viewer, you’re able to translate those anxiety filled moments as you’re watching it?

LM: Well, I suppose I came to this not knowing anything. It was really a long time before I would see a freediver with my own 2 eyes! It would actually be years, about 3 years and so the free divers from all over the world, held my hand and spent many an hour explaining to me over Zoom on what they did, why they did it, how they did it and how it all was. Then eventually, the first place that we went to where I saw Alessia dive was in fact the Blue Hole in Dahab, Egypt. One of our participants in the film, Kristof Coenen, he describes it as like putting his head in the water for the first time and holding his breath and all the shit from daily life just vanishes. I was at the Blue Hole and I looked in the water and I saw all of the little fish and the coral and I was only up to about my hip, but then I swam about 5 meters out and then all of a sudden, it just drops like a cliff for about 100 meters deep from 1 meter to 100 meters – just like that! It was an incredible blue, the kind of blue that calls you down and so getting to see that for myself, experience it for myself, I think it was really important as the filmmaker that I could kind of grasp something from it and try to bring that onto the screen.

AM: From an organizational standpoint, the way that the film reveals itself is really interesting and it tells a deeper story. You have so many people that talk throughout this film. How did you coordinate it all as it must have been massive?

LM: I suppose that part of it was that we had the pandemic which stopped us from doing a lot, but it also allowed us to do a lot as well in terms of the research and being able to spend so much time talking to them. It allowed us the time to really sit with the story and I would use our Zoom transcripts to piece together, kind of as a script to see what people were saying and to figure out the best way to tell this story in the most compelling way and to try to figure that out. And really, just to do it justice.

AM: What’s the big story that you want people to walk away from in terms of having the freediver and having the safety diver, what is it that we should be getting from that?

LM: I suppose that one of the things is to open people’s eyes up to what humans can actually do as that’s just fascinating! To watch that play out in someone’s life, to see them develop the skill, but it’s also like, 2 people that had this wild streak, this curiosity for the life and this world and just living their life in a way that was different from the way that it was expected or would have liked from their parents. Going on that journey with them is a bit like living vicariously through Steve and Alessia and doing something that maybe a lot of us would not be brave enough to do, but perhaps should be!

AM: We’re taken on a journey of a number of locations in this film. What were all of the locations?

LM: Oh my God, it was incredible! Freedivers know how to choose locations and they were more like that of a Bond film! So we started in the Blue Hole in Dahab and we went to Dean’s Blue Hole on Long Island in the Bahamas – it’s a 200m sinkhole. It’s just stunning. We went to a number of cenotes (Editor’s Note: Cenotes are a natural pit, or sinkhole resulting from the collapse of limestone bed rock that exposes groundwater. This term originated in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, where cenotes were commonly used for water supplies by the ancient Maya.) in Mexico. I didn’t even know what a cenote was and looking at some of the footage from Daan Verhoeven, he’s a freediving cinematographer – I had seen these incredible images. Our main image is of Alessia swimming up towards the light in a cenote and I remember seeing images like this from Daan and asking him, “Daan, what’s this?” He explained that it was a cenote in Mexico. So it was just such an incredible learning curve for me. Then, filming off of the Caribbean Sea off of Mexico as well with the freedivers along with incredible freediving cinematographer Julie Gautier, she would with the safety and the divers, dive down to 30m, pop back up, show me the shot, I would be holding onto a noodle on the surface and I’d say, “that’s great Julie, could we just do that one more time, slightly different?” She’d say yes and pop back down to 30m and then come back up again. It was like having a fleet of dolphins on our crew. That’s what it was like!

AM: What was your favorite moment of this production?

LM: Oh God, there has been many really! Many moving moments. I would struggle now to name 1. It was in the Blue Hole in Dahab and as I said, it was our first shoot and it was my first opportunity to see what it was all about and it was swimming out over that cliff like I was saying to you. There was that moment when I was looking down at the fish and then it broke down and away into 100m. It was just this blue that went on for forever! It looked more like you were looking into the sky or something and you could see for 30 or 40m. You could see fish and that was just a moment that I will never be able to forget for my entire life! There were core memories made there in that moment.

AM: What was the most difficult part of this production?

LM: For me, I would say, getting it right. It was really important to me, not just as a filmmaker, and as a film that people would be able to get something from and enjoy. But for the people that are in it. It was just really important to me that Peter, Steven’s dad and his family, Alessia and her family were happy and felt like it reflected their memories of what happened and that it was true and it was fair. That was something that was always at the forefront of my mind and it was really important.

I wouldn’t say that it was a difficult thing, I would say that it was extremely important that we would have to look after.

IG @netflix

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Netflix/The Deepest Breath

Read the JUL ISSUE #91 of Athleisure Mag and see THE DESCENT | Laura McGann in mag.

WAVES OF CHANGE | KAI LENNY

This month's cover is with 8X standup paddleboarding (SUP) champion, and accomplished legendary waterman, Kai Lenny. He has mastered big wave surfing, windsurfing, bodysurfing, hydrofoil surfing, kitesurfing, SUP, prone paddling, and more. Where there's water, he's there enjoying all that the elements can give him as he utilizes his athleticism to navigate it. He's known as a hydrofoil surfing pioneer and was one of the first wave riders to self propel himself into a wave, ride it, kick out, pump his foiling gear back in the sea and then catch another wave! He has had a number of accolades from winning the WSL Men's XXL Biggest Wave Award and the Men's Overall Performance Award in 2019, in the same year he was inducted into the Surfer's Hall of Fame and named Surf Industry Manufacturers Association's Waterman of the Year, in 2020 in addition to winning the Men's Wave of the Day, Team Champions trophy at the Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge at Praia do Norte and also received the Biggest Wave and Performance of the Year at the 2020 Big Wave Awards to name a few.

We caught up with Kai while he was in Bali to talk about how he became a waterman, his career, his partnerships and the projects that he's working on from the Life of Kai to his focus on sustainability.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you first fall in love with the ocean?

KAI LENNY: I think that the ocean – I feel like it was just in my veins when I was born because it comes down to the circumstances of where I emerged into this world which was in Hawaii, in Maui, to loving parents that had a real passion for the ocean. When you’re that young and you’re just kind of taking in basically the world that your parents have created or that you’re a part of, you end up becoming your environment. I knew no better then to have a love for the ocean because the culture of just being in Hawaii and it was like being outside, just playing in the waves and riding in the wind – that was just normal. My love, I think it was there before I even knew. I mean in the description, I knew that my parents loved me and I knew that I loved the ocean. That was how I found and felt loved.

AM: When did you decide that you loved doing all of this, and that you wanted to take those passions and make it into a career?

KL: You know, pretty much early on! Obviously, there was no social media back then, you had DVDs, VHS tapes, magazines. My super heroes to me were not comic book heroes, because I actually have real life ones that were these incredible athletes that surfed, wind surfed, kite surfed, rode giant waves because the people that I was looking at in the magazines and in the movies, because I was able to see them also in person, because I was growing up in the mecca of watersports, it really was something that I immediately wanted to do! I remember when I caught my first wave by myself when I was 4 years old, it was like, that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life. I don’t care what it takes, I just want to be able to do this. It’s just that my life has just evolved in that direction. I’m totally living the dream right now!

AM: We love to hear that!

As a waterman, you have mastered so many modalities from being a wind surfer, SUP, and more! Why is it important for you to be this versatile and to use the water as such a big canvas?

KL: I just think that I looked at a waterman and a waterwoman as being somebody that can do anything in the water – ride waves from 2ft to 100ft, also being able to go below the surface of the water and to be a fish in a way! So, the ocean really is a place that can provide everything for somebody to survive and to live and to enjoy. I think that that is really a testament to ancient Hawaiians and how they sort of figured out one of the best ways of living life and their whole culture was surrounded by the ocean and not only – very few cultures in the ancient world allowed time for leisure and play and fun. The Hawaiian culture did that so kind of just taking what the ancient Hawaiians did before and fortunately, we live during a time of modern advancements and technology so that all of the toys and the fun equipment evolves and there’s more opportunities to see sort of a different face of the same sort of book or cover. You can ride a wave 50 different ways and it can feel like 50 different experiences, but the spot is the same exact one. So it’s all about perspective and how you come into it and at the end of the day, it’s about riding waves, riding wind and having fun and making the most of our time on this planet!

AM: Well, do you remember your first big wave or what you felt at that time was your first big wave?

KL: Well I mean, going way back, I think that waves are relative you know? When you’re I don’t know, 8 years old and you’re riding a 15ft wave, that’s a big wave! My first wave when I was 4 years old, by today’s standards, it would have been maybe chest high for me now which is very small! But when you’re 4 years old, and you stand less than 2 feet tall, it felt like a giant wave! I think that that’s what I love about surfing and what I love about wave riding in general, everyone is a big wave surfer in a way. You only discount yourself as a big wave surfer when you start comparing yourself to others. Because there is always someone out there who’s going to ride a bigger wave probably. You know?

AM: Right!

KL: It’s not something that you can get in on any given Sunday, there’s a bit of luck involved in getting the single biggest wave, but I have always found that at a certain point, above 50ft, it all just feels the same. It just feels gigantic. But yeah, my first legitimate big wave which would be my career starter was when I was 16 years old and it was at Pe’ahi also known as Jaws, on Maui. It's the Mount Everest of big wave surfing, the best big wave in the world with my heroes, Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama – they took me up there for the very first time. I was riding a hydrofoil board, but back then it involved snowboard bindings and so the consequences were extreme, but that sort of was the first day of my big wave career and so I have been surging giant waves every single year since!

AM: If you had to choose, what is your favorite watersport?

KL: I think that that is a really difficult one, it’s like, picking a finger for me, you know? It’s like, which one would you want to chop off, you know? I sort of like all my fingers, but you know at the same time, trying to describe the sensation of these sports, is like trying to describe to somebody a color that they have never seen. It’s hard to explain as each one in their own way is very special and unique and in the right conditions, that sport that I would be doing is my favorite in the entire world. Sometimes when you try to force a sport and not in the right conditions, it can still be fun, but it’s not like when the conditions line up. If I considered myself an ocean mechanic, and I had a tool chest of all of these different tools, one wrench is not going to help me fix the entire car necessarily or work on the entire car. So, it takes having many tools to kind of get to the point of riding the wave in the best possible way that I could imagine.

But that being said, if I could choose at this point, the most ideal condition to be in, it would be the culmination of every single sport that I do which is riding a giant wave on a tow-in surfboard going 55 miles an hour – I think that that sport is born of every sport that I do on a daily basis and it’s the type of sport that doesn’t happen every single day. You only get a handful of times per year to participate in something like that. So that’s like the pinnacle or the culmination of every sport that anyone has ever invented in the water.

AM: Wow!

You have competed in a number of tournaments, you surf the unsurfable, and you have such legendary status, what drives you to continue to do this?

KL: I guess beyond the desire to win competitions or to get another sponsorship deal or whatever, it’s the love of actually doing it! I often think that if I lost all of my sponsorships and I couldn’t be a professional surfer or athlete, I’d probably just be working a regular job as hard as I could so that I could literally go do exactly what I’m doing! I don’t think that I would have the opportunity to be able to do the extent of what I do at the frequency, but I pinch myself everyday that I am able to let my mind and imagination go wild! People support me to be able to go do this. It almost feels like I’m cheating at something in life! I try to just work hard every single day to make it happen. It’s something that I would do no matter what. Even if I had all the money in the world, I was the richest person on Earth, my actual life probably wouldn’t change that much. I’d probably not be on social media much and I’d be surfing even more. But for the most part, I’d be riding the same waves and doing the same sports.

AM: Do you have any routines that you do before or after competitions that are always your go-to’s to get in that mind set?

KL: I always try to go to the basics, I try to go to my foundation which is not thinking about the result. Obviously, I know the result that I want which is to be #1! Sort of less about like, comparing myself to others and I always feel that if I put in my best performance, I’m going to win and I don’t necessarily need to compete against anyone because surfing, and the collective surfing sports, are judged so it’s kind of a subjective view and you can ride the way that you want to ride, but at the end of the day, you kind of have to conform yourself to what the judge is looking for. That’s just the art of the game. If you’re playing a game of chess, there's the way that you want to play and then you’ve got to do what your opponent is giving out and you sometimes have to consider your opponent is the judge too. You’re kind of doing a dance with the judges to kind of get their approval.

I think that for me, the lead up to an event, it’s all about doing everything that I can, all of the training, all of the hard work, so that when the day comes, I don’t have to worry. I can fall back on my training rather than feeling like I didn’t do enough. I would say that the categories are, physical training, mental preparation, and then making sure that my equipment and the technology that I got is the best possible stuff that I could be riding. When all of those align, you kind of just have to see what happens. Most of the time, you can come out on top when you do it right.

AM: What is a typical day like when you’re surfing? How many hours a day do you surf?

KL: Before children, probably 8 hours! Now that I have kids and they’re really young, it’s a lot less because obviously, daddy duties and all that! I would say that now, I’ve become a better athlete because of it. In a way, in the past, I would overtrain. I would spend too much time in the water and my body would get fatigued and mentally, I would be drained. It’s pretty intense to be in an environment of these situations, but also just being out so often and pushing your body and never getting a rest day, that also holds you back! Less time on the water has actually meant that I have gotten better, faster because resting is actually training as well. Resting is just as important as lifting really heavy weights or doing your sport. It’s about finding a balance. You can’t be resting too much and you can’t be overtraining.

In a perfect world, I would be out there 100% of my time, but that’s just not the world that we live in!

AM: Clearly, surfing is a total body workout, but are there other workouts that you do either in the water or out of the water to maintain your physique?

KL: Absolutely, you know, it’s difficult when you’re traveling, because you’re just adjusting to time zones and you’re probably spending more time in the water then you have the ability to go to let’s say a gym. The types of gyms that might be around, they may not be existent in the surf world because of the remote places.

When I’m at home, my training routine is to get in the ice bath before bed every night to kind of recover. I have a hyperbaric chamber that can kind of cut down a rest day from 2 rest days to just 1 rest day. Doing hot and cold which is going through a sauna to the ice bath is very important. That’s just on the recovery side of things. I would say, that as far as training and beyond getting the workout in from being in the water, it’s going to the gym and doing different kinds of exercises and working out and actually doing enough heavy lifting with some heavy weights. I would say that it’s not about stiffening up because most people think you have to be as flexible as possible and that’s really important, but you don’t also want to be too flexible because you can actually break joints in the occupation that I participate in. So, it’s building up the muscles around the knees, the VMOs (vastus medialis oblique muscle), strengthening the shoulders, the hips and being able to handle the power of a big wave that crashes onto you. I do that 5 times a week, also going on trampoline training to get bare awareness. That’s a great workout and no more than 30 minutes will do the job! Underwater pool training, so carrying weights underwater and holding your breath simulating a big wave wipe out. It’s hard to – it’s difficult to do all of those things in one day. Depending on the season and depending on the time, you can be very well trained if you play your cards right. They’re all fun activities to do anyway.

AM: What competitions are you focused on for this year that you’re excited about?

KL: So right now, it’s a bit of my off season at the moment. Winter has passed in the Northern Hemisphere and typically, my biggest events are in the winter. But now that we’re in the summer, there’s a lot of opportunities to do some events.

Of course, every event you enter, you want to win. At the same time, my focus is right now riding big waves. One of the races that I want to do is Molokai 2 Oahu which is between one of the most powerful deadly channels in all of the Pacific. I’ve won it 4 times now across different disciplines from SUP to foiling and I’m going to go on a hydrofoil again this next year. That’s a really great test to see where your endurance lies. It’s in the middle of the summer. It’s July 30th, the last Sunday and that’s a good testing block for winter. Because winter is not too far off after that. In between there, if there is a fun and exciting event, I’ll enter. But right now, it’s about the winter time events.

AM: That’s incredible.

It was really enjoyable to watch the first and second season of HBO's 100 Foot Wave which can be seen on Max. Why did you want to be part of this show and what drew you to it?

KL: Well, it’s really cool! I was really honored to be on the 100 Foot Wave show. That being a show that recognized big wave surfers to a mainstream audience when our sport is typically reserved, or at least endemically for who’s riding what – I think any big wave footage that makes it to the mainstream, no one can tell who’s really going down the wave because we all look like specs. I wouldn’t say that I wanted to be on the show, so much as they sort of chose me. I was really grateful for that. It’s not something that you could really force unless you produce the show yourself or someone comes to you. The show wasn't about me, but I was able to be part of it and you know, that legendary figure, Garrett McNamara, is leaving an indelible mark on big wave surfing. His story is unique and special. I’m glad that people are enjoying it. It’s just bringing more eyes to this incredible sport.

The truth of the matter is, riding big waves is probably the most dangerous form of surfing and it’s typically also where maybe, people have the least amount of resources to do it – to support it. The stories that come out of big wave surfing, I’m probably the most successful big wave surfer, but there are so many guys and girls who work hard jobs during the summer months so that they can go surf giant waves in the winter and spend all of their money. It’s really a nomadic, mountain man/woman – it’s just so hardcore and those show really shines a light on the hardest working people in surfing.

AM: What is it about Nazaré that you enjoy being there?

KL: I think that Nazaré is a freak of nature. It’s the perfect combination of monster waves meeting in Europe. I think that if you saw the show, it’s a wave that’s hidden in plain sight. I mean, it was only surfed in the late 2010’s and that’s just kind of incredible because big wave surfers are always looking for the biggest waves in the world to ride. It just so happens that there was one in Europe and in Portugal, a surf rich country that it just came at the perfect time for this town where society and everything it dipped in to, the world supply chain and the small fishing village which once was supported purely by fisherman – it was a dying town. When the surfing world converged into this incredible place, it definitely brought so much new life that the town is now as well known in Portugal as being a fishing village as well as one of the most renowned big wave surfing destinations on planet Earth! It attracts tens of thousands of people per day to go watch these magnificent monster waves. Vertically, they're some of the tallest waves on the planet and some of the most challenging surf that a big wave surfer will encounter. It’s just that the story of the town itself, in a way, is far more interesting than even the waves that are being ridden out there now. It is the one place on Earth that you can go as a big wave surfer and be recognized by people! Most of the time I feel like as a big wave surfer, you’re kind of like moving silently in society before you step outside of the bubble to go ride these monsters out in the ocean. There, it’s a real unique place, and I look forward to going back every year and I count my blessings that I come home safe. Most recently, we had a friend, Márcio Freire, that died there and that was the first death in modern big wave surfing at Nazaré and it was tragic because he was a pioneer and it just goes to show you that no one is safe. You can go and get really unlucky. You just have to put yourself in the hands of a higher power and if you really want it, you have to commit.

AM: Last year, you released your movie Pe’ahi. Why did you want to tell this story?

KL: That film Pe’ahi, was really inspired by part of my life story, partly my director’s life story and I think you know, truly trying to shine a light on the realities of Hawaii, I would say that it’s a yin and yang. On one side, Hawaii gives you the greatest opportunities to become somebody and to do something great. I don’t know if you watch American Idol, but Iam Tongi just won and he is the testament to exactly why we wanted to make this film.

Coming from humble beginnings on the east side of Oahu to being at the very top, I’d say that our film really lines up with his story because that’s a real Hawaiian story. If you play your cards right, you're passionate and you love what you do, you can become the greatest because everyone is looking to Hawaii at all times. But, Hawaii in some ways, is like a third world country. There's a lot of poverty, there's a lot of homelessness – on one side, there’s this billion dollar tourism industry and there’s also locals who can barely afford a tent. Cost of living in Hawaii is just outrageous, especially for the ones that generationally, have been born and raised there.

Instead of just feeling sorry for ourselves, there was this need to try to make a film that would inspire kids who do come from the most humblest of beginnings to go all the way to the top and to be the best at anything that they want to do. Surfing was just a natural vehicle to carry the story. It’s a story of hope and perseverance and working hard to get to where you need to be. It’s just wanting to tell that story that we always knew existed, but that not a lot of people outside of our community, knew existed.

AM: Tell us about the Life of Kai? How did this come about? You’re in your 3rd season which is amazing!

KL: The Life of Kai is basically, adventures that I’m very lucky to partake in. It’s about the people that I’m meeting along the way. It’s not just about showing my best moments, but showing – I wouldn’t say the struggle, but the uphill battles to get to the ultimate goal and if you want to do anything amazing in this life, there’s always going to be a lot of work that is going to need to be put in. There’s going to be the ups and the downs. It’s showing that with perseverance, you can overcome any obstacle and you can do fun stuff and that’s kind of like the whole idea behind the series. I’m sharing this adventure and at the end of the day, it’s about inspiring the next generation and most importantly, being able to entertain people too, you know and letting people be able to takeaway what they want from the show. Not necessarily trying to sell them on anything – not that they have to be a surfer or ride giant waves. If they can see the passion for what I like to do, hopefully, they can translate that into what they want to do.

AM: As passionate as you are about the sport and what you do, you’re also vocal about the oceans and beaches. You’ve partnered with A New Earth Project in this effort. Can you tell us more about this?

KL: I’ve been given so much from the ocean that it only feels like my responsibility to give back and raising awareness is always great! We’ve done so many beach cleanups. It’s only the tip of the iceberg. What I really love about working with the A New Earth Project is that it's not just about bringing awareness, it’s not just about cleaning up beaches and rivers, it’s actually about going to the source of the solution and A New Earth Project is part of Atlantic Packaging which is located on the East Coast. Their whole goal is to change the plastic wrapping that goes around every soft drink or soda that is shipped around the world into something that is environmentally friendly. That company is working on ways to produce product that is not going to affect the end user in any way. The end user won’t even see a change, but behind the scenes, I think that that is the only way that we can save our oceans from plastic pollution. Not trying to get people that don’t really have a real relationship with the ocean to change, why not just change the stuff that has been delivered to them. They can still enjoy it the same way and that’s sort of the thought process.

So this trip that I came to Bali was inspired by A New Earth Project. Bali is one of the most beautiful places on the face of the Earth, but it is plagued with trash when western society reached these islands, everything before that was wrapped in banana leaves. Plates were made out of banana leaves, wrapping food was in banana leaves and traditionally, you’d throw the banana leaves into the river because there are so many rivers here and it would flow down into the ocean and it would biodegrade. It was really a cycle of this place, a cycle of life in Indonesia. Without educating the locals and the public here that plastic will stay for 1,000's of years, there just seems like there is no education behind that. So being able to come down here with A New Earth Project, we got to link up with a lot of local groups that are working to basically educate the people and to kind of figure out a way for waste management. Any plastic that does end up being produced is never going to end up being net zero, can be picked up. Because there is no trash service like we have in the states. So it’s trying to find solutions that help these people and help the environment. We ended up getting in one of the most gross rivers that I have ever been in in my life because they have these nets that catch all of these plastics and we were just loading up bags. That was a real eye opening experience because every time that you travel to a beautiful place like this, I never want to feel that I am just here to take their waves or to take advantage of anything so it really felt good to at least clean up an entire river for the surrounding people that make this place so special.

AM: That’s really amazing to hear!

Travel is such a big part of what you do. Where are your favorite places to go and what do you do when you’re not in the ocean?

KL: Yeah so, of course, my “vacations” are going to waves! My family vacations are just one tropical place from Hawaii to another! Here we are in Indonesia! Truly, I love to go to places that inspire me and people find inspiration in a number of different ways. For me, big mountains inspire me, big waves inspire me, the ocean of course inspires me! I’d say that 2 places that I have been that have had the nicest people that I have ever encountered, which is really a draw and makes you want to be a better person, is here in Bali in Indonesia. I don’t know if people get any nicer! You can literally drop your wallet and I’m telling you, as beautiful as it is, it’s a 3rd world country and there is a lot of poverty. You drop your wallet with $500 in it, somebody will track you down and give you back your wallet and not take any money. That’s just – it can be the Hindu religion here or just be the way that the upbringing is here – everyone here is just so gracious and kind. It’s amazing! If there’s any kind of crime at all, it’s typically, outsiders or foreigners that are causing a ruckus.The other place is Fiji.

Some of the most amazing people and I think that one thing stands out with these 2 places for Bali, Indonesia and Fiji, is that you can be gone for 10 years and you can return and see the same person, and they will remember your name. There’s nowhere else on Earth like that where they will remember you, they will remember the experience that they had with you and a lot of the people in these areas, may not understand the same way as we do in western society, but they are some of the smartest people that I have met – they speak 5 or 6 languages. If they can remember the simplest of things like your name when you return in 10 years, it’s really unique and exceptional. The destination is one thing, but it’s really the people that you meet along the way that make the places that you go to, what they are.

“Life of Kai is basically, adventures that I’m very lucky to partake in.It’s about the people that I’m meeting along the way. It’s not just about showing my best moments, but showing - I wouldn’t say the struggle, but the uphill battles to get to the ultimate goal and if you want to do anything amazing in this life, there’s always going to be a lot of work that is going to need to be put in. There’s going to be the ups and the downs. It’s showing that with perseverance, you can overcome any obstacle and you can do fun stuff, it’s about inspiring the next generation to entertain people too.”

— Kai Lenny

AM: You’ve been sponsored by Hurley for a number of years and have done a number of collabs with them as well. What is it about this brand that is so synergistic with you?

KL: You know, I try to always align myself

with brands and companies that I can relate to or that are equal minded. Hurley really embodies the surfing culture and there is something so amazing and pure about how in a way it is exclusive, but it is also welcoming to anybody.

That’s the one cool thing about traveling

the world because you get to meet so many unique people from different ethnicities, creeds, and just perspectives. We may be in sort of one group here on land, but together in the water, we’re all the same thing.

Surfing, I think, is a really great craft to be able to gather people. Beyond Hurley being a great brand with amazing product, you know, their ethos is, just have fun. That I think, a lot of companies want to be hardcore like surfing is for surfers and that’s attractive to many people, but I have always been drawn to having a lot of fun in the water with people that you don’t even know and sharing this great experience, because like the great Gerry Lopez once said, “the one having the most fun is the best surfer.” I think that Hurley as a brand, embodies that ethos.

I think that if you can go out and get some Hurley stuff – their trunks and stuff, that literally makes you feel good enough that you want to go out there on the water and do something. That’s the whole point of surfing – it’s sharing this experience and sharing this life. There is always going to be another amazing wave and there’s plenty for everybody!

AM: Tell us about the Kai Lenny Paddle Series that you have with Hurley?

KL: I mean, the paddle series that we have created with Hurley, was really inspired by my trip here to Bali, Indonesia in 2021. I learned so much about my surfing and my athletic performance, but I also realized that I needed certain tools to allow me to surf longer and to have more fun so that I didn’t have to be stuck outside of the water with either reef cuts, rash or sunburn! We developed a board short that had a lot of pockets in it so that I could carry stuff like my GoPros, my sunscreen, basically a snack and anything that I needed, but also up to that point, no one had created a board short where the pockets wouldn’t turn inside out and you’d lose all of your stuff or they became more drag in the water as opposed to being hydrodynamic.

Really, the idea was to have a board short that was something that you could wear on land, dry really fast while you go from one adventure to the next! Maybe it even means going hiking in the woods because most of the time, the best boardshort is one that you only use for surfing. Whereas this trunk is amazing for hiking, it’s amazing for even going out to dinner, going out to lunch, or breakfast. You can carry all of your normal things, but then you can go surfing and have something that’s high performance. Then moving to something like the rashguard or the top that we use, it has a hood to protect you from the sun when you’re trying to surf for hours. It has a pocket in the back where you can put sunscreen, snacks, water, food, tools, and then it’s also designed to not give you rash. But it also has a cushion and a protective layer around your body. Again, all of these things are ideas that were put in that I really wanted. I feel like if I needed these things as a professional athlete, everyone can benefit from it. So far, everyone that sees it, wants a pair of both. I think that that’s pretty cool and it feels cool to develop something that people might want to use themselves.

AM: It’s definitely really cool when that happens and to get that feedback from people!

You have all of these different sponsors including Red Bull and Go Pro for a number of years, what do those partnerships mean to you?

KL: I mean, my sponsors, those partnerships, they are the reason why I get to live this life that I do and they all bring something so amazing to the table. For example, Red Bull has been – above the nice paycheck to basically live and to afford being alive - they are incredible at allowing me to have opportunities to up my level of performance and I mean most recently, and we just filmed this for the Life of Kai series, they brought me to the mountains of Alaska with one of the greatest snowboarders of all time, Travis Rice! I’d always been inspired to ride giant waves from and to look towards snowboarders that they’re doing on giant mountains and in particular, with Travis Rice and they made probably a once in a lifetime dream trip come true. The stuff that I was able to learn by riding giant mountains with my hero Travis Rice, is something that – snowboarding is so far removed and different from surfing. Something like that would have never come up on its own without kind of the support from Red Bull. It’s opportunities like that that make me a better athlete and I’m just always so grateful to be part of that company because they’re more than just trying to give an athlete a paycheck, they’re really about trying to help the athlete become the best that they can possibly be and to support them. They do feel like a family at this point.

With my other sponsors for example GoPro, I love GoPro because they give me the cameras to capture what’s going on in my world and bring people into this crazy environment – to take a camera that no other camera could go into.

And so, those relationships, if I go down the list even farther, Cariuma shoes, they have been amazing. They’re this environmentally safe skate shoe that is the most comfortable shoe that I have ever worn. But for every shoe that they sell, they plant a tree in the Amazon Rain Forest because they are based in Brazil. That’s really cool and their shoes being environmentally friendly is awesome and they’re the best shoe that I have ever worn!

Of course, the people that develop my equipment, people like KT Surfing and Goya Windsurfing, they make the equipment that I ride today. It really does take a village to raise somebody and it also takes a village to allow a professional athlete to perform at the highest level.

AM: How do you give back to those that are coming up in the sport who are also passionate in it?

KL: I remember being a kid and the mentorship that I had from the best water people on the face of the planet and I'm only 30 years old, but every time I do see a kid that’s coming up, I do try to like help them in any way possible to get them to accelerate their performance or to help them not necessarily make the same mistakes and to basically get them to their ultimate goal quicker. Certain things in life, you have to go through yourself of course and you have to learn on your own before you truly understand it, but you know, I think that at one point towards the end of my career which still seems so far away, being in a mentorship role will be probably more exciting than doing it myself. To see the excitement and passion of kids, that want to become something great whether it’s in the water or not, that’s inspiring. Having that young and excited energy really drives me to want to improve!

I may be 30 years old, but deep down, I’m probably still that same 12 year old kid that is just as excited or even more excited to be able to do what I am doing. It’s really important to be there for the next generation and help guide them through whatever passion they’re going in. The next generation is going to be better than whatever I can be and that’s just how you know a sport remains healthy – when the next generation overtakes the previous. That’s good for sport!

“I think that that is the only way that we can save our oceans from plastic pollution. Not trying to get people that don’t really have a real relationship with the ocean to change, why not just change the stuff that has been delivered to them. You can still enoy it the same way...”

— Kai Lenny

AM: As someone who is always on the go, being a dad, a husband, traveling – what kind of self-care do you incorporate just so that you can be present?

KL: I think it’s being able to really turn off the switch. It’s so easy to be consumed by your quest and your passion. You can definitely feel like all of your focus is going to one thing. I think that the way that you get the best out of yourself is when you get home at night and you can turn that I think it’s being able to really turn off the switch. It’s so easy to be consumed by your quest and your passion. You can definitely feel like all of your focus is going to one thing. I think that the way that you get the best out of yourself is when you get home at night and you can turn that off. I can turn it off and just be a dad. I can just be there for my little girls, be a good husband to my wife, and just basically be able to transition and to have my focus be on my profession and then being able to just do what I need to do at home and do it with love. I think that that is the real trick to finding balance. You can’t overly consume yourself in anything. You may be able to sustain it for awhile, but eventually you might be crashing down. Finding balance is the key to life. So it’s learning when to turn things on and turn things off.

AM: Are there any upcoming projects coming up that you want to share that we should keep an eye out for?

KL: There’s always something coming up, I mean we’re in the middle of the season of Life of Kai and like I said, we just did this incredible trip to the mountains where I was probably the most scared that I have ever been in my entire life. No big wave has scared me as much as those mountains did and so that’s going to be really exciting to share that episode and to kind of share what went down on this incredible trip. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series dropping.

I’m in the works with new equipment of course and nothing really that’s anything yet, it’s all just ideas on paper, but I’m hoping that by this next winter, I’ll have it all dialed in and figured out and I’ll be able to go out there and do something that has never been done before!

AM: That will be interesting to see!

What do you want your legacy to be in the sport?

KL: I don’t know if you can ever have any say in what your legacy is going to become. That’s almost reserved for everyone else watching what they are going to brand you as. I think that if there is one thing that I would like to leave this Earth being known for is just being able to accomplish things and to do many things that people didn’t think that you were allowed to do necessarily. Having that enthusiasm, that passion and that love and that excitement for the sport that I do. I would say, that as a whole, I couldn’t say the one thing that I would want as a legacy. If anything, it’s to inspire the next generation to do what they love regardless of whether it’s surfing or not.

That’s the same thing that I have as a goal for my kids too! I want to give them every opportunity to be the absolute best people that they can be and to always go for it and sometimes, just taking that leap of faith. So, I think that’s what every great dad wants to be known for is that. Maybe that’s my legacy, raising the best kids I can. I want to be known not as Kai Lenny, but I want to be known as my daughters' father basically – Senna and Willa’s dad.

IG @kai_lenny

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Front/Back Cover + PG 46 Hurley | PG 16-41 , 48 + PG 146 for 63MIX ROUTIN3S Red Bull | PG 42-45 HBO/100 Foot Wave |

Read the MAY ISSUE #89 of Athleisure Mag and see WAVES OF CHANGE | Kai Lenny in mag.

WITH LOVE AND ATTENTION | CARISSA MOORE

Earlier this year, our FEB ISSUE #86 was covered by Team USA Olympic Gold Medalist and 5X Women's World Surf League Champion, Carissa Moore! Since we spoke to her, she's halfway through the season and at the time of the release of this issue is #2 in the World Surf League, won the Billabong Pro Pipeline as well as most recently, winning the Margaret River Pro in late April!

She is a force on the water and we also enjoy how she gives back to women by empowering them to be who they want to be as they navigate their lives and take on wherever their goals lead them! In the midst of training and making her own goals, we caught up with her to find out about her recent win, the second half of the season and her latest collaboration with Hurley for her May Moore Aloha collection by Hurley.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What did your recent win at Margaret River mean to you?

CARISSA MOORE: It was a very validating and empowering win. It had come after a string of average results that had me questioning my process and formula. I feel like things start to fall into place when I reconnect with what’s most meaningful to me and let go of everyone else’s expectations. It’s very easy to get distracted on the journey and this win was a nice reminder to trust in my preparation, process and believe in my purpose. I love Margaret River and winning with my team there made it really special.

AM: Why do you enjoy being at Margaret River?

CM: It feels like things are more simple in Margaret River. There isn’t a lot of fuss, bells and whistles. People are kind, the towns are small and there is a ton of open space. The nature is raw, the waves are wild, you can still find an empty beach or watch the sunset all by yourself. That is rare. It is a place that brings you back to yourself and the present moment.

AM: What tournaments are you looking forward to this year?

CM: The second half of the WSL Championship Tour season, I am truly looking foward to all of the events but especially Teahupo’o, Tahiti (SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro).

AM: What’s your routine on the morning of your competition?

CM: I wake up around 5am, kiss my husband good morning, make myself a warm drink, activate my body for about 45 mins and then head to the beach for a surf before the first horn blows usually around 8am.

AM: When you finish competing, how do you switch gears into relaxing mode?

CM: I like to relax after competing by taking a hot shower, eating a healthy meal, going for a nice beach walk, reading a book, journaling or putting on a good tv show.

AM: Tell us about your May Moore Aloha collection by Hurley!

CM: This Moore Aloha X Hurley collection is my favorite one yet! Created from start to finish with love and attention to all the details, this collection celebrates Hawaii, femininity and combined woman power. So grateful for the opportunity to work closely with local Hawaiian artist, Aloha de Mele, on all the prints and the incredible team at Hurley Women to create a line that combines function with fashion. It is my goal with every collection to create pieces that spark joy, empower females to feel comfortable and confident while chasing their dreams. To add, one of the things I’m most excited about is this is the first of our collections available in girl sizes!

AM: What does it feel like for your collaboration between Moore Aloha and Hurley to come together like it has?

CM: It is so cool to see my favorite pieces come to life, displayed at my hometown stores and being worn!

AM: What is your process of designing your collection?

CM: I’ll start by sending the Hurley Women’s team “inspo” pics and they’ll create a mood board, pick a variety of prints and colors for me to choose from. Once we nail that down, they’ll create a line up of silhouettes for me to look at. There is a bit of back and forth refining the selection and giving feedback. Then, they will make samples and I get to product test! I’ll send some suggestions until we get the fits just right.

AM: Tell us about your next Moore Aloha event.

CM: I am planning the next Moore Aloha event for this fall on the island of Oahu. Our work focuses on Mental Health, Education, Community Relations, Culture, and Environmental Conservation. Our main goal is to share valuable tools and resources with girls and women to create a positive life driven by passion, fueled by purpose. We integrate the Hawaiian culture to promote mindfulness and community. The ocean and surfing is a tool to empower girls to step outside their comfort zone and live fearlessly. Our welcoming atmosphere allows for open, honest conversation and soulful connections. Some of the activities we include are a tag team event, lei making, yoga, journaling, hula, a beach clean up and surfing. Depending on our group and our focus we will sometimes include a goal setting workshop, CPR and water safety courses, work in the lo’i (taro patches), plant trees, and invite other empowering females to talk and share their inspirational stories.

IG @rissmoore10

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | This feature + 9PLAYLIST PG 118 Hurley

Read the MAY ISSUE #89 of Athleisure Mag and see WITH LOVE AND ATTENTION | Carissa Moore in mag.j

63MIX ROUTIN3S | KAI LENNY

Read the MAY ISSUE #89 of Athleisure Mag and see 63MIX ROUTIN3S | Chef Matthew Kenney in mag.