Gillian’s 2013 Year in Review
I can’t believe it’s already (almost) 2014! I didn’t do the best job of documenting my travels, races, shoots, or certifications this year, so I figured I would do a summary of my year since I have so much to write about. I can’t believe how much amazing stuff happened in just ONE year, and I am very thankful to my friends, family, ambassadors, employees, and sponsors who made it all happen. So here it goes….
.I began 2013 with a trip to Cabo, Mexico in January to shoot the cover of Yoga Journal Magazine, as well as their first ever feature on SUP Yoga. I feel extremely honored to have been chosen for the cover, and never in a million years imagined this would happen!
Also in January, Roxy released the new Outdoor Fitness line that has some nice SUP specific clothing. It was really cool to see the shots they captured from the helicopter along the beautiful Maui coastline. Click through below to check out the video.
In February, I traveled to the north shore of Oahu with Kathryn to teach SUP Yoga at the Wanderlust Festival, and took some yoga classes with Shiva Rae and Eoin Finn in between teaching. Turtle Bay was absolutely gorgeous and I feel lucky to have been invited to teach here. To read more about my trip to Hawaii – click through on the wanderlust picture below.
In March I went on a road trip up the coast with SUP Yoga Instructor and Certification coordinator Genevieve. We had been dying to explore Big Sur, so we surfed, camped, and hiked our way up the coast from San Diego to Santa Cruz.
In April, I flew out to Maui to shoot the 2014 Roxy Outdoor Fitness line, and had fun for a few days with athletes Rosy Hodge, Sally Fitzgibbons, and Sierra Blair-Coyle. As soon as I returned home from Maui, I unpacked, repacked, and headed straight down to Sayulita, Mexico for the Paddle Into Fitness SUP Yoga Certification! Read more about our Mexico certification here.
As soon as I returned to Cali, I got an unexpected booking to shoot a yoga commercial in Japan! Here is a link to a quick video I made hiking around the jungle to find the Great Buddah statue, and below is the commercial I shot in Tokyo.
In June and July, we had two full Paddle Into Fitness SUP Yoga Certifications here in San Diego. PiF Ambassador Courtney did a heartfelt post about the June certification, check it out here.
.Also in July, I went on an awesome trip with SUP the Mag to the Salmon River in Idaho. This was a five day, 88 mile white water SUP trip down the river with a group of paddle boarders from all different backgrounds. We paddled all day, and set up camp on the beaches by the river at night. Below is a video made by SUP Magazine interviewing Nikki Gregg and what whitewater means to her (also has footage of the the chicks on whitewater), and also a spread from the recent winter issue. (Check out the 404 inflatable on the rio!)
In August, after attending the Outdoor Retail Market in Salt Lake City, I headed over to beautiful Lake Tahoe to race and teach at the Tahoe Nalu. Click the photo below to read about setting the world record for the most amount of people doing SUP Yoga!
September was the annual Battle of the Paddle in Dana Point, California – the biggest race in SUP. There was some decent surf, and lots of carnage during the race. I placed top 10, but I have always been on the podium (Top 5) at every BOP California or BOP Hawaii the past four years, so that was kind of a bummer. But that’s what happens when you don’t put in the proper training! After experiencing back spasms during and after the race, I canceled my ticket the BOP Brazil scheduled for October so I didn’t injure myself further.
After canceling my trip, I booked a ticket home to see my family during the peak of the fall foliage on Cape Cod. It was nice to take a little break from everything and catch up on family time! Here are a couple shots from the trip.
After I got back from Cape Cod, Ocean Minded booked me for a trip up the coast of California to shoot the 2014 catalog with big wave surfer Rusty Long. We drove up the 1, stopping and shooting in different locations like Big Sur, Ocean Beach – San Francisco, and Bodega Bay. We also got to check out the opening ceremony at Mavericks at Half Moon Bay. Below the photo is the brand ambassador video they put together.
In November, I headed over to Catalina to do a freediving and spearfishing trip in Two Harbors to film an episode for Epic TV. It rained a lot during the week, but the visibility was still insane – 60 feet! Some of the video footage looks like Greg and I are in the tropics. We grilled up fish and lobsters that we caught, and it was nice to be off the map for a few days.
Now that it’s December, I’m finally catching up on some rest time and planning 2014 trips and certifications, and I’m also getting ready for an Athleta shoot in Hawaii in a couple weeks!
I am extremely grateful for all my friends, family, employees, partners, agents, and sponsors who made everything happen this year. It’s been an awesome journey and my job is a dream come true. A big thanks to Roxy, Ocean Minded, and 404 SUP for getting me to my events, to Kialoa Paddles, Sambazon, Raw Elements for donating product to our certifications, and Sports & Lifestyle Unlimited for booking me on some rad shoots. I am looking forward to 2014 and everything it has to offer!