Master Trainer: Sami Glascott
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Certifications: Yin Yoga Teacher, Paddle Into Fitness (PIF) Master SUP Trainer, PIF Ambassador, WPA Paddleboard Instructor Level 1 and 2, PIF/Yoga Alliance SUP, SUP Yoga and SUP Fitness Instructor (Level 1 and Level 2), BOGAFIT Level 1, Yoga Alliance RYT 200 CPR, AED, and Basic First Aid, PADI Rescue Diver and Divemaster.
Instructor Bio: It's really no surprise that I find refuge in yoga and standup paddle boarding. In my youth I was a competitive gymnast and was two classes away from a modern dance major in college (geology won). In my twenties, I was part of the Free Spirit sailing club on a 48 ft trimaran and sailed around every island in the Hawaiian Islands. While living in Guam, I became a PADI Divemaster with my dive buddy who would eventually become my husband. We were fortunate enough to dive all over Micronesia and Southeast Asia including Palau, Truk, Bali, Okinawa, Saipan, Titian, Rota, Australia, and the Philippines where we dove the most beautiful and healthy reef named Kalima (a name we later gave our daughter).
After my daughter was born, I tried a hot yoga class and was hooked. I received my 200 hour yoga certificate in Anchorage Yoga's first teacher training class. That same year as luck would have it, I tried my first SUP Yoga class and my first time on a paddleboard in San Diego with Gillian Gibree. Once again, I was hooked as my love for yoga united with my love for the water. Pure bliss. I later became a SUP and SUP Yoga instructor with Paddle Into Fitness and taught Alaska's first SUP Yoga class, in partnership with Lululemon. In 2016, I became a Master SUP Trainer which allowed me to certify instructors at home in Alaska as part of my business Unravel (unravelak.com).
My goal and passion are to grow standup paddling in Alaska and to ensure that safety is top of mind for all paddlers, particularly in Alaska’s waters. I have taught SUP Yoga for Alaska Wilderness SUP, Alaskan youth in the State of Alaska Kids Don’t Float program, and Floating Fitness pool classes for the Alaska Club. I have also written SUP articles, presented at the Alaska Sportsmen’s Show, and was also contracted to write a section of the Alaska Boater’s Handbook dedicated to standup paddling. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I launched a Facebook group dedicated to female paddlers in Alaska and hosted Zoom calls to educate the community when in-person classes weren’t possible.
Most recently, I have trained with my daughter for local triathlons and have become actively involved by as a race volunteer and as a board member of the Alaska Triathlon Club. I have worked with the race directors of the Eagle River Triathlon to include SUP as an option to their virtual triathlon races in place of swimming and have held SUP-Tri trainings for participants. I am looking forward to my first out-of-state in-person SUP Triathlon.
I’m excited to see that in the last two years SUPing has grown exponentially around Anchorage. I continue to paddle every chance I get around Anchorage and in my travels (Bali, Hawaii, Guam, Mexico, St. Croix, Florida, San Diego) and love sharing my passion with paddlers. Professionally, I am a Realtor (samiglascott.com) and blessed that I can pursue both passions simultaneously.
