Off to Bali...

In a few days, we will be embarking on a very unique trip to Bali. This trip was the brainchild of Donna Von Hoesslin (owner of Betty Belts Jewelry www.bettybelts.com) and renowned photographer, David Puu (www.davidpuu.com). We have known David and Donna for almost 5 years now and we've been talking about a Betty B team trip to Bali practically since we first met. Betty B jewelry is ethically and sustainably made in Bali and Sierra, myself, Mary Osborne and Jeanette Ortiz (BB team riders) will all be given the opportunity to design a piece of jewelry that symbolizes something important to us. In addition to getting a "behind the scenes look" at Donna's company, we will also be volunteering with the East Bali Poverty Project (www.eastbalipovertyproject.com). My Dad, who is a Dentist and a founding member of the Surfer's Medical Association, has already supplied us with a plethora of toothbrushes to bring to the villages. In addition to all of this, we will probably come back with an immense amount of breath taking imagery and hopefully have scored some uncrowded Bali tubes. David just wrote a blog post about the trip titled, "Organic Reprisal" and he is a far better writer than I, so if you have time check it out at www.davidpuu.com/blog/ . So keep an eye out for the upcoming posts while I blog in Bali. 

Some of David's past work from Bali... (all images copyright davidpuu.com)

Oneill Surf Academy 2009 - Holland & Belgium

For the last three weeks, Sierra and I were lucky enough to be surf instructors for the Oneill Surf Academy for the 3rd year in a row. The Surf Academy is put on by Oneill as a free day of fun at the beach for kids ages 8-16. Oneill fly over five team riders from the US and pair with five local instructors where we teach about 50 kids a day about beach safety, ocean currents and most importantly; how to surf. At the end of the 3 weeks, we taught a total of over 500 kids in Holland and Belgium how to surf.

This year was the 2nd we got to be a part of Oneill's Out of Bounds program where we taught visually impaired children how to surf. These kids showed that no matter what obstacles you have to face in life, as long as you are brave and determined, you can accomplish anything. The Out of Bounds program is very special to Sierra and I because we were both born with childhood cataracts. We underwent surgery to replace our clouded lenses with artificial ones about 9 years ago. We both feel so blessed that we were born in a time and place to have the surgery to keep our vision from getting worse. But like I said earlier, these kids showed me how their lack of vision isn't a handicap and never will be one. 

Click on the links below to view pictures of the events...

http://www.oneill.com/#/men/europe/events/r.oneill_surf_academy_2009/

http://www.oneill.com/#/men/europe/events/r.oneill_surf_academy_out_of_bounds_2009/

We're in Vanity Fair!

Check out the feature "Tubular Girls" in this month's (July) issue of Vanity Fair. Or go to

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2009/07/surfer-girls200907 to view a slideshow of images from the shoot (I've included some below, Enjoy! :)

VANITY FAIR- SPOTLIGHT

From left, Sierra Partridge, Sofia Mulanovich, Leila Hurst, Alana Blanchard, Malia Manuel, Sally Fitzgibbons, Coco Ho, Laura Enever, Sage Erickson, Quincy Davis, Courtney Conlogue, and Hailey Partridge, photographed at Crystal Cove State Park, in Newport Coast, California.Photograph by Michael Halsband. Styled by Tracy Taylor.

Tubular Girls

Meet the new female stars of surfing.

Photograph by MICHAEL HALSBANDJuly 2009

Fifty years after Gidget stirred up waves in the male-dominated surfing world, a new set of young women in their teens and 20s are revolutionizing the sport, from the beaches of Montauk to Australia. The best will be stoked to flaunt their tailslides and aerial maneuvers at this month’s U.S. Open of Surfing, in Huntington Beach, California—the Kentucky Derby of the ocean.

And these aren’t just beach bunnies paddling to “California Girls.” “It’s all about sharing waves,” says former world champ Sofia Mulanovich, 26, of Peru, in characteristic surfer parlance. “One of the best girl surfers could probably beat 80 percent of the men.” Which raises the question: How will the dudes impress them when they’re left behind, getting crushed inside the set? —ADAM KLAPPHOLZ

Don’t be fooled by the skimpy suits and the sunny smiles: it was a chilly Southern California afternoon when these 12 young athletes gathered surfside for our shoot. From left: Sierra Partridge, Sofia Mulanovich, Leila Hurst, Alana Blanchard, Malia Manuel, Sally Fitzgibbons, Coco Ho, Laura Enever, Sage Erickson, Quincy Davis, Courtney Conlogue, and Hailey Partridge.

Styled by Tracy Taylor.

Last July, at the age of 14, Malia Manuel (center), of Kauai, became the youngest winner ever of the U.S. Open of Surfing, surprising even herself. “It still seems unreal. I can’t believe it. It’s not something a 14-year-old could plan,” Manuel says. Alana Blanchard (left), 19, also of Kauai, is currently ranked 13 on the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour and is the face of surf-gear giant Rip Curl. Hailey Partridge (right), 20, of Santa Cruz, California, has become synonymous with women surfers through her many appearances with her twin, Sierra. Come this July, Manuel is ready to do it all again at the U.S. Open of Surfing. “I’m going to try to defend my title,” she says, “but it’ll be interesting this year. A lot of the others girls my age are doing the U.S. Open. It’ll be a good show.”

Not accustomed to life on land, these surfers are most comfortable with their boards in hand. “The photo shoot was amazing,” say Coco Ho, 18, of Oahu, Hawaii (bottom row, second from left). “It was super different from anything any of us have done. Going into Vanity Fair, we had legit makeup artists and hairdressers, which was something we weren’t used to. I mean, we’re just surfers.”

“When my sister and I began surfing, I would go out by myself and I would count at least 20 guys, and I’d be the only girl. I think it’s becoming more accepted as a girls’ sport. I see so many girls starting at age four or five now,” says Hailey Partridge (far left).

“The level of women’s surfing right now is through the roof. It just keeps getting better, with younger girls coming up and pushing everybody,” says former world champ Sofia Mulanovich (second from right).

“I think the guys are definitely respecting the women a lot more because when you go in the water, they’re not hopping out as much. Of course you have those few people who don’t care, and they’ll just go in front of you and take your waves. But there’s less and less of a division in the water now—you’re just someone else out there trying to catch waves,” says Courtney Conlogue (far left).

“A lot of people talk about the younger generation surpassing the older generation, but I think that’s overblown. When I go out surfing, there are kids younger than me, and people older—I mean, my dad’s 60 and still rips. That’s the neat thing about surfing: everyone can be involved in it, no matter your age or skill level,” says Sierra Partridge, 20, of Santa Cruz (fifth from left).

A new joint Blog!

Hello Everyone, Sierra and I decided that since we spend practically 24 hours a day together (well not exactly) and since we're always traveling together, we should have one blog together instead of two. Makes sense huh? Stay tuned...