Women of watersports

SIC is proud to support women in the watersports community who provide inspiration, empowerment, and education to women worldwide. Our athletes and ambassadors are authentic and enjoy sharing their humble beginnings to inspire other women to step outside their comfort zone. Won’t you join the SIC Maui Women of Watersports and let them help you envision your watersports journey.

 


GLOBAL TEAM


SEYCHELLE

     

Born and raised in the Florida Keys, Seychelle was inspired by her deep love for the ocean and traveled at a very young age. She grew up playing sports and always dreamed of being a professional athlete.

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After high school, Seychelle took off sailing for several years and traveled around the world, working as a yacht crew and owning boats. In 2014 Seychelle went through a divorce, gave up sailing, moved back to the Florida Keys, and discovered the sport of SUP.

From her very first race, Seychelle was hooked. She has since become the 3 x Chattajack Champion, 3 x SUP 11 City Tour Grand Champion, 3 x SEA Paddle NYC Champion, The Guinness World Record holder for the Greatest Distance Paddled on SUP in 24 hours, and the 2019 APP Standup Paddle World Champion. Seychelle is also a Certified Health Coach, Nutrition Coach, Personal Trainer, and Yoga Instructor.

Living in Melbourne Beach with her husband and her dog, you will find Seychelle paddling, surfing, and relaxing on the beach. She combines her passion for living her best life with her passion for deep health into a platform for transformation. Seychelle now focuses on coaching women, helping them achieve their goals through optimum health, and sharing her knowledge from her many struggles along the way to what it truly means to succeed.


ANDREA MOLLER

  

Andrea was born in Brazil and was raised on the small island of Ilhabela. At the age of 17, Andrea followed her dream and moved to Maui where she became a mother, paramedic and professional water athlete internationally recognized as a proficient waterwoman. She dedicated her life to many water sports, focusing her biggest passion on surfing big waves, paddling SUP, outrigger canoe and foiling.

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Andrea’s most proud accomplishments is to be able to give back to her community. She has founded Ho’olana, an event that takes special needs children paddling and playing in the ocean. Andrea is a pioneer by heart, being the the first woman to paddle the famous big wave “Jaws”, and holds the Guiness world record for the biggest wave paddled by a woman, 42 feet. Andrea has crossed the the grueling 32-mile Molokai to Oahu crossing a total of 42 times, winning 22 titles in SUP and outrigger canoe paddling (OC1 and OC6). Andrea’s goal is to motivate both men and women to tap their potential and also be a role model to young athletes.

Andrea Möller is a rare breed of athlete. She’s mentally and physically strong and is built for the challenges of big wave surfing. However, more importantly, Andrea has a heart of gold that’s expressed through her humility and camaraderie with others.


JADE HOWSON

  

Jade's love for the ocean began in her hometown, Laguna Beach, California, at a very young age. She grew up swimming, surfing, diving, and paddling all along the southern California coast.

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As a child, Jade competed in many different sports. At the age of 7, her father, Robert Howson, introduced her to SUP, and Battle of the Paddle at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, California, became her first SUP race. Shortly after, Jade began training with her coach, Mike Eisert, and his training group, The Paddle Academy.

When Jade began high school, she entirely dedicated her time to paddling and was fortunate to travel around the world and compete against some of the top women in the sport. Her favorite type of race is the sprint and technical race. When she is not paddling, she enjoys playing the ukulele, guitar, and base, surfing, free diving, spending time with friends, and baking. Jade attends the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a major in Marine Biology. When she is home, you can also find her working at her family's surf shop, Harbour Surfboards.


NATIONAL TEAMS


BRI ANDRASSY

     

Bri Andrassy caught her first keeper at the age of three on a kid’s Mickey Mouse rod and she has been hooked ever since. She started paddling to spearfish the South Florida reefs and SUP camp in primitive locations.

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She later combined her love for paddling with her love for fishing and became an avid SUP angler. Bri first started SUP fishing by building her own setup on a surf stand up paddle board, and was soon discovered by BIC SUP one day as she was preparing to paddle out.

Hobie kayaks picked up on Bri’s love for kayak fishing and now her arsenal consists of offshore kayak fishing, free diving, and paddle board fishing. She recently joined the Sea Doo team and she is a member of the Hobie Kayak Fishing team.


Rika Okuaki

Ever since she was a little girl, Rika has loved the ocean and dreamed of being a lifeguard. When she entered her university, she joined the lifesaver club, fulfilling her dream.

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After graduating from school, Rika moved to Zamami Island, where she worked as a SUP, kayak, snorkeling, and yoga instructor. Rika fell in love with paddling after taking a paddleboard class at her home beach, which hosted the Kerama Blue Cup in 2017. 

Today you will find Rika competing as a SUP racer while working as a paddleboard coach for local kids. Rika’s goal is to compete worldwide and is anxiously awaiting for racing to open up again. Rika’s hobbies include yoga, surfing, diving, photography, and exploring nature.

Siri Schubert

Siri Schubert is a passionate SUP, and surf, ski paddler. As a 5x Molokai2Oahu (SUP) finisher, she loves open water and exciting downwind runs in Hawaii, Greece, Portugal, the Columbia River Gorge, and in the Spanish downwind hotspot Tarifa.

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Siri combines her passion for traveling with her enthusiasm for watersports and has competed in races in Hawaii, the Netherlands (3x SUP 11 City), California, Oregon, Spain, France, Great Britain, China, and Switzerland where she lives. She is a certified fitness and transformation life coach as well as an accredited SUP instructor.

For her outdoor guide certification, she focuses on leadership and environmental protection in the forest, alpine, snow, and water environments. When Siri is not on the water or out in nature, she works as a science and business writer, using her MBA and her journalistic training. She also loves video and film and has worked on several documentaries. She is happiest when both worlds meet and she gets to make videos or write about nature, paddling, and fitness. Her articles and videos have been published in SUP International, SUP Magazine, on TotalSUP, in Scientific American Mind, and many others.

GINIE BETS

Ginnie is a SUP racer from the UK, based in the beautiful coastal county of Cornwall England. As a full-time working mother to 3 sons, Ginnie discovered paddling a little later in life, but this didn't stop her from representing Great Britain...

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... at the European Championships in 2017 and the ISA Worlds in 2018! Standup Paddling came to her when she needed it and has added so much joy, health, and adventure to her life and family.

Ginnie first tried a SIC board at the Pacific Paddle Games in 2018 and fell in love with the brand, its ethos, and its people. She enjoys racing both domestically and internationally, but her favorite way to paddle is down winding many of the incredible and challenging stretches of England's coastline.

This summer, Ginnie plans to open a SUP school for lessons and adventure tours, sharing her passion for paddleboarding with the community surrounding her.

ANDREA KAMMERER 

Andrea Kämmerer lives in Bavaria, surrounded by many lakes. In 2013 she read about SUP in the newspaper and thought it sounded like a great watersport, so she ordered an inflatable board and fell in love with paddling.

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Andrea immediately started studying YouTube videos and working on her paddle technique. In 2015 Andrea won her first race, a 3km Fun Race. From that day on, it was clear that SUP racing is what she wanted to pursue. Her favorite discipline is the long distance and in 2020 Andrea won the German championship master class in Long Distance, Sprint, and Technical.

When Andrea is not paddling, you will find her on her OC1, mountain bike, or running. In winter, she also enjoys cross-country skiing and snowboarding. Professionally, Andrea works as a manager in the IT department, but paddling is her true passion. Andrea is a certified SUP instructor (GSUPA), Paddlefit ™ instructor LV1&LV2, Fitness trainer B-license, and launched her SUP clothing brand LET'SUP (let-sup.com) in 2015.


REGIONAL AMBASSADORS


ANNA LEVESQUE - USA

     

Named one of the most inspirational paddlers alive by Canoe and Kayak magazine, and most inspirational outdoors person of the year in Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine, Anna is a world-renowned paddlesports coach and trainer, and author of Yoga for Paddling, published by Falcon Guides.

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Anna is the leading authority in whitewater kayaking and stand up paddleboarding instruction for women. She's highly sought after for her unique and empowering approach to building confidence, facing fears and overcoming challenges both on and off the water. She's an American Canoe Association Instructor Trainer Educator in whitewater kayaking, stand up paddleboarding and SUP yoga, as well as a certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor and yoga teacher (500 RYT).

Anna combines her experience and skill in paddling, Ayurveda and yoga to create mind, body and adventure coaching, retreats and programming for women. She's an ambassador for SIC Maui, Werner Paddles, NRS and Dagger Kayaks.


JULIE ROACH - USA

     

Julie Roach is an experienced yoga practitioner E-YT500+, instructor-trainer, avid traveler, and retreat leader both on and off the water. Her dedication over the past 15 years to yoga and sup yoga has established her industry expertise.

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As the founder of H2YO SUP Yoga in 2009, she continues to share the love of yoga practice in nature. Julie has been recognized as one of the early pioneers of SUP yoga for her development of a primary series of yoga on the water. This modified platform of basic poses has been adopted almost everywhere SUP yoga is practiced.

The program showcases the safest and most efficient way to practice yoga on an unstable surface of the water. H2YO ™ has become the most widely recognized brand of SUP yoga and fitness in the industry.


JULIE MILLER - USA

     

Julie Miller, MA, LPC is a licensed counselor, an athlete and an all-around promoter of women's health and empowerment. She has 16 years of experience in the fitness industry, providing group fitness instruction at Lifetime Fitness and also has worked for 25 years in education, with 22 of those years as a counselor.

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She fell in love with the water and watersports at a very young age and has continued to grow her love of watersports from water-skiing into surf, SUP, kayaking, and foil boarding. In the past 10 years, paddle boarding has expanded greatly as a passion for her, as she continued into the world of racing, SUP surfing and SUP yoga.

In winter 2020, Julie was able to fuse her love of fitness, mental health and well-being, adventure, activity, empowerment nutrition and connection into a venture as she launched Uplift Adventure Retreats.


CASI RYNKOWSKI - USA

        

Since 2007, Casi Rynkowski has been living her dream training athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and those who want to live a healthier lifestyle.

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Her passion for fitness outdoors exploded when she launched her adventure fitness business, exposing clients to the idea of fitness outside four walls. Surfing, stand up paddling, rock climbing, ice climbing, and winter mountaineering became her new training ground in New England. Her clients not only found new ways to cross-train outdoors but found new passions in life.

Today you will find Casi teaching paddling classes, conducting clinics and seminars across the US, as well as crafting all kinds of outdoor adventures for fitness enthusiasts. She is the co-founder of women's health and wellness paddleboard camps, Camp Crystal Kai and Camp Bajan Blue, as well as the founder of the national non-profit Paddle for Recovery.

Casi loves engaging with people of all levels of experience and providing them with quality instruction and the knowledge necessary to build their confidence to step outside their comfort zone. Casi is an ACA Stand Up Paddleboard Level 2 Instructor, an AFAA Certified Personal Trainer, a NASM certified Nutritional Coach as well as Red Cross CPR and SOLO Wilderness First Aid certified. She is also the SIC North American Product, Marketing & Digital Manager.


LOU BOUVET - USA

Lou was born in Hawaii but grew up on the road during her parent’s travel stories. Avid shortboarder, Lou is following the Hawaii State championships and was the youngest female athlete to surf a wave at Jaw’s on the island of Maui at 13.

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She also longboards, stand up paddles and practice stand up Yoga. With her family she travels to the far corners of the globe to find new waves and produce content for her sponsors, TV, film festivals and magazines. Exploring vulnerable isolated places, she uses water sports as an excuse to document environmental challenges worldwide. Attending schools in different countries, she witnesses and shares how other families live.

Showing the beauty of the World thru sport, then raising awareness on the danger it faces and focusing on the solutions brought up by individuals. She introduces and personally gets involved in practical initiatives in the sustainable and environmental protection field.

MARIECARMEN RIVERA - USA

Mariecarmen Rivera is from Puerto Rico and since 2009, started to develop passion for water sports, practicing the sports of kayak, surf-ski, stand-up paddle, surf and kite surf.

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When she discovered this connection with the water her life changed forever. She been racing in SUP since 2015 until the present, accomplishing several national and international awards. Today you will find Mariecarmen teaching paddling and surfing to all age and levels and also attending patients as an intern at the Palmer College of Chiropractic Clinic. She loves sharing her love and passion for a healthy lifestyle through ocean sports, wellness, and fitness.

MICHELLE CURRIER - USA

Growing up on Cape Cod, Michelle starting sailing at a very young age, so she has always had the passion for being on the water. >She was introduced to Stand Up Paddling nine years ago which led to her to Stand Up Paddle racing.

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Also, for the past six years, she has participated in the Cape Cod Bay Challenge which is a 36 mile paddle across the Cape Cod Bay to raise funds for Christopher’s Haven. In addition to Stand Up Paddle racing, Michelle can be found surfing her favorite local spots, going on adventures ice climbing, and rock climbing. She is also Paddlefit Certified, an ACA Level 2 Certified Stand Up Paddle instructor, and an ACE Certified Personal Trainer.

PASCALE ROY LAFONTAINE - CANADA

Pascale is a surf guide, yoga, SUP yoga, SUP fitness instructor, and a certified Paddle Canada instructor but surfing is her healthy obsession. In 2003 she traveled for a year in Latin America and dedicated hours to learn how to surf, and she never looked back.

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Since then, she has made the ocean her homeland.

In 2007, Pascale moved to the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, where she completed her Master's in Speech Communications and lived there for eight years. Paddleboarding and yoga found a more important space in her life when she completed her first of many yoga training. Slowly, she started to trade her career as a College Instructor to work on her business, Healthy Obsessions, leading surf camps, yoga retreats, hiking adventures, and SUP adventures.

In 2015 Pascale and Jonathan Busby co-founded Écho Aloha. Located in the Laurentians, Écho Aloha is a growing paddleboard business offering various rentals, classes, expeditions, and training. Écho Aloha has a paddleboard shop, three rental shops, as well as a yoga studio. Her favorite job is to be a surf guide, bringing her back to Costa Rica, Guatemala, Salvador & Hawaii on a regular basis to lead surf, SUP, and yoga retreats.

TINA FUNKE - GERMANY

For Tina, water is her energy, and since she was 16 years old, windsurfing in the sea was her passion. At the age of 18, she started to teach windsurfing, and shortly after, she became a windsurf athlete.

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Tina was introduced to SUP on the Canary Islands when there was no wind for windsurfing. SUP immediately became her new passion when she realized she could paddle anywhere in the interior of Germany.

Tina has a Master of Arts in sports science, licensed Functional Trainer, and SUP instructor of the German Canoe Association.This year Tina will open her own watersports business focusing on training for SUP, windsurf, and canoe.

ANJA OBER-BLOIBAUM - GERMANY

It was coincidental that Anja Ober-Bloibaum got into Stand-up paddling. During a get-together in 2015 with her girlfriends, they spontaneously had the idea to take a trial lesson - that's how she got on the board for the first time.

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She was quickly fascinated, and countless hours on the canal followed. She also met her husband Tim on the water, and they were able to pursue and expand their hobby together.

As a surfer, Anja was regularly drawn to the Atlantic Ocean or the North Sea. There is nothing more beautiful than being on the board, taking a tour, enjoying the landscape from the water, and riding a few waves at the end. In 2020 she made her debut in Long Distance SUP racing at the NRW Championships. Afterward, she began to train for SUP racing on a regular basis.

Today you will find Anja mostly on spots around the Ruhr area in Germany, paddling, and training on lakes and rivers nearby. She loves being outside – be it on the water or together with her two dogs. As a physiotherapist for animals, she knows how important exercise is for our health – a thing she found for herself doing stand-up paddling.

ANNETTE PAULENZ-THEIL - GERMANY

Born 1963 in Berlin, Germany, Annette is the oldest German SIC SUP rider for the team. Living far from the coast, it's no wonder she prefers paddling flat water locations.

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Annette's first contact with SUP was a newspaper article featuring the description of the World Cup race in Hamburg in 2011, which piqued her curiosity to try. Now, she believes SUP is the best mode of transportation possible.

Since Annette's childhood, she has been practicing various competitive sports (Swimming, MTB, triathlon). Still, she likes the solitude of SUP training best but is happy to meet team members and enthusiasts at races. Annette is proud to represent senior women in the paddling community and provide them with inspiration and motivation to get out and paddle.

ANNE DE BOER - GERMANY

Anne de Boer is currently 20 years old and lives in a small town in central Germany where she is training to be an occupational therapist.

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Growing up in a watersports family, she was only seven years old when she stood on a windsurf board for the very first time. When there was no wind, she started paddling without using the sail.

Anne first started taking notice of SUP as a sport at a surf festival in 2015, when she jokingly said to her parents that she would participate in SUP competitions one day. One year later, she is competing in the German national SUP race scene. Anne's favorite part of SUP is being part of this friendly and open-minded community and being able to meet a lot of cool people who all share the same passion for the sport. SUP for Anne plays a huge role in having a good work-life balance, being outside, having fun with friends while also competing with others, and pushing yourself to the limit.