In this weeks episode, Kelsey is joined by Ashley Kid - the most accomplished female wake surfing athlete of all time with an incredible 7x World Champion wake surfing titles under her belt, and 10x USA National Champion titles.
Inspiring a new generation of female athletes to carve their own paths on the water, Ashley is one of the most progressive and challenging women’s Wake Surfing competitors in the sports history. Growing up scared of the water, it wasn’t until she was around 13 years old that Ashley overcame her fear and took up wake surfing. Little did she know that what started out as having fun on the water with her older brother would turn into a legendary career and lead to her pioneering the female wake surfing space.
Today, Ashley is the most decorated and popular athlete in the sport of wake surfing and her achievements within the competitive wake surfing realm remain unmatched! Tune into this uplifting and empowering episode to hear Ashleys story, how she continues to navigate the male dominated wake surfing world, what she does to help prepare herself in the lead up to competitions, and her favourite mindfulness practices that she implements into her routines.
0:20 - Introduction
2:15 - How Kelsey and Ashley met
3:50 - Growing up and how Ashley got into wake surfing
9:06 - What is wake surfing and the difference between wakeboarding
10:21 - When Ashley fell in love with wake surfing
12:15 - How long it took to become confident
14:20 - When Ashley decided she wanted to compete & take things to the next level
17:08 - Getting recognised, rewarded & sponsors
18:50 - How Ashley's success impacted her schooling & college
24:45 - Having to make sacrifices to get where she is today
27:50 - Growth & change within the sport
33:00 - Tricks Ashley pioneered & being the first woman to land them
35:30 - Wake surfing community & different competing levels
40:00 - USA Nationals vs Worlds
43:30 - How Ashley prepares to compete, mentally, physically & emotionally
45:00 - How to get into the ‘in the zone mindset’
48:00 - Breath work & how it helps Ashley in the lead up to competing
53:00 - Advice & encouragement for anyone wanting to get started in the sport