Tag Archives: #OakleyPBC

Do You Want to Be The Next Oakley Women Brand Ambassador?

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In 2012 I was fortunate enough to be one of 10 women selected out of thousands of ladies across the country to be an Oakley Women’s Brand Ambassador. The opportunity quickly became one that would change my life forever. Since becoming a member of the Oakley family I have met the most incredible, hilarious, beautiful, bad ass, FIT women in the United States (and some from other countries, too!) I’ve learned more about my sport, the entire fitness industry, and myself than I ever dreamed possible. Oakley has taught me how a company should run. Equal parts give and take, and nothing but passion.

In 2013, Oakley Women is expanding our family and YOU have the opportunity to apply and try to land yourself a spot in our tight-knit family!!

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You see, this year Oakley has partnered with SHAPE Magazine to throw the ultimate events across the country! The SHAPE Diva Dash! Wondering what the heck the Diva Dash is? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered: The Diva Dash is a women-only obstacle 5k where you crawl, jump, climb, swing and DASH your way to the finish line! The Diva Dash is going to be in several cities across the USA throughout the Spring and Summer of 2013. (San Diego, Austin, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, Boulder, DC, NY Metro, Miami to name some places) and in three of those cities there will be a progression session and live ambassador search. Southern California, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Boulder.

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All YOU have to do is scoot over to the SHAPE website here and fill out the quick little survey which will land you an opportunity to be selected as 1 of 200 women chosen for each city to attend a VIP Oakley Progression Session which includes a live ambassador search!

Each Progression session will include:

  • Boot Camp with Oakley Women Ambassador Cari Shoemate
  • Yoga with Oakley Women Ambassador Lacey Calvert
  • Nutrition Seminar with Oakley Women Ambassador Marni Sumbal
  • Live Ambassador Search
  • Product Giveaways
  • Mobile Oakley Store Featuring The Newest Oakley Apparel and Eye Wear
  • Much Much More!!!!

Submit your entry by the following dates:

  • Southern California:  March 3, 2013 (Race Day: March 23)
  • Boulder:  April 14, 2013 (Race Day: May 4)
  • Dallas/Ft. Worth:  May 5, 2013 (Race Day: May 25)

**One Entry Per Person**

**Learn More about the Oakley Women Ambassadors at OakleyPBC.Com**

 

On your mark, Get set, GO!! ;)
Good luck & Have fun!!! See you in Austin and Dallas! ;) :)

Name it and Claim it: 2013 – The Year I Become a Surfer

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Since becoming an Oakley Women’s Brand Ambassador, I have been following Oakley Dispatch on pretty much all social media platforms. Oakley Dispatch is a Surfing and lifestyle documentary based around the world class talent that makes up the Oakley Surf Team.

Following along this incredible journey has made me fall in love with the sport of Surfing. Meeting and spending time with professional Surfer Erica Hosseini during the Oakley Women’s Ambassador retreat in Napa didn’t help matters much… Not only was she one of the most rad and down to earth chicks I’ve ever met, she also had so much passion about the sport that I couldn’t help get the itch to dive into it myself!!

Since then, I have been studying surfing like it’s my job. I just can’t get enough of it!! The Surf Science, Theory and Culture just pulls me in and there is no more denying it.

…my bookshelf has gotten a little full of used surfing books. Who knew there were so many great ones on Amazon?

I have decided 2013 is going to be the year I become a surfer. I know that it’s hard because I live in Central Texas, where I am utterly land-locked. However, in the Spring and/or Summer I am heading to Surf Camp in Hawaii! I’m also heading to South Padre Island in the spring for lessons. I’m not kidding when I say I am going to become a surfer next year.

I have surfed twice in the past. Both times I spent a majority of my time smacking the water and just paddling around on the board. The first time was in the Bahamas in 2009 and the second time was while I was living in Florida during a trip to Miami with my boyfriend at the time. In the Bahama’s we didn’t exactly have a formal lesson. We just kind of had fun with our leashed boards that we rented and played around. In Miami we did take a 2 hour class with a bunch of other tourists and mostly practiced on land and in “white water” next to shore. I don’t think I stood up for more than 15 seconds max. It was still a complete blast, and was incredibly freeing. It’s amazing what the open water can do for your mind. It was a wild feeling…. Even if I wasn’t very far out into the water at all.

I already have a few basic things down that are helpful when starting out as a surfer. I have some endurance in me from the last two years I’ve spent running, I also have pretty decent balance, thanks to the 13 years of gymnastics under my belt… But, those aren’t the only important pre-requisites for surfing.

Over the next five months I will be diligently working on my swimming, yoga, and core work. As well as still running, of course. Getting into surfing, I have no intentions of replacing my running with it. I will always be running.

I can do a mean doggie paddle, I can do the breast stroke.. I can definitely swim, just not very gracefully or fast. Any swimmer with a day of training under his or her belt would be ashamed that I even call my ability to stay above water and move forward, SWIMMING! ;) I will be focusing on the front crawl/freestyle especially. Gotta be able to paddle out and survive the waves if and when you fall off the board! Honestly, THIS is my biggest fear with surfing. I don’t mind the open water, I don’t mind the huge waves. I don’t mind falling off the board and smacking the water hard.. I am worried about being able to make it back to my board and/or shore after being pulled under. It’s a wee bit frightening to think about. Yes, beginners usually surf with a leash.. But, it’s only a convenience factor. It is not a guarantee and one day, the leash will be taken off or broken. So swimming is my #1 priority.

I’m off to my first “Charlotte’s Prep for The Year of Surfing” yoga class this morning at Dharma Yoga. This will also be my first class in Austin!!! I’m really looking forward to it. I miss yoga classes. I do videos frequently at home, but there just isn’t the same buzzing meditative energy at home as there is in a packed class.

Maybe one day I’ll even get to shred some waves with the athletes who live love and train at the Oakley house in the North Shore in Hawaii ;)

Photo Credit: Oakley Dispatch Instagram @Oakley__Dispatch

Have you ever surfed? Have you ever wanted to surf?
Have you ever chased a fitness dream that most people thought made you crazy?

Oakley Prescription Glasses

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During my Oakley Women Ambassador Retreat in Napa Valley, California in June one of the coolest parts of the weekend was getting to go through the Rolling O Lab.

Now, I know what you’re all thinking. What in the world is the Rolling O Lab? Well, it’s a test lab set up to show the science and technology that goes into the Oakley glasses. Lenses and Frames. Designed to show you exactly why Oakley is the best glasses designer on the market.

First thing we learned was about the High Definition Optics (HDO) and boy did they put this to the test for us. HDO is the technology Oakley uses to give clearer and sharper images without any corruption. What does that mean? No headaches! Typically people blame headaches from glasses on the tightness of the frame, when in reality it usually comes from your line of vision created from the lenses in your glasses… The lenses tend to shift everything over. With HDO you see everything exactly where it is, NOT shifted…

This is when the really cool test happened. *pushes up nerd glasses* The laser prism test! A laser is fired through each lense in a frame and in theory, the dots should come together in the center to focus on a single image. So each eye sees the same thing. See, what we see isn’t actually where they are in most glasses. The typical lense will bend light…. Our brain is wasting energy trying to put these images together… Have you ever put on a pair of glasses and felt like the ground was closer to you than it actually was? That’s what causes that feeling. Hence the headaches!

Not with HDO! HDO pretty much eliminates any distortion. What we see, where we see it, is where it’s actually at.

After the HDO tests he did a series of impact tests. As the leading brand in the athletic field for eyewear, you never know what could happen. You could take a spill on your face. Get hit in the eye with a ball. Have a rock shoot up and smack you in the forehead. Athletes are constantly taking risks and sometimes things go wrong. The last thing we want to destroy is our eyes! So Oakley puts all of their lenses to the test to make sure they can uphold the worst of the worst.

The Metal Spike test compared the Oakley Dart lenses with the lenses of the leading competitor, where a metal spike weighing more than 1 pound dropped from over 4 feet up, directly onto the lenses. The Oakley lenses scratched a wee bit, but there was no cracking, no shattering of the lenses. The Competitor? Well, it shattered… Which could lead to some pretty nasty eye problems…

Needless to say, I decided then and there if I was going to be wearing glasses on my face all day everyday, they would be Oakley glasses for sure. Then I discovered that Oakley has some of the cutest Prescription glasses on the market. It was like I won the jack pot!

I was beyond thrilled to get my hands on a pair of Rx glasses from Oakley. In fact, I hadn’t even realized they made them! I mean, it makes sense… I just never looked into it before! Boy oh BOY am I glad they filled me in on that bit of information!

I had such a hard time picking out which ones to get. Literally every pair of frames are adorable! But finally with the help of Zack I narrowed it down and ordered a pair of cute little pair of wire frames! Meet the Oakley Noteworthy.

These adorable frames are super lightweight! I forget they are on my face just about every time I wear them! haha. (Other than the whole being able to see thing… ;) ) However have no fear! If these aren’t your style; there are a variety to choose from!

Women:

Men:

(DISCLAIMER: as an Oakley Women Ambassador I was provided a pair of prescription glasses by Oakley. However all opinions are my own)

Do you wear prescription glasses? If so, check out Oakley.com and click on the prescription link under the STORE tab!

My Favorite Sports Bra – Oakley Align Bra

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You guys, I simply didn’t know that they made Sports Bras that are actually comfortable. One of mine squeezes in all the wrong places and is loose in all the other places. The one that fits well makes me look well… Relatively similar to a 12 year old girl. FLAT FLAT FLAT. (I have a pretty small chest, I don’t need any help looking 15 in that department) The bottom line is, all of them are perfectly “okay” but none of them were great.

Until I put on the Oakley - ALIGN BRA.

It ever so softly and supportively HUGS MY CHEST. It doesn’t just just try to duct tape it down, it supports.. “Cups” if you will.

What I really truly love about the ALIGN BRA is the design. It looks extremely feminine. It includes molding cups that create a sculpting fit, with thinner lifestyle bra-like straps that cross in the  back. It creates a beautiful look, that also hides easily under any tank.

Its pure love. The best part is, true to Oakley fashion — it really has the performance to back up the beauty. The bra is made of 90% Supplex nylon / 10% Lycra® with mesh panel in the back, creating an incredibly breathable and light weight bra. (TMI alert, but my cleavage sweat has gone down drastically since switching to this bra. I’m just sayin)  …Which also has to do with the O Hydrolix Moisture Management technology.

Oh & Chafing. Yeah, say bye-bye to that, ladies!! This Cami style bra is SEAMLESS, leaving a smooth, CHAFE FREE bra. It doesn’t slide around, and it doesn’t have any seams sticking out to irritate the skin and well, chafe. Hallelujah!!!!

It’s honestly the best bra I’ve ever put on. The fact that its so cheap on the Oakley Women website is a dang steal. Straight up.

Why shouldn’t we feel beautiful & feminine while being totally bad ass? ;)

Oakley Women – A Reflection

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I was struggling all week with how to put the Oakley Women’s Weekend of Performing Beautifully in Napa into words. Instead I just went through the motions of recapping it. It was an incredible way to relive the events and soak them in from my cozy bedroom. I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no word in the written English language that can fully describe my short time there.

I went to bed Sunday night a different person than when I woke up Friday morning.

The different events through out the weekend, the inspirational conversations, the beautiful empowering women all around us. I think we all went to sleep Sunday, slightly changed. Something big is out there for all of us. We are all going to amount to huge things, and I’m excited to know that every single time we meet up, we will all be so much further along in our journey.

Sunday, after a day of fun in the sun running, biking, and ‘tasting’ a loootttt of wine the day before – what better way to start up our Sunday mornings than with a Tone It Up bootycall?!

 After a great workout and some delicious breakfast (soo much fresh fruit!!!) we were off to THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA!!!!!! Uh, my dream school. I wanted to go to CIA sooo badly, but it was just way too expensive. Sigh.

The campus is absolutely breathtaking. It looks like a giant castle. I still can’t get over its beauty.

Marni Stumble (tri coach & clinical dietitian) as well as the beautiful & talented Jenny Fletcher (model & Professional triathlete) gave an incredible Nutrition Class about fueling our bodies for our active lifestyles. It was a great session, honestly. Full of a ton of good insight. I was in heaven, seriously.

However the day had only just begun! We were off after the class for some hiking through St. Helena, followed by the CUTEST picnic at the head of the trail.

As the weekend kept progressing, I was growing more and more inspired as each conversation ticked on. A little idea was planted in my mind, and it’s been all I can think about ever since.

Thanks to the 100 strong, powerful women I met throughout the weekend, and more specifically the 9 other 2012 Oakley Women’s Ambassadors I have been home for under a week now, and am powering through writing my business plan, and getting things in motion. I’m really excited to share it all with you, but I’m keeping it under wraps for now.. Just until things solidify a little bit more!!! :D

……. SEVERAL hours later

I will say though, that it’s the perfect combination of all the things I’m passionate about. I can’t WAIT!

I want to take a moment to raise a glass. A glass to strong, powerful, beautiful, limitless women all across the globe. I’ve said it time & time again, and I mean it – Strong women are going to rule this world some day. We are capable of anything. 

Oakley Women Take Over Napa DAY TWO – Wine n Top Knots

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For Day one of the Oakley Women Perform Beautifully event in Napa, CA recap scoot on over here!

I had the worst time sleeping Friday night. I was just SO excited about the weekend ahead of us. I was also slightly terrified that if I went to sleep I would wake up back in Baltimore only to realize it was all just a dream. Thankfully that was not the case ;)

Saturday AM we were up n at ‘em for an action packed day of adventures through Napa Valley. The hardest part of the entire day was deciding which outfit I was going to rock out in all day long. The winner was:

Spring 2013 is all about bright colors for both Oakley Women AND Asics (Be sure to check out the Gel-Lyte 33s, Asics fans!)

After a delicious fresh-fruit breakfast we all piled into our various Toyota vehicles (specifically designed for those with an active lifestyle in mind!) and were off to Trefethen Family Vineyards to run a 5k with ASICS.

Before the race began we got to experience something way too cool for a nerd like me! We got a quick tour of the Rolling O lab, where we learned a ton of the science that goes in to making Oakley glasses. They literally proved, before our eyes that Oakley is top notch (TOP KNOT! ;) ) in the industry. They took various big name brands and put them to the same tests & Oakley came out on top after each & every one. I was seriously in science nerdy heaven.

After we piled out of the Rolling O truck we skipped over to the Garmin Clinic where we learned all about our fancy new GPS watch/heart rate monitor! After setting up our profiles, and a great stretch session lead by Deena Kastor (HI I LOVE YOU) we were off through the vineyards for the most gorgeous (and also hottest) 5k of my entire life!

We literally ran THROUGH the vineyards, y’all!! It was so beautiful that I was paying absolutely no attention to the time on my Garmin. I was just soaking it all in and enjoying the scenery as well as the company I had. I ran a really good portion of the race with the gorgeous and talented Karena and Katrina from Tone It Up. They are such dolls!! Seriously, they are the perfect balance of health, fitness, and knowing how to let loose and have a great time. I was so happy to learn that they are so outgoing and kind in person.

IT WAS SO HOT Y’ALL!! Oh my goodness. There were quite a few times I thought to myself “oh my gosh I’m never running a trail race” That stuff is no joke. But I guess the fact that it was practically 11am by the time the race started had a lot to do with it. It was in the upper 80s and there was little to no shade on the course. But I was handed a glass of wine practically right after crossing the finish line, so it was well worth it ;)

After the race we were treated to a tour of the winery before we headed back to get fitted for our Trek Bikes & Helmets. As Katrina said so gracefully, when drinking and biking, you need protection ;)

If I had to name Saturday, it would be the day of wine and top knots. However, the latter is getting a bit head of myself.

THERE WAS SO MUCH WINE. Every place we went they were literally pouring it like it was water.

With 8+ miles of hilly cycling, upper 80 degree weather, and what was easily a bottle of wine to each of our faces — I am so proud of everyone for A) Not throwing up B) Not passing out C) Not falling off our bikes. Especially during the last stretch. The stretch between the second winery and the third was the longest and hilliest. Not to mention we had the most amount of alcohol in us at that point…. But it was ALL SO WORTH IT once we arrived at the gorgeous Cliff Lede Vineyards where we were finishing off the evening with more wine & an incredible dinner set up.

How awesome are these OAKLEY champagne flutes?! (yes we got to keep them!)

I was not even remotely prepared for the incredible dinner situation that was about to take place… Even as we exited the main house to walk up through the vineyards to the distillery, I was STILL not prepared for the epic evening that was awaiting us.

That beautifully distillery is where we ate dinner, and drank our faces off through the night.

This is where the the group of Ambassadors made our way from new friends, to family. Throughout the course of dinner we talked about everything from our careers, to our goals, to traveling, to how much we love wine, alllll the way to top knots (PAUL MITCHELL WHO?! ITS ALL ABOUT THE PAGE WILLIAMS!)

Photo Credit: Abbey (Our Ambassador mommy)

The meal was amazing. Between the reds, blushes, and white wines — Kale salad, herb rubbed chicken, pasta dish that made me drool and topped allll off (with more wine) and the most deilciously moist raspberry chocolate cupcake that I considered stuffing down my shirt to bring a bunch back to my hotel room for late night drunk snacking ;)

Then… this happened.

Single Girl Problems ;)

TOP KNOT

I LOVE MY NEW FAMILY Y’ALL!!!
(I may or may not be holding back tears writing this)

& this my friends is where I bid you goodnight.
Come back tomorrow to see our final day in Napa (WAHHHH)

Oakley Women Take Over Napa – DAY ONE – The Journey Begins

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The truth is I’ve been sitting here trying to put any part of this past weekend into words for about an hour now… It’s nearly impossible. I’m still trying to let it all soak in, and bask in every moment, every friendship made, and every memory engraved in me forever.

To say that this past weekend in Napa with Oakley Women changed me for the rest of my life, would be a gross understatement. My entire perspective on life, my dreams, goals, and desires have taken a 180 degree turn. I am more motivated than ever before to march confidently in the direction of my dreams.

The weekend kicked off bright n early Friday morning with a rude thunder storm. I knew my long day of travel ahead was off to a rocky start. Thankfully while getting ready the storm settled down.

I made it to Chicago without a hitch. Success. There was only a 3 hour layover, and 4 hour flight between me, and the greatest weekend of my life.

This is where day one fell apart. I sat there charging my phone next to my gate and watched as the clouds started rolling in “please just pass. please just pass. please just pass” I was basically chanting in my head. But, I knew in my gut that my flight was going to be delayed… What I wasn’t expecting, was that it would be delayed over 3 hours…. The incoming flight wasn’t able to land due to the lightening, so they had to divert to Milwaukee and wait for the storm to pass. There was no chance I was making it to the cocktail party and meet n greet. I was just crossing my fingers that I’d make it in time for the opening ceremonies/welcome dinner.

A few stressful hours later & we were on our way to Oakland, finally. I landed at OAK with just enough time to grab my suitcase from baggage claim, boogie our way up to Napa just in time for dinner. *PHEW*

Welcome to Paradise

I checked in, then had the fun task of trying to locate my room through the mazes going along this giant, gorgeous resort and golf course. Finally I found my room, and much to my surprise we all had our own condo to ourselves. I didn’t have time to take it all in, I WAS LATE! I got ready the fastest I have in my entire life, I’m pretty sure & sprinted in my flip flops back up to the main mansion for dinner.

My timing could not have been more perfect, they had just sat down for dinner after the cocktail party. Literally moments after I sat down & started sipping my glass of wine, the  fun began. We were introduced to the brand and what this whole weekend was about.

I don’t know about everyone else, but during the course of the presentation, the speeches, and the fashion show – I realized just how big this event was going to be. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I tried looking up the 2011 blog posts as much as I could – but I still had no idea how HUGE this was going to be. I’m talking professional athletes like Jenny Fletcher (professional triathlete), Deena Kastor (A HUGE RUNNING IDOL OF MINE <3 ) Erica Hosseini (Pro surfer) as well as the hugely loved trainers from Tone It Up, Karena and Katrina, writers and editors from Self Magazine, Fitness Magazine… Reps from Garmin, Toyota, Trek Bikes…

It became very apparent that what was in store for us, was going to be epic – and a truly once in a lifetime weekend.

2012 Oakley Ambassadors
Page, Carly, Myself, Maria, AJ, Cari, Fitz, Christine, Natalia, and Eva

We all clicked instantly. The people behind the scenes of the Perform Beautifully competition did an amazing job. All 10 of us women came from different walks of life. We don’t all have the hugest blog following, we’re not all pros, but we all had a few things in common: an infectious love for both life and fitness. We all hit it off instantly. I’ve been saying it since we left Monday — We arrived as strangers, and parted as family. (There’s no good-byes, ladies… Just see ya later! (and hopefully soon))

As much as we were all eating up each other’s company and stories — we were all DYING to get back to our room to check out the gear we got to test out over the weekend.

Spoiler Alert: I SQUEALED OUTLOUD BECAUSE IT WAS SO AMAZINGLY UNREAL!

WHAAAAAAT?!

(A lot of you probably remember a few weeks ago when I nearly bought a Garmin Forerunner 210… Glad I decided to wait)

It was time to get some beauty sleep… I knew it was the only night over the weekend I had any shot of getting to bed at a reasonable hour…. Not to mention it was rounding in on 3am back home in Maryland.

Stay tuned tomorrow for DAY 2!

& in the mean time, check out this AMAZING video recap the amazing photographer & videographer put together. A huge hug and thank you to them for doing some serious work & pumping that baby out by the time we got to dinner Sunday evening.