Boardworks Announces New Team Athletes

Welcome to the team From Boardworks. | All images courtesy of boardworkssup.com

CARLSBAD, California - Boardworks Surf is excited to announce the addition of 4 new Boardworks Team athletes to the family for 2014 in Florida. Boardworks has had a presence in Florida since the beginning of the SUP days and will now be expanding our crew to make a larger impact in one of the greatest places to paddle year round in the US.

The 2014 Florida Boardworks Team has been hand picked by Team Manager Mike Tavares and will be working closely with Mike throughout the year to make a splash in Florida.  We are excited that our team has such a diverse paddling background and each of the new team paddlers crosses over into many different disciplines of paddling, including Surf, Race, Fitness, Instruction, and Conservation.   Take a few minutes to check out each of our team paddlers and connect with them through their efforts in the paddling community.

Grant Begley 

Grant is a true Waterman that can do it all!  Surf, Race, Fish, Spearfish, and Dive. We are excited to see what Grant has in store for the year as the season kicks off in Florida.  Grant is based out of Cape Canaveral, FL, but you can find him everywhere there is water! Here is what Grant has to say about his involvement in paddling. “My life revolves around the ocean, from work to play, you can always find me on or in the water. We are over 55% water, how could we not be drawn back to it. I started Paddleboarding about 3 years ago. I was fishing off a surfboard in San Diego Bay and realized how much better it would be to be standing up on a SUP. Started SUP fishing, that lead to paddlesurfing and I began racing last year. Being part of the paddle community is a great thing; I haven’t met a nicer bunch of people. I cant wait to see where my board brings me next.”

Grant runs the website Paddle Faster which is a comprehensive paddling site which has lots to offer.  More information about his trips, paddling adventures, and tours can be found there! 

Jessica Cichra

Based out of Orlando, FL, Jessica runs the company Wave of Wellness, that offers SUP Instruction, Yoga, Tours, Races, and more.  She will be a great asset to Boardworks this year and will be doing a little bit of everything for us in Florida!

“My life mantra is “be well, explore, live fun” where I spend my time creating, practicing & sharing playful activities involving movement, breath & present moment awareness. My love for & study of yoga & fitness training, as well as being outdoors & on the water has lead to a SUP-full life of touring, SUP yoga, racing & paddlesurfing. Combined with my passion for helping others achieve a greater quality of life, I’ve brought SUP into my professional world through instruction, personal training, race directing & leading SUP & Yoga Expeditions. I’m happiest when connecting with friends, family, & clients through these mindful & energetic experiences, as well as live music, good food & dancing!”

Take a minute to connect with Jessica through her Bio on the Boardworks site, as well as herwebsite. 

Gabriel Gray 

Image: Jackson Berger

Hailing from Panama City Beach, FL, Gabriel is another great addition to the Team for 2014!  Gabriel does extensive work in the Conservation world and is using SUP paddling to bring issues to the forefront of the community. “When I first set foot on a paddleboard in 2006 I was hooked! Since then I became a WPA level 2 instructor and my wife and I started a local ‘mom and pop’ paddleboard company, Walkin’ on Water Paddleboards, providing Eco-tours and lessons. With touring and expedition paddling becoming a growing side of the sport I am looking to expand it with a combination of Adventure and waterway awareness. So my wife and I started Fight to SOAR (Save Our American Rivers) where we will use social media and some short films to help bring awareness on the waterways we explore all while bringing some adventure to the viewers! We launched Fight to SOAR in 2014 and kick off our first adventure on the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint River water basin (aka) ACF water basin. I know SUP and exploring will be a big part of my remaining life. I have been blessed to do what I love my whole life and look forward to many more years of adventure!” 

We are very excited about Gabriel’s efforts in the field and follow his adventures at Fight to Soar 

Evey Hammond  

Evey Hammond, a resident of  New Symrna Beach, Forida is a very active paddler all across the state. She is well known for her efforts in racing, SUP yoga, fitness and surfing and is always up to exciting things in the deep south. We welcome her to the team and look forward to seeing more from her this year in Florida!

From all of us at Boardworks Surf, we welcome the new Florida crew to the family and look forward to seeing great things in 2014.  Keep an eye on these guys at our Boardworks website, as well the Boardworks Facebook page and we look forward to seeing everyone on the water!

About Boardworks 

Based in Carlsbad California, Boardworks Surf, a leader in the standup paddle industry, designs and manufactures innovative and award winning standup paddle boards, paddles, surfboards and accessories. The focus of Boardworks is to build user-friendly performance products that make your time on the water more enjoyable. There are many types of waterways in this world and many different ways to enjoy Surfing and Stand Up Paddling. Boardworks’ design approach ensures that you have the perfect board for your next SUP or surf adventure.  Along with the Boardworks branded products, Boardworks manufactures SUP boards and surfboards for some of the worlds premier brands including Infinity, Badfish Standup Paddle, Morrelli & Melvin, Ohana, Rusty, Hynson, Dewey Weber, Ben Aipa, and Hansen using our proprietary construction technologies.

Boardworks Surf.com