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Coolibar Athletes Mekia Earle

Deadlines! Even in Hawaii, Being a Mom, Teacher & Athlete Requires Planning (and Stamina)

Mekia Earle - Coolibar Sonsored Athlete 2014

Another Coolibar 2014 Sponsored Athlete…

By Mekia Earle

I know that the parents out there will relate to my morning frenzy. Some may call it a routine, I suppose, but I prefer to call it “somewhat controlled chaos.”

As a teacher, I need to get to work by 7:15 am to prepare for the three hundred-plus other keiki (Hawaiian for children) in my life. This means that I am up by 5:45 am and am making the fruit and kale smoothie for the whole family by 6:00. And that’s the relaxing part. The craziness starts with my own two kids up a few minutes later, out of PJs, into clothes, breakfast, and out the door by 6:45. Deadlines!

Yes, my wonderful husband helps in this process, too.  He uses the double stroller and runs our son to day-care and then continues his trek taking our daughter to preschool.  He needs the exercise.

Because both kids will be outside playing in the tropical sun, my last two duties as morning mom are applying a thick layer of sunscreen to each and then sending them off running up the hill with two, make that three, kisses. My husband usually deserves one, too.

Then I head to school, but not before I also lather up with sunscreen as I, like my kids, will be outside for most of the day. My sunscreens of choice are Elta MD and Neutrogena – both highly recommended by the best dermatologist on the island.

Upon arrival at school, I set up the necessary equipment for the day’s lesson, which could range from gymnastic equipment to basketball hoops to obstacle courses. Teaching physical education is my dream job for many reasons.  I am lucky enough to play most of the day with eight- to ten-year-old girls, spreading the love of movement to the keiki. This is a built-in light workout; I don’t even have to make the time.

On my coffee breaks I get my heavier workout in.  I either hit the road running or do some kind of crossfit – a high-intensity workout in the school weight room.  These heavier workouts are my training for 10ks, which I hope I’ll feel ready for by summer.

As I tell my students, husband and children, it is very important to reapply sunscreen every two hours, or even sooner after a very sweaty workout.

Also integral in sun protection is clothing. I prefer Coolibar fitness long sleeve shirts and have found that these are the best, most cost-effective and most comfortable way to keep cool and protected at the same time.

As you can tell, I wear multiple different hats in a day, literally and figuratively, and depending on the time of the day, I can be seen around the campus wearing anything from visors to large rim straw hats to Super Sport Hats. My all-time favorite hat would be the Ultra Sun Hat, which keeps my neck protected as well.

After school, I pick up the kids, although I hate to say, I drive. My muscles would revolt if I even considered doing the kid pick-up running. Once my family is all back home, the fun chaos starts all over (although it is much different than the morning chaos).

The only true deadline in the evenings is kid bedtime and depending on what book we are all reading together before bedtime, we can cheat a bit with that.

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Coolibar Athletes Jim Webster

A Scene from the Mountain

JIm Webster - Coolibar 2014 Sponsored Athlete

Throughout June, Coolibar gives each of our 2014 Sponsored Athletes the spotlight. For a quick look at all of our 2014 athletes, go here.

By Jim Webster

Checking in from Beacon, New York: the 2014 competitive rifle season is just starting for me, but my training regimen, both strength and cardio, is year round.

One of my favorite places to train is Mt. Beacon. This hill rises 1,400 vertical feet from my frJim Webster - Trainingont door and was once home to one of the longest incline railways in world.  Steep and ever-changing terrain make it a perfect natural gym.

During the week before work, Molly and I will head to the park and do laps on the steps.  On the weekends we extend our hikes to the many trails that have formed over the years.  The photo is from the beginning of Mt. Beacon Park – these 200 steps are the warm-up.  When you stop for water you throw in a set of push-ups…not as a penalty, but to make the most of your break.

When I am not on the mountain, I study and instruct jujitsu at a local dojo.  The combination of these very active pursuits is a perfect balance for the calm that is required when I am behind the rifle.  The better my cardio, the more patient I am when attempting to score a center hit on the target that is more than half a mile away.

I really like the versatility of Coolibar’s line.  For example, the sun was not bearing down on me in the photo above; in fact the temperature was just over 40 degrees F.  Just the same, the UV is present. The combination of the Cool Fitness Shirt and Neck Gaiter added enough breathable warmth to remain comfortable and protected the entire workout.

Stay tuned for more scenes from the mountain.  Train hard and stay safe.

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Coolibar Athletes Stesha Carle

A Rower’s Day in SoCal

Stesha Carle, 2014 Cooilbar Athlete

All month, Coolibar will be introducing our 2014 Sponsored Athletes – or better, letting them introduce themselves. We’ll follow these people throughout the year as they continue pursuing extraordinary, sun safe activities outdoors. For a quick look at all of our 2014 athletes, go here.

By Stesha Carle

As a rower, I spend a lot of my time on the water training outdoors. I row for SoCal Scullers, a high performance rowing club for high school, masters and elite rowers. We are very fortunate to start each day with a training session under a beautiful Southern California sunrise in Huntington Harbour.

Our typical day includes a 12-mile row in the morning followed by boat washing and stretching.  During the weekdays, I head off to my part time job as project coordinator for Fastech – a company that engineers and builds gas stations. After logging in some hours at my desk, I head back for another workout session which is usually a combination of lifting weights, yoga, running, core, erging (rowing machine) or spinning.Stesha Carle - Rowing NSR2 May 2014

I also teach rowing machine classes for Roworx in Long Beach. And Sunday mornings I follow up my training session with personal training for Long Beach Rowing Association members.

Rowing has given me so many awesome experiences. I have traveled the world and competed in many major championship races. Most notably, I have won three silver medals at the Rowing World Championships! My next goal is to win gold at the 2016 Olympic Games!

I am incredibly inspired by all the Coolibar athletes who have put a priority on sun protection. It wasn’t until last year when my dad had surgery to remove melanoma from his cheek did I realize that the threat of skin cancer was very real. I am excited to be taking the right steps towards protecting my skin.  Coolibar clothing is perfect for rowing and outdoors sports because of its lightweight, flexible and sun protective qualities. I could not be more proud to represent this company.

Update: Stesha’s team placed second at the National Selection Regatta (NSR2), conducted at the Princeton National Rowing Center/Casperson Rowing Center in West Windsor, New Jersey. “The Long Sleeve Cool Fitness Shirt is my new favorite race warmup/cooldown piece of gear!”

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Athlete Profiles Coolibar Athletes

Meet the Coolibar Sponsored Athletes for 2014

Coolibar - Meet the Athletes

Each year, Coolibar proudly sponsors a group of athletes who are uncommonly passionate in pursuit of their chosen sports, and also for personal excellence and healthy outdoor living. Our 2014 Coolibar Sponsored Athletes are some of our finest yet. We’re proud to introduce them today. Stay tuned – you’ll hear much more from and about them throughout 2014!

Stesha Carle

Stesha Carle, 2014 Cooilbar Athlete

Winner of nine international medals, Stesha Carle has participated in rowing races all over the world. Stesha is a native of La Habra, California and rowed for the Long Beach Junior Crew in high school. She was recruited to the University of Michigan, where she earned a degree in Motion Science. Following college she trained with the women’s US National rowing team in Princeton, NJ for six years. Currently Stesha trains in California for SoCal Scullers, with a goal of winning gold at the 2016 Olympic Games. Stesha is a project coordinator for Fastech, a rowing machine instructor for Roworx and a personal trainer.  She enjoys running, hiking and exploring sunny California.

Stesha credits rowing with changing her life. Also, her priorities regarding sun protection changed after her father’s surgery to remove melanoma from his cheek – important in a sport that involves being on the water every morning.

Mekia Earle

Mekia Earle - Coolibar Athlete 2014

Born and raised in Honolulu, Mekia Earle has always maintained a love of the outdoors and fitness, as well as a high standard as a healthy role model to the younger generation growing up in Hawaii. She began playing beach volleyball at a young age, and attended college on an athletic scholarship in the Pacific Northwest. Fitness plays a major role in Mekia’s life. She holds a masters degree in Kinesiology and teaches girls physical education for grades 5 – 8 at Punahou School on Oahu; she also coaches and does color commentary for high school volleyball programs and works out every day to stay fit.

Mekia says that almost everyone who grew up in Hawaii has been affected by skin cancer directly or indirectly. As a wife (her husband recently had skin cancer removed from his neck) and a mother of two children, she is committed to imparting knowledge, awareness and understanding about healthy lifestyles and being smart about the sun.

 Jim Webster

Jim Webster, Long Range Rifle Marksman, Coolibar Athlete 2014

Jim Webster grew up in the Catskills of central New York, where the surroundings and his dad instilled in him a great love and respect for the outdoors. During many fishing outings he learned how to read the water, to spot changes in the environment and most of all what it means to be a conservationist. These skills translated into the patience, observation and practice required to become a marksman, as well as the respect for equipment and the responsibility to firearms safety. He says his dad’s insistence on reviewing the range rules lessened his youthful curiosity about firearms and at the same time broadened his respect for them. Since 2011 Jim has specialized in long range shooting competitions. He has won seven gold medals in 2012 and 14 more in 2013. He is the 2013 NY State F-T/R Long Range champion, and plans to compete in the US Nationals in Arizona in fall 2014. In the near future Jim hopes to open his own marksmanship academy for students of any experience or shooting discipline, with a consistent focus on safety and responsibility.

Jim lives in New York state with his wife Molly and daughter Katie (both very goodmarkswomen in their own right) and enjoys hiking, escaping to the beach and fishing with friends in Rhode Island…all good tests for Coolibar’s complete line of UV protective clothing.

Valerie Stewart

Valerie Stewart - Coolibar 2014 Sponsored Athletes

Valerie grew up a self-described tomboy on a big wheat farm in Washington State. She waterskiied on the Snake River, rode horses bareback, and found plenty of potentially dangerous fun. However, Valerie found no outlet for formal sports until she was 40 years old, with an eight-month-old baby, and began snowboarding.  Soon hopelessly addicted, Valerie competed in the Lake Tahoe division of USASA (United States of America Snowboard  Association) and medaled at every competition; she went on to compete and medal at the national level for the next six seasons.Valerie is the owner of Pow Productions, a video production company that has produced two international snowboarding videos, “Hips That Rip” and “Outlaws to Olympians;” the latter received an award at the 20th Annual Telly Awards.

Valerie belongs to several groups that kayak the rivers, lakes, and bays of northern California. She also enjoys yoga. She says, “When I’m physically active, I feel free, happy, strong, capable, confident, and young.”

Trey Seibold

Trey Seibold, Tennis - Cooilbar Athlete 2014

Born and raised in Florida, Trey Seibold picked up a tennis racquet during college and has never looked back; he has been a professional tennis instructor for the past 25 years.

In addition, Trey participates in triathlons and races surf skis. He’s placed in every race that he competed in this year. His goal is to constantly improve in every aspect of his personal and professional life.

Trey lives in Fort Lauderdale with his wife and three stepchildren. Trey works and trains outdoors seven days a week, so sun protection extremely important. Six months ago he discovered Coolibar and has been wearing it ever since. Coolibar is not only protecting him from the sun, keeps him cool and feeling comfortable since he wears it up to 11 hours! Trey wants to share the importance of sun protection to everyone he works with.

Jerry Leonard

Jerry Leonard, Coach, Coolibar Athlete 2014

Jerry Leonard is a three-time Louisiana state power lifting champion and the athletic director at Salmen High School – his alma mater – where he has been a high school football coach, biology and physiology & anatomy teacher for over 20 years.

He grew up in south Louisiana and spent a great deal of time outside, playing sports and enjoying the outdoors. Jerry is an avid golfer and fitness enthusiast. When he is not outside for work-related activities, he’s usually outside enjoying recreation with his family.

Jerry says Coolibar is a great partner for him to enjoy his time in the sun and protect himself from sun damage. Jerry says, “I like the idea of being able to wear cool and comfortable clothing in the Louisiana heat while being fully protected. Coolibar has given me the ability to enjoy my time outside, do my job, and limit my exposure to the harmful effects of the sun…much to the approval of my dermatologist.”

Leslie Jackson

Leslie Jackson, SUP, Coolibar Athlete 2014

Growing up in SoCal, Leslie Jackson always thought of the beach as her “happy place.” Today, it’s her gym. A not-so-typical mother of two in Carlsbad, California, Leslie began standup paddleboarding (SUP) in early 2013 and quickly graduated to SUP racing. She has a passion for fitness, the ocean and the outdoors, and incorporates SUP into her other pursuits including interval or cross training and yoga.

Her inspiration for activity likely comes from the medical equipment business she owns with her husband, which for many years has served people with disabilities. Recently the business has broadened into custom and adaptive recreational equipment, including the development of an adaptive paddleboard for people with disabilities.

Leslie also shares the joy of sports with her kids, ages 9 and 11 (she’s also an unabashed soccer mom) and trains them in the basics of standup paddleboarding.

Rich Early

Rich Early, softball, Coolibar Athlete 2014

As an eight-year-old in Phoenix, Arizona, Rich Early remembers accomplishing his first athletic goal: getting picked after school to play with the older boys on a real baseball field. Today, he spends winter months in the Pacific Northwest playing indoor tennis and working out in his home gym specifically to stay in shape for the sport he still loves: softball.

By itself this is another impressive accomplishment. A few years ago, Rich developed a sensitivity to UV rays. Sunscreen caused his eyes to itch and water. He was forced to quit playing tournament ball for several years. Coolibar clothing to the rescue – Rich was able to resume the sport this past May.

Rich’s team finished 2nd in the 65 age bracket at the Senior Winter Nationals games in Phoenix last November, as his family watched him play for the first time in more than 50 years. Rich uses his upcoming softball season, which will conclude at the Huntsman Senior Games in St. George, Utah in October, as inspiration as he pushes through his winter workout program.

Kaitlyn Price

Kaitlyn Price, golferA native Floridian, Kaitlyn grew up in the outdoors playing at the beach, soccer field or golf course. Although she played many different sports growing up, she found her true passion was golf. Playing and excelling in countless junior and amateur events gave her the opportunity to play collegiate golf at The University of Central Florida. A recent graduate with a degree in Public Administration and Sports Business Management, Kaitlyn is currently preparing to follow her dream to be a professional golfer.

Kaitlyn has realized the importance of skin protection from her mother who is a two-time melanoma survivor. Along with golfing, Kaitlyn enjoys cycling and boating.

 

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