Your Age: 27

Your Location (where do you ride mostly): Southern California

Weapon(s) of choice: Gnu B-Nice Snowboard, Humanoid Oracle, Liquid Force Fiver Wakesurfer; FJ Cruiser for getting me there.

What’s an average day for you like? Weekdays: go to work (I work with insulin pumps), go running during lunch and then hike, mountain bike or play soccer after work.
Weekends: snowboard, wakeboard, wakesurf, mud cave - see who I can talk into an adventure.

What is the most difficult part of your activity/sports for a beginner? The easiest? Difficult: figuring out how to get into it (what gear do I need? when should I go? what do I wear? where do I go?). Especially in Southern California, getting into snowboarding when nobody owns winter clothes and nobody can drive in the snow that is always a big barrier to beginners. I always have extra snow clothes and let friends borrow it when they want to get into snowboarding and I have a 4x4 with snow tires so I drive them. Easiest: having awesome friends who encourage you and having done another board sport before.

What is the best and worst thing about being female in your sport? Best: Meeting other girls who love those sports and having an instant connection - sometimes girls days on the mountain are the best days. Worst: Lack of respect - a lot of men assume girls are just "snow bunnies" and can't keep up; lack of gear options for girls in comparison to guys. I've always bought men's boards since I have size 10 feet, most girls snowboards can't accommodate my shoe size

What would you like to see change in your sport to make it better for you and other female athletes? Equal board options and more girls meetups/girls clubs.

Besides your ability and style factor as an athlete, how would you describe your personal style? Athletic and funky - I love orange and hot pink and other neon colored shorts and snow pants.

What are your favorite brands/designers for your sports apparel and for stepping out? 686 for snow jackets, Billabong/Hurley/Roxy for wetsuits/board shorts, Patagonia, North Face, Columbia and Nike.

Let’s hear your thoughts on how important looking good is to feeling good. “Being” your personal best? When you feel like you look good you carry more confidence.

How dangerous do you really think it is compared to what people do in their regular activities? I think my sports are way less dangerous that.

I bet in your experience you have seen some crazy crashes. Describe one. A few of my friends and I were racing at our local mountain. It was 3 of us on snowboards and him on skis. He was trying to beat me and crashed into the staircase leading to a mid mountain restaurant. He ejected from his skis inspector gadget style and hit his face on those metal cheese grater looking surfaces. He completely tore all his clothes and tore up his face and ended up passing out when ski patrol arrived. Luckily he made a full recovery.

What usually gets people hooked on your activity/sport? The first time they ROCK IT - first run down the bunny hill without a crash; first time up on a wakeboard - the stoke is awesome. When they start asking about buying a board I know I've hooked them!

What is your favorite trick? Ollies over snowmen or surface 360s on a wakeboard.

Do you own any other toys? My FJ Cruiser and does a border collie count?

What gets you pumped up for the day? Knowing the weekend and/or an adventure is coming up.

What are three things you could not live without? Family/Friends, insulin, and adventures.

What are your expectations for this activity/sport? To have fun!

Who have been your biggest supporters in getting you to where you are now? I learned to snowboard from a snowboarding camp for kids with Type 1 Diabetes called Riding on Insulin. I had never done any board sports prior to this camp, which I went to when I was in high school. I thank this camp and the friends I've made from this camp. I now am on their Elite Coaches team, a team of volunteer coaches with Type 1 Diabetes who teach the kids to snowboard. These other coaches have been my inspiration and support to become a better snowboard and challenge myself, especially since a lot of people with Type 1 Diabetes do not know how to manage it on the mountain.

Who’s your favorite rider/shooter (photo/video)? Honestly the girls, especially the little ones, I've seen on she shreds are incredible