What's New With Kira Sheppard
Jul 19 2007 / Los Angeles, CA
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Since we talked to her last year, Kira has kept busy with her duties with her main sponsor, Oakley, making her way around the globe, surfing and modeling for photo shoots along the way.
Earlier this year Kira took a trip to Costa Rica with fellow Oakley girls and surfers Mizuki Hagiwara, Roxy Louw, Niki Gudex, Claudia Goncalves, as well as Canadian mountain biker Darcy Turenne (who chronicled the trip here for Lat34). The trip was a thrilling one, acting as a time for bonding for the women, but also got them close to nature, from visiting monkeys on a wildlife sanctuary, to repelling down waterfalls, to plenty of surfing, of course.
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Kira, Niki and Darcy reunited in April at Oakley's headquarters in Southern California to help kick off the big Oakley "Uniquely" campaign, which featured footage and images from their Costa Rica trip to help launch three new sunglass styles: Speechless, Disobey and Behave.
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In June, Kira took another trip, this time to the island of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. She journeyed again with a group of surfers, including 19-year-old Aussie Stephanie Gilmore, who currently holds a share of the #1 ranking on the Woman's WCT, Aussie Karley Mackie and Ireland's UK champ, Nicole Morgan. After literally 24 hours of travel, she settled in with her companions on a boat, where they would stay for more than a week and enjoy great food, surf and experiences with the locals, including those of the Mentawai Islands
"We girls went into the little town of the Mentawai people and were able to hang out for the day," Kira says of one day's activities. "It was such an adventure -- three hours up a river in a tiny wooden boat. We met with some town elders and they showed us their home. We learned to make loin cloths from tree bark in between learning about their culture and beliefs. We even watched the oldest man perform a tribal tattoo on a young women. We played with the children and exchanged gifts. A truly rewarding and beautiful experience for us all."
But the trip did provide some killer waves -- some of the best she's seen -- and all of them surfed their hearts out.
And that wasn't all, she also went to Mexico, Puerto Rico, went on a cross-country road trip with her older brother and, had hit a milestone.
"I of course had to celebrate my 21st in Vegas," she tells Lat34.
Of course --- for Kira Sheppard, it's all part of the life of being a surfer girl...
Here's a few more questions we had for her!
Lat34: You done a lot of traveling, but are there any places that you haven’t been to that you want to go to?
Kira: Lately i've been thinking about usuing up some frequent flyer miles too fly myself and a friend to Greece! just a good old fashioned vacation! I'd love to just wander the streets and swim in the Meditteranian sea! ooh and just the thought of traveling without having to lug the surfboards around is relaxing!
Lat34: You seem to be living what some young girls who want to surf think is the perfect life – is life really that good? Kira: To be entirely honest I dont know what a "perfect life" would look like, and although I do love what I'm doing , like anything else there are ups and downs. Life is good , but its hard work no matter what path you take. In my line of work we deal with alot of travel issues, long layovers, nights on airport floors, jet lag for days or weeks sometimes, missing friends and family all the time, weird sickness risks in third world countries, hotels with cold showers, no AC... but I'm not complaining, its only a small price to pay!
Lat34: Any advice you can give to girls who want to pursue surfing as a full-time occupation?
Kira: I think the secret is passion. If you put enough passion into anything you truly want to pursue then you can make it happen. And dont ever let anyone bring you down, find yourself, know yourself, and then pour yourself into your passions.
Lat34: What are you listening to these days? What’s on your IPod?
Kira: Carrie Underwood and a lot of Hank Williams III, the Shins, and Mason Jennings, CCR and a bit of Nirvana at the moment.
Lat34: What are five things you couldn’t make a trip without?
Kira: Shoes! I have to bring at least 5 pairs on every trip,,,, i guess that doesn't leave much room for the other necesities... think I'd be out of luck if I really could only bring five items on a trip, huh?
- Lat34.com
