Sunday, May 21, 2017

Free Diving with Ashleigh



Born and raised in central Florida, Ashleigh spent her childhood years criss-crossing the state with her family in search of beaches, islands and fresh water springs to explore.  From these early experiences she developed a deep love for being in and under the water.
Although her love for breath-hold diving was kindled at an early age, it wasn’t until 2009 that she was introduced to the sport of freediving.  After taking intermediate and advanced level courses, it became clear she was just scratching the surface in terms of ability and her passion for the sport was solidified.  “I was not only blown away by the amount I learned in each course, but also by how much improvement I had made in such a short time.  I was hooked.”
Looking for more opportunities to dive deeper in safe and controlled conditions, Ashleigh decided to participate in her first freediving competition in 2011. Since then she has participated in a handful of local and international freediving competitions, including the 2014 Team World Championships in Sardinia, Italy.  “Each competition has taught me something new about the sport and my body.  I don’t have a strong athletic background, so it has been great to be able to learn from other divers who have so much more experience with different types of training and diving techniques.  I’m very excited to be on the US Women’s team this year for the Team World Championships, and I’m really looking forward to making more progress with the help of my friends and mentors.”

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