WATCH: A MISSION TO CHANGE CYCLING | JUSTIN WILLIAMS & L39ION OF LA
The future of American cycling has arrived in the form of one mean motherf*cker. Not our words, but this 10-minute coffee break essential’s undeniable bio of Justin Williams, the 33-year-old warrior on wheels who exploded from the sketchier ends of LA and junior ranks wearing Air Jordans and a gold chain: not exactly your regulation attire. But Williams isn’t your regulation athlete. Hit play and discover how his self-created team, L39ION of LA, is leading from the front in the criterium discipline and changing the face of cycling in more ways than one, through some rock-bottom lows and airborne highs.
READ: 5 THINGS I’VE LEARNED FROM STARTING NEIGHBOURHOOD SKATE CLUB
We’re not sure where our Lyndsay McLaren finds the extra hours in her day to manage the inclusivity-led Neighbourhood Skate Club while creating and leading inspiring strategies for clients like adidas and YETI, but we’d love to see her coordinates. Fuelled by a sage-like knowledge of action sports, Account Director Lyndsay’s side project centres around a vision of skateboarding as a diverse and welcoming space for everyone, and has empowered hundreds of keen beginners from all backgrounds to experience that space and connect with its community through gatherings, lessons, and workshops. Here, Lyndsay reveals the five biggest lessons she’s taken from creating a cause-driven collective.
READ: HOW HILAREE NELSON INSPIRED A GENERATION OF SKI MOUNTAINEERS
It’s hard to pull together sentences that do justice to the legacy of mountaineer and extreme skier Hilaree Nelson. Remembered by professional climber, photographer and filmmaker, Jimmy Chin as “a shining light” who inspired him endlessly, and by Conrad Anker, a chisel-jawed god to many alpinists, as a “fellow practitioner of the dangerous arts” who “empowered a generation of women to seek out adventure”, her death at the end of September tore through the outdoor community and united it in grief. In this round-up, MPORA does a fine job of capturing the tributes to, and importance of, the great Nelson, who was killed in one of the many avalanches that punched through the Himalayan expedition season this year.
WATCH: AQUAPHOBIA: MYTHS, STEREOTYPES AND BARRIERS
Our recent work with adidas Swimming - a full creative production rollout for their collaboration with inclusive swimming brand SOUL CAP - explored the positive impacts that the pool can have when everybody is empowered to dive in. But it also revealed the work that’s left to do before we’ll see an acceptable level of representation in the chlorine. Our experiences and learnings are mirrored in Olympian Alice Dearing’s Sky Sports documentary ‘Aquaphobia’, which looks at the myths, stereotypes, and hurdles that block the black and Asian communities from accessing the all-encompassing benefits of the sport.
READ: ARC’TERYX OFF THE BEATEN PATH
While we were marking World Mental Health Day 2022 with a collection of places and pastimes our crew leans on when searching for clarity up top, our client Arc’teryx was enlisting the help of athlete Pauli Trenkwalder to explore not where, but why mental health is so positively affected by nature. What sets this piece aside from the many other musings written under a similar headline, though, is that Trenkwalder is also a professional psychologist. He gives us unique insights and plenty of very “wow, I totally get it!” moments in a response that’ll resonate with anyone who uses wild places as a place of solace as well as a playground.