About a month ago, I heard of a new movie Oakley was getting ready to release featuring their top female athletes. I soon learned that the film, titled Uniquely, was to be premiered at Oakley headquarters in front of a packed house. I quickly e-mailed Oakley marketing guru and wakeboard team manager Matty Swanson to see if I could get more information on the movie. Matty responded by sending me an invitation to the VIP screening. Now there is one thing that I have learned over the years and that is when Oakley throws a party, you better be there. Abiding by this rule, I marked my calendar and waited in anticipation of the premiere.

On Thursday, October 23, I headed down to Foothill Ranch to meet up with the rest of the Alliance crew, along with Tony Finn and Don and Susan Wallace of Liquid Force. With the wakeboard industry well represented, we arrived at Oakley to walk the red carpet with some of the who’s who of the action sports industry. I hadn’t seen this many rock stars since rehab. The theme was a black-and-white affair, and the boys at Square O went all out hanging white linens and silver accessories throughout their building. There was an elegant reception in the lobby before everybody migrated into Oakley’s private state-of-the-art theater.

The lights were dimmed and the crowed grew loud as Uniquely made its debut. The film documented female athletes such as Elena Hight, Lyn-z Adams Hawkins, Gretchen Bleiler, and wakeboarding’s own Amber Wing on a journey around the world promoting and pushing the limits of action sports. The amazing cinematography captured the Oakley girls in locations including Japan, Russia, The Amazon, and Bali to name a few. On a side note, Amber’s section received the loudest introduction from her fans. After the film concluded, everyone poured back out into the lobby where they were treated to a live performance by Ming & Ping. The dance party went into the early hours of the morning, sending everyone home with many stories.

Uniquely was able to capture not only over two years of traveling, filming, and bonding, but arguably the most progressive female riding to date. Special thanks to Matty Swanson and everyone at Oakley for including us in an unforgettable night. Check out www.oakley.com <http://www.oakley.com/> to learn where you can go and pick up this unprecedented film.