Tag Archives: Armani Rae

Who Runs the World? Girls!

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On October 19, 2016, Shred Love, along with 4 of our participants, attended the Women’s Sports Foundation – 37th Annual Salute to Women in Sports gala. 

Founded by Billie Jean King, the Women’s Sports Foundation has been breaking down barriers to grant more girls and women access to sports. Established in 1974, the Women’s Sports Foundation has been providing financial support to aspiring champion athletes, funding groundbreaking research, advocating and educating to not only get more girls and women active, but to create more leaders. 

The mission of the Women’s Sports Foundation truly resonates with me. There were many hurdles to overcome to start Shred Love and as we continue to grow and serve more youth from our communities, we face even more challenges. Running Shred Love on a tight budget, dealing with climate changes and burnout (working a full-time job, managing a family of 7, along with the responsibilities of Shred Love) can be overwhelming. It was a blessing to be a grant recipient of the foundation’s Sports 4 Life program. It was even more empowering to hear the stories of over 70 Olympic, Paralympic, champion and elite athletes – women athletes. The stories of struggle, perseverance, support and achievement were the greatest take away for our young ladies to bear witness to. 

As snowboarders, our girls are familiar with the level of commitment and dedication it takes to achieve greatness. Therefore it was no surprise to see Bria, Taralyn, Armani Rae and Alexis work the red carpet, navigate questions on life, snowboarding, and share their stories of triumph (both academically and physically). 

At the gala, Armani Rae had the opportunity to share her story on how snowboarding has changed her life. With her wit and charm, she managed to steal the show, if I must say so myself. Ok, I’m a little biased, but still, she killed it! 

Although the new year will have new challenges in store for us, I am inspired by our girls, Alexis, Armani Rae, Bria and Taralyn. Over the years I’ve had the chance to see each of them tackle a new skill in snowboarding, in addition to stepping up and becoming leaders within Shred Love. For that I’m grateful. 

Cheers! 

The Day Shred Love Transformed into Ped(al) Love

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Sunday, August 12, 2012 – The day Shred Love transformed into Ped Love, pedal love that is.

Put me on a snow covered mountain with my Never Summer snowboard and I’ll meet you at the bottom. I may even do a few butters and ollies along the way, however, put me on a mountain on a summer day, atop of a mountain bike, and let’s just say the outcome is not so assured.


Last Sunday a group of participants from Shred Love set out to conquer a new and different type of mountain experience, one that didn’t require snow. Shred Love met up with the Jersey Off Road Bicycle Association (JORBA) in Tourne County Park in Booton, NJ, for an exciting lesson in mountain biking. JORBA designed and regularly maintains the trails that we rode that day.

Armed with bikes, helmets, and mountain biking safety rules from JORBA, away we went to conquer our first trail. The White Trail was challenging with all of its bumps, tree roots, stumps, rocks, trekking through mud, over bridges, uphill climbs and downhill cruises. WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!!!

After a hearty lunch, we broke into groups: those who wanted to master the White Trail and those that want a bigger challenge, the Purple Trail. To put this in perspective, if this were snowboarding; the purple trail would be equivalent to a hard blue trail.



I was part of the latter group which consisted of Isaiah, Liz, Edward and I with JOBRA experts Slow Joe and Rick guiding and coaching us along. We began the ride climbing a steep hill before venturing into the woods for an additional uphill climb. This is where the fun began! Downhill runs over bumps and rocks, 90 degree turns, tough climbs, and navigating nature’s natural obstacle course.

The White Trail team, led by teen volunteer Armani Rae, consisted of Jackie, Savion and Shred Love new comer Genesis, with the JOBRA crew of Frank, Michael and Jim, keeping the team motivated. The field report from the White Trail Squad is that all the things that had seemed challenging during the first run, turned out to be a piece of cake during the second time around. The second time, the team was able to take in the beautiful scenery of lily pads, frogs, birds, along the lake.

In the end, we came, we saw, we conquered!

Special thanks to Rick, Frank, Michael, Jim, and Slow Joe of JORBA, Trips for Kids, Clint of SkiDuck, Omenel, and parents! Can’t wait to do it again on September 8th at Allaire State Park!!! If you would like to attend, contact us at info@shredlove.org/wordpress.

Please note participants must be at least 12 years old and can ride a bike to participate.

signed,
Old Man Winter

P.S. Check out our Facebook page for more pictures.

Check out Edward & Armani Rae in the Jersey Journal!

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Edward and Armani Rae were recently featured in the Jersey Journal for being positive teens in Jersey City. Check out the article here!

Congratulations to you both for second year participants in Shred Love, as well as being exemplary teens! Thank you Dr. Barbara Milton for the beautifully written article.

Get to Know Armani Rae!

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Get to know the newest big boss at Shred Love! Armani Rae started off as a participant and is now helping out with recruiting more girls and getting them hooked on snowboarding and photography.

Name: Armani Rae
About me: I’m very active, funny, and pretty. I do gymnastics and love to dance. I love old school music, R&B, hip hop,and pop.
What made you join Shred Love? I always had an inkling for snowboarding.
How has Shred Love changed your life? I met new people and learned how to go down the hill.
Firsts
First time I won a cheerleading competition, I was 10 years old.

Armani Rae & Coach Timeka

First time I got on a plane, I went to Florida.
First song I wrote is titled, “Live,Laugh, Love”.
First dance recital I was in, I was 6 years old.
First cartwheel I did I was 7 years old.

Check back Tuesday, January 4th for our next feature in the Get to Know Us series!