Anastasia Arrives
Between her surfing, modeling and acting, North Shore native Anastasia Ashley recently topped Yahoo’s ‘What’s Trending Now’ ahead of a Kardashian
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The North Shore native, named ‘one of the 30 hottest female athletes of all time,’ also has a social conscience
Millions of online browsers use search engines every day to find what’s hot on the Web, and most are driven by star power. A majority of these engines alert users of the most popular searches of the day. To even appear on any of these lists is remarkable; to top a list means you’ve arrived.
Professional surfer Anastasia Ashley has certainly arrived.
Ashley is confident, sexy, driven and an Internet sensation. Her notoriety recently drove a popular search engine into absolute frenzy. Ashley landed at the top of Yahoo’s “What’s Trending Now” list. It was a day she’ll never forget.
“Someone sent me an e-mail, and at first I thought they were pulling my leg,” recalls Ashley, who grew up on Oahu’s North Shore and still considers Hawaii home. “I was No. 1 ahead of Kim Kardashian and John Mayer that day. All these famous people, and there’s me. It was pretty wild!”
Make no mistake, Ashley is a star. The 23-year-old pro surfer and model has been featured in some of the most popular magazines and television shows, including FHM men’s magazine, ESPN’s Cold Pizza and G4 TV’s Attack of the Show.
“I’ve been blessed with many opportunities to talk about surfing, and I’m all for growing the sport,” says Ashley. “I’m very open. I don’t put up any walls, and I’m not afraid to put myself out there and be real. I think people respect that.”
Her schedule is incredibly exhausting, and her professional profile continues to grow. Besides competing in pro surfing events, her stunning smile, athletic physique, beautiful blond hair and brilliant brown eyes make her one of the most-photographed athletes in the world. The 5-foot, 8-inch Ashley has graced the covers of Up and Met-Rx magazines, and according to the Bleacher Report is one of the 30 hottest women athletes of all time. As one admirer describes her: “She walks like a woman and surfs like a man.”
In 2005, she appeared in several PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) spots including one titled “Ocean Creatures Are Too Beautiful to Kill.” She was even nominated for PETA’s “Sexiest Vegetarian Alive,” along with actress Pamela Anderson and pop country singer and former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood. Underwood eventually won the title.
“That was funny because they told me I received a lot of votes and came close to winning,” says Ashley, who is no longer a vegetarian but continues to support PETA and its efforts. “I was amazed because I didn’t even know about the nomination, and there were some big names on that list.”
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In late October, Ashley added another credit to her ever-evolving resume when she was featured on MTV’s The World of Jenks, a documentary show that explores lifestyles and careers of rising stars. A 15-man film crew followed Ashley’s every move as she prepared for the 2010 U.S. Open of Surfing.
“When you hear about reality television, you think of shows like Jersey Shore or The Hills, so it was refreshing to see a show that shares heartfelt stories on a real deep level,” says Ashley. “Andrew Jenks is an excellent storyteller and his documentaries are well-received. It was cool to be a part of the show’s first season and to reveal a different side of me.”
Ashley lived on Oahu’s North Shore from age 4 to 14. She attended Sunset Beach Christian School, Sunset Beach Elementary and Kahuku High School for one year before moving back to San Clemente, Calif. She returned to Hawaii each winter as a teenager and still calls the Islands home.
“I try not to leave as much as possible, staying in Hawaii from September to April and sometimes even as late as May,” laughs Ashley, who splits her time living in Hawaii and California.
For most youngsters growing up on the North Shore, the ocean is their playground and surfing is a rite of passage. Ashley got her start at the age of 5 on a Boogie board and made the transition to surfing at 6. A year later, she entered her first “menehune” contest at Haleiwa and was hooked.
“Being out on the North Shore, the ocean is a part of our lives,” she says. “Some communities focus on soccer or baseball, but on the North Shore all the kids surf.”
Ashley won her first major event, the Professional Surf Tour of America title, at the age of 16. In 2003, she was named the Association of Surfing Professionals Hawaiian Triple Crown Rookie of the Year.
This past April she earned one of her biggest wins of her young career by capturing the North Shore Soap Factory Pipeline Women’s Pro. It was a huge statement for someone who grew up here.
“I got into the finals last year and finished third, so one of my goals was to come back and win it,” she says proudly. “Performing here is important because this is definitely where the best in the world come to prove them-
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