Alyssa Roenigk sports • adventure • travel • journalist

Last week was a mixed bag. Personally, it was a great week. I spent a week locked away in a cabin in Whistler with seven friends. We rode Whistler and Blackcomb five days in a row (I have to admit to a Blackcomb bias) and did very little work. Tough week to beat. While in…

This week, I flew down to St. Augustine, Florida, to interview 18-year-old Ashley Fiolek, one of the coolest young athletes I’ve met in a long time. I don’t want to spoil the story, which will be out in The Mag in May, but it was fascinating learning how Fiolek, who was born profoundly deaf, adapted…

I know! I know! The blog has been a bit empty the past couple of weeks. I swear it’s not (only) because I’m being lazy. Two circumstances caused the lack of updates. 1. I took the second half of February off from traveling, so I haven’t had much to write about. Well, at least nothing…

The World Championship Tour (WCT) of surfing starts tomorrow on Australia’s Gold Coast. I previewed the season, as well as my upcoming story on Kelly Slater in ESPN and EXPN magazines, in last week’s Action Sports Report. This week, I talked to top-10 surfer Bobby Martinez, who recently parted with his longtime sponsor Reef nearly…

When I was in middle school, the McDonald’s near our house had this painting hanging on the wall just inside the front door. I’m not sure when I first noticed it, or why, but I remember being captivated by what I thought was its intended message. The painting’s point-of-view is voyeuristic, looking through the clear…

Happy Friday the 13th! (It’s my favorite of all the meaningfully repeating day/date combos.) Last Friday night, I attended my first MMA fights. I’m a huge fan of boxing, but have had a hard time getting into MMA. I like reading about the fighters, and I love the combination of fighting and training styles required…

This week since returning from the Super Bowl has been nonstop. Thursday morning, I was up at 5 a.m. to drive to Rincon Beach about 12 miles south of Santa Barbara to meet with nine-time surf champ Kelly Slater. My story on Slater (it’s going to be a good one!) will be out in a…

My super Super Bowl week, narrated in my actual Facebook status updates … Alyssa is going home. For a day. A one-day break at home in Sunny Storybookland before hopping a flight to Tampa. How’d I spend that day? With Aussie surfer Sally Fitzgibbons. Read about it here. Alyssa is in Tampa for Super Bowling.…

In case you missed them, my latest ESPNTheMag.com reports … A day after I returned home from the Winter X Games (my only day home before leaving for the Super Bowl) Australian surfer Sally Fitzgibbons, 18, stopped in Los Angeles for a day on her way home to Oz. I spent the afternoon with her…

From Park City to Aspen. Not a bad overnight turnaround. This year’s Winter X Games were special for many reasons. Here are a few. (Because I am now doing the Aspen to Tampa overnight turnaround for Super Bowl XLIII, this entry is going to be short and list-like.) Levi LaValle’s double backflip. The moment women’s…