Up for a challenge

Mike Sciacca

If you presented Stephanie Kozowyk with a challenge, you could bet she

wouldn’t turn it down.

Granted, she might feign disinterest, but, she’d still give it a try.

That’s the competitive spirit the Huntington Beach resident possesses,

and it’s that drive that has made Kozowyk successful in every sport she’s

attempted.

“It’s just in my nature,” said the 31-year-old, who has tried

everything from swimming to cross country to triathlons and currently,

outrigging. “I’ve just enjoyed sports since I was very young.”

The Lowell, Mass. native still holds several women’s swimming records

at Bridgewater State College in her home state. Following a trip to India

during her junior year -- to visit the children sponsored by the

Christian Children’s Fund -- Kozowyk went to Hawaii and entered her first

Ironman Triathlon. She finished the grueling event in 13 hours. She

stayed in Hawaii and lived on the big island of Kailua-Kona and entered

and became the record holder in three biathlon events -- records that

still stand to this day.

It was at this time that a friend of hers convinced Kozowyk --

hesitant about it at first -- to paddle an outrigger canoe.

“Truthfully, I did not like it first,” she explained. “That’s hard to

believe because now I love the sport so much. My competitive nature got

the best of me.”

An outrigger is a canoe that holds six people. The canoe stands

upright with the help of an “ama,” a ski-type device located on the left

side of the canoe. Outrigger races have three categories: sprints,

Ironman and nine-man races.

“ For me, the most fun and challenging events are the nine-man races,

which are typically more than 20 miles and sometimes between five and

eight hours long,” she said.

Kozowyk moved to California in 1994 and went to the 1996 Olympic

Trials in San Diego to try out for flatwater kayak but, she said, “did

horribly. It was, however, a great learning experience.”

Some of Kozowyk’s accomplishments in outrigger have been with Offshore

Canoe Club of Newport Beach. With that crew, she was fortunate enough to

make the top crew and win races such as the Hamilton Island Cup in Great

Barrier Reef, Australia, the Molokai to Oahu Race -- a race that is

considered the world championship event, in Hawaii and the race from

Newport Beach to Catalina Island.

Kozowyk also became a personal trainer at Sports Club Irvine and soon

landed a job as the personal trainer to the lead singer of the band,

Offspring. She worked in that capacity for five years, which she termed

an “amazing experience,” and traveled around the world while the band was

on tour.

“Through traveling with the band and traveling with my canoe club and

racing, I became friends with many others in my own sport in other

countries,” Kozowyk said.

Kozowyk was up for the challenges. She did take a few months off from

work to paddle outrigger in Australia. Diligent training sessions paid

off as she made top crew and paddled at Australia’s national title events

and the Hamilton Cup races.

“This past year I achieved a great honor,” she said. “I was told that

I became the first American girl to make the top crew of Surfers Paradise

Outrigger Canoe Club and qualify for their national titles events. My

crew went on to win the Australian national title in the 500- and

1,000-meter sprints. All that hard work paid off!”

Due to her experience in sports and the time she has spent in a

swimsuit, Kozowyk realized through her own personal frustration that

swimsuit companies were not offering her what she wanted in a competitive

swimsuit. Namely, style and comfort.

“So I took out my sketch pad and decided to make my own,” she said. “I

have listened for years to women complaining about lack of comfort their

suits offered and I took note. That is essentially where I got my idea to

start my own swimsuit company.”

Kozowyk runs Liquid Australia out of Huntington Beach. She designs

women’s swimsuits and hits the road, traveling to women’s swimming,

volleyball, surfing, outrigger and triathlon events, selling her

swimwear, which also can be found on the Internet. The company, in its

growing stages, has been in business for just over a year but is without

a key investor.

“Seventy-percent of swimsuit designers are men,” she noted. “How do

they know what works for us women and what doesn’t? I want a swimsuit

that is both fashionable and functional that I can do anything in.”

Kozowyk says she has seen professional volleyball players, triathletes

and other athletes, even mothers chasing their children around on the

beach, wearing her suits. She continues to compete in outrigger while her

new business adventure gets off the ground.