Shelby Rose Taylor Making a Positive Change in Sayulita

Shelby Rose Taylor was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky and has now been living full time in Sayulita for nearly seven years. For the past three years, she and her fiancé, Javier “Bicho” Jimenez, have been traveling and competing internationally on a professional level as Stand Up Paddle (SUP) Racers, reaching top 10 ranking in the world. With their extensive training in water sports, and their personal discipline and experience, they launched the Sayulita JR. SUP Team in July of 2015 with help from the Stand Up Paddle Mexico shop and equipment.

So, how did the Sayulita JR. SUP Team come about?

Through the intense training and ups-and-downs of being a pro athlete on world tour, Bicho and I both learned a lot about ourselves. Arriving home from a long month in Europe in early summer, we discovered a few young kids we had grown close with, and mentored a little, had been caught robbing, and others were locked in juvenile rehabilitation for drug addictions- all younger than 16 years of age. Our priorities were flipped upside down. Shocked and heartbroken, we took a stand against the all too common path taken to destruction and decided it was urgent to take action and establish a program for the youth in Sayulita.

How does the Sayulita JR. SUP team make a difference in Sayulita?

The Sayulita JR. SUP team offers a place for the town’s youth to come and grow/learn/feel free and safe, where they can learn life lessons like accountability, responsibility, honestly, hard work, water safety, and become a part of a family that will have their backs no matter what. Growing up in team sports, I know the value of being a part of a “team” as a growing child. They teach life skills that are hard to learn elsewhere.

We have new children read and sign a contract with us before starting training that states that they must attend school and maintain a 7.0 GPA and submit a signed report card every grade quarter to have SUP privileges, they also have a 3 strike behavior rule; if we hear of them getting into trouble in town, they receive a strike. Three strikes and their SUP privileges are revoked until they have a sit down meeting with us and do a community service project on a Saturday with us (I believe in always taking part in all activities with them, even the punishments. This way the child can learn their actions affect more than just themselves).

What motivates you to continue to try to make a positive impact in Sayulita?

I BELIEVE A HEALTHY BODY IS A CRUCIAL COMPONENT TO A HEALTHY BRAIN. A HEALTHY PERSON IS A MORE PRODUCTIVE PERSON. In my opinion, this must be enforced and ingrained into our youth at a young age so they develop healthy and happy and strong, inside and out, ready to face the crazy world ahead of them. The youth is our future, and it is our responsibility to teach the kids and guide them, listen to them and laugh with them, push them and let them fall, but be there to help them dust the dirt off, treat them with respect and love. They are smarter than we give them credit for, and who knows, one could be the next medical genius or inventor of new technology, a powerhouse lawyer or a future educator, and a parent and spouse. Whatever it may be, I hope to have touched their lives in a positive way and to have taught them everything I could in my lifetime. I always wanted to be a superhero as a kid- now I get the chance to be one with our team. I believe in these kids.

What role do you play?

I’m out there training with them. We train six days a week, offering SUP practice for beginners-elite levels. Each child trains three days a week on the water, and days where the water is too rough/dangerous, we do jungle runs or beach boot camp to keep the kids fit and healthy. The youngest kids we train are 6 years old and we have kids up to 16-17 years old in our advanced squad.

What is the mission of the Sayulita JR. SUP team?

The mission of the program is to nurture each child and treat them all equally as tough, but allow them to individually grow and choose their path. Some are much more advanced and intense, leaning more towards a competitive track, while others simply come to learn a new skill and build friendships outside their normal comfort-bubble. We just focus on teaching them the skills they need to be smart water athletes and good teammates.

What have you gained from your involvement with this group?

I take pride in the fact that the kids feel totally safe with us and open up to us about body issues, school bullying, and family tensions. We provide a neutral ground and safe zone for all youth, and that is the best, most simple, but powerful thing a child can have.

What positive changes have you seen brought about by your efforts? What are you most proud of?

With help from local businesses like Gypsy Gallery, Revolucion del Sueno, and Stand Up Paddle Sayulita, and a huge contribution from Costa Verde International School and local families who share passion for our cause, we raised enough money to order 20 custom made team boards and paddles for the team to establish itself as one of the largest youth sport academies in Sayulita. We started with seven kids and a year later we now have a roster of over 50 local and ex-pat youth who are fiercer than fierce! We have grown beyond expectations and the family we have created with these kids is something no words can describe. Anyone who has seen us out there in our neon-green uniforms has seen the sheer joy in the kids’ faces, and in the heat of intense physical exertion. The most incredible things have come from this program. Kids who didn’t know how to swim, self-taught themselves being around peers their age and now are surfing! Kids who were shy and weak the first day now rip their shirts off and charge on their SUPs in and out of the waves with smiles from ear to ear. Classrooms have become more ethnically meshed as kids see their “teammates” in school, not “gringos” or “locals”. Grades have improved, behavior has improved, and self-confidence has shot through the roof!

What additional change(s) would you like to see in the future and what are you doing to make this happen?

In the future we hope to have monthly local kids races for each child to compete in a controlled environment and test their training against their fellow teammates. We would love to be able to incorporate local businesses in the form of prize donations! From here we see in the future taking the kids team on the road and giving clinics/demos in new areas on the weekend for youth around the region: Bucerias, Vallarta, Lo de Marcos, etc. Not only to give the kids a chance to get exposure and practice, but so the team can grow stronger in support and numbers and to help bring the sport maybe to an area where kids aren't familiar with it. The possibilities are limitless with our new board fleet. I guess in the end, the future only needs one thing, consistency for these kids in the form of a program that will be there for them year round as they grow up, a place for them to make friends and grow inside and out. We would love to have more local support from business and families alike and our arms are always open to any and all kids interested in putting themselves up to a new challenge. 

How can others help?

We have an open door policy, which means we will not turn down any child based off on them not being able to afford the fee. If a parent can’t afford the program, we look for local sponsors and have an ongoing scholarship fund going based off of donations that covers these kids.

For more information about this program, email Shelby here. Additional information can be found on the Sayulita Jr. SUP Team FaceBook page. If you’d like to make a donation to support the team, click here.