Annika's Blog - Happy New Year

Posted January 2, 2010, 12:25 pm in Health

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope that each of you have had a wonderful holiday season. I can't believe how time flies! This year has been so amazing for us. We are very thankful for all that has happened in our world. Here are a few of the highlights and changes both personally and professionally that we have experienced:

On the personal side, I stopped playing competitively. Mike and I got married, sold our house, moved into our dream house, and little Ava joined us soon thereafter. She has just been the best and we love her more and more each day. We can't wait to watch her continue to grow and explore the world.

Professionally, it has been an incredible year. The Academy has done really well and our team has gone on the road to some fun places to share our passion. We became a certified Callaway Performance Center and have a variety of new packages. Our guests continue to enjoy our team's unique teaching methods, which include health and fitness!

In May we launched a delicious Syrah in partnership with Wente Vineyards, which was recently awarded 91 points! Our Chardonnay (also delicious) will come out next year. We have also launched a fragrance, which has done pretty well. The fragrance can be found at another new venture we started, www.shopannika.com where we sell a lot of my branded and endorsed products.

Our Foundation has made great strides in junior golf with the ANNIKA Invitational AJGA event, ANNIKA Cup, and ANNIKA Team. On the health and nutrition side, we have partnered with SPARK and have begun planning a curriculum for school and after-school health and fitness programs for kids. We have also started a book that I will write next year with the Florida Hospital Foundation. We have had some wonderful fund-raising events and will continue that next year, starting with an ANNIKA Experience at Watersound event in Northwest Florida with Mia Hamm. We look forward to really making a positive impact for children's health and fitness in 2010!

A few other things: I was fortunate to be added to the Governor's Council for Physical Fitness, it was an honor to help get golf int he 2016 Olympics with our successful presentation to the IOC, and I was pleased to be asked to be an advisor to the LPGA Board of Directors. We also purchased 3,000 square feet of office space just outside the Lake Nona gates, where our businesses will call "home." Those of us who are not at the Academy every day look forward to moving in soon!

Wow....just writing this makes me realize how busy we have been! Thanks to all of our team members and my partners who have continued to support me and our projects! Callaway, Cutter & Buck, Rolex, Lexus,Golf Digest, Oakley, the USGA, SA Fragrances, and Wente Vineyards.....thanks for everything!

We wish everyone a happy, healthy 2010!