Shaka is for athletes who go all out because they just can't help it. 

I don't know how else to be, but can't stand the post-workout sweaty sticky feeling ruining the vibe. 

The problem is that being like this you get pretty disgusting, whether you like it or not, and if you're anything like me you also can't stand losing the post-workout endorphins to that feeling of a squishy seat, sticky skin, bad smells, and the inevitable irritability that follows. 

So why does this company exist? Read on, fellow athlete.

I guess I was just born this way. 

I found this old picture looking for photos that describe how this company came to be, and it felt like the perfect image to capture how this all got started.

At first, I thought Shaka was just me trying to build another company, have some fun, make some money. But looking through old pictures I different story emerged: I've been a bit wild in every sport I've played since I was a kid, and it's in the DNA of the company now. 

It started with baseball and Craig Biggio

Craig Biggio was the second baseman for the Houston Astros, and was constantly covered in dirt and sometimes even blood.

He slid into every base it seemed, stole more bases than I could believe, and captivated my young athletic imagination. So I did what he did, and loved every minute of it. My parents, however, I'm sure did not love the after effects. The sweat, blood, and dirt, and ruined baseball clothes, not to mention permanent stink I introduced to our minivan. 

Fast forward a few years and I traded in my baseball glove and cleats for roller hockey skates...

...aggressive skates, a skateboard, and the baggiest 90s era cool kid clothes I could find. What did not change was the sweat, smells, dirt, and sometimes blood I stained the house and cars with. 

You can even see the ripped up pants in the old hockey card I found. Evidence again that I just didn't, and probably still don't, know how to stop myself from going all out.

And then true love hit: sand volleyball

It was instant. And it was messy. It was a sport where I really could have used something to wear after a day of sun, sand, and LOTS of sweat. 

My poor Honda Civic did what it could to handle the onslaught of sandy and sweat-soaked seats and seatbelt. It was brutal, it was gross, and after every session I would just sit on a towel if I had one, leaned slightly forward in my seat so my back wouldn't touch the seat and soak the fabric seats even further. 

Those long days of beach volleyball were some of the highlights of my life though, no matter how grime-y the after affects. Years later I would do the exact same thing after every workout with friends at Crossfit Terminus in Atlanta.

Sweaty, ruining my Honda (Accord this time), but still having the time of my life and going all out.

Eventually I wound up here, fully bit by the endurance sports bug

It started with triathlon before ultimately settling on road and gravel cycling as my go to sport.

Around the same time as I really started taking cycling seriously, I was also looking for my next company to start. While cruising YouTube for videos on how to improve consultative selling for my day job, I saw Jay Hoovy put on a surf changing poncho on in one of his videos, and it immediately hit me that nothing exists for literally everyone else. 

It hit me like a truck the moment I saw it

... and I immediately ordered one to try during what was a particularly sweltering summer in San Antonio.

The moment after a long ride one Saturday morning when I threw on the cheap changing poncho I got from Amazon, stripped off my riding bibs, and felt immediate, cool, breezy glory flow over me was all I needed. I knew I had to take a shot at this.

So here we are

6 months later, $4k of my own money, and a ton of iterations on prototypes with a local (badass) seamstress here in San Antonio, two product lines (Cloud and Ultra), and three styles (classic, zipper, and Snap). 

You can read more about how Shaka got built on the blog, or check out the product line here.

Thanks for reading! If you have questions or want to chat hit me up at blake@shakaponcho.com

Go wild, y'all.