PVL is furthering its tradition of honoring women in sports through recent partnership with Olympic beach volleyball silver medalist, Brandie Wilkerson.
To maintain peak condition and performance, many professional athletes use natural supplements. However, not all natural supplement brands are created equal. Many contain impurities, fillers, or other questionable ingredients.
For Brandie Wilkerson – the current women’s World Beach Volleyball Silver Medalist and first and only black woman in history to represent Canada in beach volleyball at the Olympics – ensuring her supplements are safe, clean, and free of any banned substances is critical.
That’s what drove her recent decision to partner with Pure Vita Labs (PVL), a Canadian leader in the sports supplements industry. The BC-based firm will be Brandie’s Official Protein Partner for the 2023 qualifying season.
Aside from being 100% natural, with no artificial flavours, colours, or sweeteners, the entire PVL product line is designated as “Informed Choice Consent” meaning each one has been tested and vetted for banned substances by the world class anti-doping lab, LGC. Brandie will be using PVL’s Natural Series Collection to help fuel her quest for Olympic gold at the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Games. “What I love about PVL Natural Series is they are high quality ingredients backed by Informed Choice, so they are safe for athletes to use while training and competing,” says Brandie.
Through this partnership, PVL is not only providing Brandie with the products she needs to be her best, but also signalling its leadership and commitment to honouring women in sport. “As the most followed Canadian beach volleyball player on social media, Brandie is a recognized voice that builds relationships of influence with young athletes. She’s a shining example and an inspiration to other women, both in and out of sports,” says Ian Bell, Director of Brand Strategy & Innovation at PVL.
Q&A
Brandie Wilkerson
World Champion silver medalist
What inequities did you face as a women in sports? How did this change, if at all, when you went professional?
My inequities in sport mainly came from growing up in a low income neighbourhood as an immigrant family to Canada where opportunities to play organized sports at a high level wasn’t available or prioritized. Luckily I grew up with an amazing community of friends and family that maintain a healthy and social lifestyle to allow me to make connections and open doors. In my younger years I’ve had coaches that believed in my capabilities in sport literally drive me to events, buy new equipment, or encourage me to pursue higher levels teams. Coming from a family of athletes being a woman in sport was never considered a barrier to success in that field and instead I was taught how to be strong and overcome any challenge I face with integrity and grace.
I’ve grown a lot since becoming professional and have earned ways to relieve some of the financial barriers I faced as a youth. That’s what it is integral for me to give back to the community, specially where I grew up in a densely BIPOC community. My co-founder and I started Project Worthy Scholarship to award to eligible upcoming athletes in Canada so that access to sport is available to all.
Outside of that I am extremely proud to play in one of the few sports that pay both genders equally. This I believe feeds into the deep respect and appreciation for the game in both the men and women’s abilities to be the best in the world at beach volleyball. I am SO excited to see how fast this sport is growing, most especially for young women.
Why is it important for you to represent brands like PVL?
PVL is important for me for multiple reasons. Firstly, being a Canadian brand it’s extra meaningful to be supported by the people I get to represent on the world stage. That honour and making this country proud is a part of the unwavering commitment I have to my goals in beach volleyball. On top of that, I truly trust PVL’s products. With my body being the only equipment, I have to play in this sport — how I train and what I put into it to support the hours of daily training is monumental.
Having the peace of mind that I am getting the nutritional supplements I need that are essential for building strength and longevity as well as a clean product so I am playing the game fair and equal is so important to me. PVL is a innovative and dynamic brand that is considering all aspects of what it means to live a healthy lifestyle and that is something I will get behind of both on and off the sand.
What advice can you give to girls and young women who are struggling to find their place/voice in the sport environment (play, work, etc)?
While I could never truly know what each individual woman’s struggle would feel like, I can empathize that sometimes things just don’t feel fair. But that is a part of reality that I’ve chosen to shift my perspective on and instead use my energy to focus on my uniqueness, my story, my truth, my divine feminine energy, and the beauty and indescribable strength of a woman – I allow that to speak through my movements and my game while I play.
Whether you’re involved in sport or simply looking to enhance your exercise and fitness routine, PVL has an array of products to meet your needs. Learn more at PVL.com
Looking to dial in your conditioning for the upcoming summer season? Check out PVL’s Summer Shape Up Program! They’ve got custom male and female training programs to get you primed for the playing field, beach and beyond! Get the guide HERE:
