GAP Mission Statement
Girls at Play LLC is dedicated to inspiring women and enhancing their lives through kayaking and yoga retreats, classes and trips. Girls at Play workshops, instructional tools and accessories provide an environment where kayaking feels accessible, fun, inspiring, adventurous and supportive. Join in the fun and open up to the new possibilities that await you! Call us now at 828..333.4482.
Our Amazing, Creative, Talented Staff!
Founder/Director Anna Levesque
Anna Levesque is a world-class paddler and instructor dedicated to enhancing the lives of women through kayaking, yoga and travel. Anna’s fifteen-plus years of experience as an accomplished international 
competitor, instructor and guide has placed her as the leading expert in her field. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance, having had a steady practice for over ten years and having completed over 300 hours of yoga teacher training.
As an athlete Anna was a member of the Canadian Freestyle Kayak Team from 1999 to 2003 and earned a bronze medal at the Freestyle World Championships in 2001. She placed in the top 3 in several freestyle competitions and extreme races during that time and has paddled in over 10 countries around the world.
Anna combines her expertise in kayaking with her experience as a yoga instructor, a student of meditation and personal transformation to provide a holistic, empowering experience for her students.
She resides with her husband, accomplished paddler Andrew Holcombe, in Asheville, NC. Join her for a paddling and yoga retreat, class or trip and open up to the infinite possibilities that await you!
Mary Frances Hansford
The summer of 2007 Mary Frances and some friends rafted the Ocoee, where she was inspired by the skilled kayakers in the water and decided she needed to be one of them. The next June she took a class
with the Birmingham Canoe Club, where she was living at the time, and was hooked. She loved the people, the escape, the exercise and the adventure kayaking had to offer. Summer of 2009 Mary Frances met Anna
and had the opportunity to paddle with her and take a day of private instruction with her. She loved Anna’s style of teaching, her energy and outlook on life. About a year later, she realized that she no
longer wanted to be living in Birmingham doing advertising and determined to pursue opportunities in Atlanta. Taking advantage of the transition, she traveled to Mexico with Girls At Play in February of 2010. There she was continuously inspired by Anna, Mil and all of the other women on the trip and decided to make her personal passions; kayaking and yoga, a profession. Back in the US she immediately signed up for and was certified as a Wilderness First Responder. She recently moved to Asheville where she works with Girls At Play in marketing, sales and instruction, and hits the water as much as possible.
Besides kayaking and travel, Mary Frances loves doing yoga, laughing, running, dancing, making art, doing graphic design, and music.
Emily Shanblatt
Born and raised in East Lansing, Michigan, Emily did not discover her love for whitewater kayaking until she moved to the Southeast in 2006 to attend Warren Wilson College. She was introduced to whitewater paddling through a NOLS (National 
Outdoor Leadership School) course where she canoed the Rio Grande for 14 days. After dedicating herself to kayaking in 2007, she also began instructing, and focused on getting more women involved in the sport. In 2010, she won the Southeastern collegiate championships, and placed 2nd in the collegiate national competition. She double majored in Outdoor Leadership and Chemistry, and hopes to someday merge these two interests.
Em doesn’t think there is a better way to spend a day than on a beautiful river with friends. She sees kayaking as one of the most positive forces in her life. Her favorite aspect of kayaking is the notion of merging talents and skills with a river’s natural flow to work with gravity and the forces of water. When she’s not paddling, Em enjoys mountain biking, skiing, playing the piano, and is a devoted Vipassana meditator.
For eleven consecutive years she attended/worked at an all-girls wilderness adventure summer camp, providing her with countless transformative experiences with other women, and growing her passion for empowerment and discovery in the outdoors. She finds experiences with other women to be not only rewarding and revealing, but fun and inspirational as well. Combining her love for kayaking and women’s specific activities, working with Girls At Play is truly a dream come true!
Millissa Martin
After being born and raised in the busy city of Toronto, Canada, Mil found a refreshing passion in whitewater. Since completing the WILD (Whitewater Intensive Leadership Development) program in 2005 she has been traveling the world sharing her love and enthusiasm for the whitewater world.
When Mil started kayaking, she found it challenging to let go of control and be compassionate with herself. She was grateful that her teachers were, and still are, amazingly supportive of her on the water. These experiences inspire Mil to give back the way her teachers gave to her. There is nothing that makes her more proud than seeing a new kayaker challenge and push themselves in new ways.
She has been working with Girls At Play in Mexico for 4 years and has witnessed many women challenged and transformed. During the Summers Mil dedicates her time to a non-profit kayaking camp called First Descents. First Descents helps share the thrill of kayaking with young adult cancer survivors. The FD Camps are yet another way for her to encourage people to go for it. She is a certified WFR, SRT and Kayak instructor.
As anyone who has paddled with Mil knows, she has a passion for life, for laughter and, of course, for dancing all night long! Mil’s empathy, compassion and joy on and off the river is infectious and inspiring!
In the Beginning
The process of creating Girls at Play began one sunny morning on the shores of the Ottawa River as I thumbed through a recently published instructional kayaking book. I really enjoyed the great instruction, beautiful pictures and layout, but was disappointed that there were only two photos of female kayakers.
I ranted a bit to my boyfriend (now husband) who suggested that I write my own instructional book for women if I wasn’t happy with the ones that already existed. I liked the idea, but the magnitude of the project was a little overwhelming. How would I fund it? Who would edit it? Is the kayaking industry ready for a women’s specific resource? It was a lot to ponder.
I decided that a video would be less time consuming than a book. I asked around to find out if women would be interested in seeing an instructional video made specifically for women. The response was overwhelmingly positive. I decided to pursue the project finding support at Helipress and securing the sponsorship funds I needed to start.
The rest is history. The Girls at Play Summer Tour followed, then workshops, adventure trips to Mexico and more DVDs. The process continues today with new ideas and new projects continually flowing. I feel grateful and honored to be on this continually evolving path of teaching kayaking and inspiring women to surpass what they believe is possible. I’m also very grateful to all of the sponsors, supporters and wonderful women who make it all possible.
