Inside the ESPYs with Katie Austin

The SI Swimsuit model takes us along to the famed ESPN Sports Awards.

Last week my life truly felt like a movie. A few days after walking on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit runway with my mom during Miami Swim Week, I walked the red carpet and sat front row with my entire family at the 2022 ESPYs in Los Angeles.

My family is everything to me, so being able to share these two incredible experiences with them is something I will cherish forever. I feel so grateful to be able to do these things, especially with my family. So I wanted to give you guys a little behind-the-scenes view of our ESPYs experience, because it truly was one for the books!

Katie Austin and Denise Austin attend the 2022 ESPYs at Dolby Theatre on July 20, 2022 in Hollywood, California. 

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

So let’s set the scene. The official hotel for the event was the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt, located in the heart of L.A., right on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Hollywood stars like Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin would often frequent the Roosevelt. The ESPYs took over the entire hotel, so it was truly an immersive experience from the moment we woke up to when we stepped on the red carpet later that afternoon.

My mom and I got ready together, bringing our incredible glam team to the hotel with us. We sipped champagne, listened to music, ordered room service and enjoyed every minute of our time together as we got ready for the evening.

Here are some of the things I do to get ready for a red carpet:

• Usually on a random Wednesday, I would be doing a longer workout, but I needed to save up my energy for the long day/night ahead of me, so I decided to do a 10-minute de-stress yoga routine.This is one of my favorites! It gets my body moving but doesn’t require too much energy.
• Before I get to glam, I always do a Clarins face mask just to make sure my face is hydrated before I put on a ton of makeup.
• I always drink a ton of water!
• I love to finish my look with Anastasia Shimmer Body Oil because it gives such a nice glow in pictures.

Katie Austin getting ready for the ESPYs.

Katie Austin

For my outfit, I went with this really fun, asymmetrical cut-out Tulum Dress from Bronx and Banco. When I first tried the dress on, it was quite revealing, but I thought I would put an athletic spin on it and add some shorts underneath which I loved because it was a sports awards show!.

To see Stephen Curry host such a major award show, in real life, was so awesome! We’ve known the Currys for such a long time, and they are all so kind—more so than you would expect! My dad represents Stephen Curry but you might have not known that he also represented his dad, Dell Curry. The favorite athlete I met and talked to at the event was Eileen Gu, the Chinese freestyle skater. She carries herself so well and is so talented, so incredible and she’s so young!

P.S. I’m pretty sure my mom asked every athlete and celebrity we met that night if they saw us walking the runway at the Sports Illustrated Swim show the weekend before.! And we even got to see one of our Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover models Ciara present the Pat Tillman Service Award at the ESPYs.

Russell Wilson and Ciara attend the 2022 ESPYs at Dolby Theatre on July 20, 2022 in Hollywood, California. 

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Denise Austin meets Lil Wayne on the red carpet at the ESPYs.

Katie Austin

About the Series

Tune in every week and get tips to feel your best from Katie Austin herself. "I am beyond excited to announce the official launch of my weekly column in SI Swim, Katie’s Column. For those who don’t know me, I’m a fitness personality, creator of my own workout app (check it out here!) and host of my newly released Snapchat Originals and YouTube show called Healthy Hacks!! On top of that, I’m a 2022 SI Swim ROOKIEEEEE!!!!" says Austin.

"I want to bring you guys into my lifestyle. Each week, I’ll be sharing the best healthy recipes, free workouts, lifestyle tips, relationship advice and so much more! I want to bring you weekly positivity by sharing my accessible and realistic tips for you to feel like your best self every. single. freaking. day!"