For more information on the Wild Women SUP Symposium 2023 , head over to www . barrachoupaddle . com
So the project was born ;
we need to fast forward a few years ! The weekend had arrived , and 30 ladies signed up . We were ready to charge up the Scottish lochs armed with our t-shirts provided by our chief supporter , the ASI academy of surfing instructors .
I reached out to five instructors with slightly different themes and areas of paddle expertise . The wonderful thing about instructing is that most instructors have something a little different to add that can improve one ’ s paddling .
The instructor roster was comprised of Leanne Bird , who took the SUP fitness and mobility sessions ; Samantha Rutt , running paddling turns and techniques ; Emy Mcleod running the SUP confidence sessions ; Jess Philips , who ran the river SUP session ; and finally , that gave workshops on SUP expeditions .
Weekend ’ s Programme
After the Friday night meet and greet , we were all ready to go . All the sessions were based at Loch Beinn a ’ Mheadhoin , a Loch that runs West to East , with a few in-Loch Peninsulas scattered around that help give a bit of protection from the furious Scottish wind , except the River SUP .
The first session was with recent world record holder Samantha Rutt , fresh off her Irish Sea crossing . The theme for her workshops was to break down the paddle technique and turns for the paddler , going into the bio-mechanical processes that hinder or help our turns . Once the theory was nailed , paddlers moved to the water and , before long , were nailing their step-back turns ; as the session moved on , the improvement level improved , with paddlers spinning their paddleboards around like heroes !
Emy Mcleod ’ s sessions centred on gaining confidence on the water ; the weekend was based on multiple skill levels , from beginners to those who had a few miles under their belt . This session allowed those new to the sport to gain confidence in their paddling , getting their body position correct and their weight evenly distributed , aspects of paddling often bypassed with the eagerness to get onto the water . At the end of both sessions , very few ladies fell in or remained on their knees ! A testament to the success of the sessions !
Hidden around the corner in a serene and protected bay was the Leanne Bird ; her sessions focus on fitness and mobility in SUP paddling . The session proved successful , judging from the level of laughs and the general sounds of ladies pushing themselves to the next level . We sometimes forget that SUP paddling is a sport ; to get the most out of it , you need a level of fitness , especially in paddling in the conditions Scotland throws at you !
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