It was a beautiful night on Lake Champlain for the outdoor education event, Last Summer SUP clinic and tour, with Paddlesurf Champlain. A group of enthusiastic SheJumpers even made the trip from Plattsburgh, New York to join our session! Jason Starr, owner of Paddlesurf Champlain, provided the perfect clinic to give us the SUP basics, and get us ready for the steady south wind blowing on the main body of the lake.
After practicing our paddling form on shore, we took to the calm waters in the Oakledge cove, where we put three different, key paddle strokes into action, and worked on our transitions from a kneeling position to standing on the board. By luck alone, we also practiced how to get back on your board after “going for a swim.” It was a cinch!
With a steady headwind, we paddled south into the main lake and practiced our paddle strokes, keeping the board moving straight and navigating choppy waters. Everybody loves a tailwind and we had a stellar one on our paddle back to shore! Getting into a “surfing or skateboard stance,” we surfed our boards on the waves and cruised back to land.
Thanks to Jason Starr and Paddlesurf Champlain for a tremendous tour and clinic. We can’t wait to do it again next year! Thanks to the SheJumpers who jumped into SUP with us! They crushed it!
Photo Credit: Eric Hoffman and Jason Starr