点评:Fantastic morning. Jaunt to Papermill Lock. Lived in Chelmsford since 2002 and first time going there! Won’t be the last.
Met my fellow student Michelle and our instructor Dunc of SUPsect next to his very cool yellow vw camper.
Safety first, we had a thorough briefing, run through the equipment and how to size up the paddle, don the buoyancy aid, carry the board etc etc.
We ported the boards to an elevated platform and were shown how to get on the board, without getting injured or wet!
Off we went on our knees to get used to the boards and the paddles then…….. we got to our feet and were actually stand up paddle boarding!!
We learned how to balance, stop, turn, get back to the knees, stand again.
Now, I did fall in very gracefully (not!) when overreaching on a turn while looking backwards to check if people were behind us (I was not supposed to be looking back!). And falling in was the bit I’d been most worried about. Not because I can’t swim but was worried I wouldn’t be able to get myself back on the board. Dunc was really patient. Talked me through where to put my hands and how to screwkick to get up on the board. Even if the bouyancy aid did try to stick me to the board as I was getting up so needed to lift even higher out of the water.
Fell in again when almost at the end of the lesson. Again managed to get back on, even with a bit of cramp.
I enjoyed it so much and felt like nothing could go wrong as we were given such clear instructions and encouragement.
My face even remembered to show how fantastic it was and how much I loved it at the end! Rather than the look of pure concentration and frowning that I’m sure was evident at the beginning!
And I really feel I can put everything I learned today into practice when I next go out paddling with my pals.
I will definitely keep paddling til I can easily do two locks comfortably and join the meet-ups and become a water womble. I can’t wait.
Thank you so much again Dunc.
It was awesome and highly recommended 🏄🏄♀️🏄♂️
翻译:一个美妙的早晨。我们去了Papermill Lock游玩。我从2002年起就住在切姆斯福德,但这是第一次去那里!不过肯定不会是最后一次。
我在Dunc的那辆超酷的黄色大众露营车旁遇到了我的同学米歇尔以及我们的桨板教练Dunc。
安全第一,我们接受了详细的讲解,熟悉了各种装备,学习了如何挑选合适的桨、如何穿戴浮力衣以及如何携带桨板等等。
之后我们把桨板搬到了一个高处的平台上,还学会了如何在不受伤也不弄湿自己的情况下登上桨板!我们先跪在板上,试图适应板子与桨的使用方式……随后我们站了起来,真的开始进行立式桨板运动了!!
我们学会了如何保持平衡、如何停下、如何转向,还有如何从跪姿重新站起。
不过,有一次我在向后看是否有人跟在后面时,转身动作幅度过大,结果非常“优雅”地摔进了水里(其实一点也不优雅!)。而落水恰恰是我最担心会发生的事。并不是因为我不会游泳,而是担心自己无法重新爬回板上。邓克非常有耐心,一步步指导我手该放在哪里,以及如何用扭身踢的动作重新站上板子。不过当我试图起身时,浮力辅助装置反而把我牢牢吸附在板上,所以我不得不把身体抬得更高才能脱离水面。
快下课的时候我又掉进水里了,但即便有些抽筋,我还是设法重新回到了板上。我乐在其中,感觉一切都会顺利——因为我们得到了非常清晰的指导与鼓励。
最后,我的脸上甚至流露出兴奋与愉悦的神情,显示出这一切有多棒、我有多喜欢!而不再是开头时那种全神贯注、皱着眉头的样子了。
我真心觉得,下次和朋友们一起去划桨时,一定能把今天学到的一切运用出来。我一定会坚持练习划水,直到能轻松顺利地通过两个船闸为止。那样我就能参加聚会,成为一名“水上达人”啦!我简直等不及了。
再次衷心感谢你,邓克。这次体验太棒了,强烈推荐给大家!🏄🏄♀️🏄♂️