At Broadways Meadows, just outside Loughborough, a recent #ShePaddles event took place. This event was aiming to get women from the East Midlands onto the water and enjoying the sport. Making use of Paddle UK’s launch point and land on the River Soar, there was plenty going on over the weekend. 

Different crafts for people to have a go on filled the small field. As well as a few trade stands for people to chat to shops about kit, paddles, and crafts. A whole range of coaches were about for the weekend too. They were delivering sessions on paddleboarding, paddle skills, freestyle, and much more. 

One such coach was Sophie Macken. The 13 year old freestyle paddler was excited to share her love for the sport with other women. Sophie is the youngest member of the GB freestyle squad, so really knows her stuff! Check out what Sophie had to say about her weekend’s coaching.

“A while ago, I got asked to coach an intro to freestyle session with the amazing Becky Green for a #ShePaddles weekend. This made me so happy that they would even consider me for this and I instantly started thinking about what I could coach and how I would lay this out. 

When I got there on Sunday I was greeted by many eager paddlers who all wanted to hear about Becky and I, and learn all about freestyle. After a lot of chatting, we finally started getting people on the water. Some were more nervous than others however they all absolutely smashed it. I loved being able to coach such lovely people. Thank you to Becky for being such a wonderful coach. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do it without her!”

You can learn more about #ShePaddles, and keep up to date with the movements ongoings, by checking out the Paddle UK website.