"I can't ride a skateboard'

I've heard it all before! To be honest I'm a strong believer in our thoughts creating our reality, so if you are always telling yourself you can't do something - then you probably never will. Change your thoughts, it can change your reality and it's amazing what you can achieve if you want to!

On that note, I absolutely love seeing people achieve what they thought was impossible for them. I have adults getting off the boards with the biggest grins on their faces saying "This is my new profile photo, no one will ever believe I just did this, it was awesome!" 

I thought I'd compile a list of before and after comments, here's a couple that I remember, I'll add to this as I get more....

From adults.....

"I cant ride a skateboard" turned to "Oh my god, that was way easier than I thought!"

"I have no balance, I'm sure I'll fall off" turned to "Wow, these boards are super stable, I'm going to bring my kids next time"

"My friends will never believe I'm doing this, do you have safety gear" turned to "I'm going to post this all over facebook!"

From kids.....

"I can't ride a skateboard" turned to "I'm going to ask Santa for a skateboard!"

"I don't want to do this" turned to "Do you do birthday parties"

I'm sure there have been many more, I will start to write down the good ones to share with you all!

OSHC and Vacation Care - BOOK NOW for 2018!

As a teacher, I don't get paid in the school holidays. I have worked within the department for 10 years and this has always been the way. I knew I needed to create a way to earn money during the breaks. One day, a friend hand-balled me a heap of giant board games, sumo suits and belly bumpers. The gear was not mine, I was merely the caretaker! Vacation Care Programs and councils contacted a booking agent, who contacted me with gig details. It was perfect.

Over time, the things we had started to age. I kept my eyes and ears peeled for new and exciting options that I could add to the collection. Then, Street SUP Adelaide was born.

It seemed like the perfect 'new thing' to launch in to schools and school holidays programs! Even better, I could do it all year round as the wheels and stoppers are rubber and won't scratch gym floors. YEP! You heard right, this can be tailored to a large flat indoor space!

Too good to be true!

So here I am, currently taking bookings for the 2018 School Holidays. 

Unfortunately I can't take photos of the kids to show you how much fun they have, so you'll just have to take my word for it ;)

Where did this all begin?

Check out this vid to see where Land Paddling all began! 

I could write all about it, but everything you need to know is visually above these words!

Conquering limiting beliefs....

I hear it all the time "Oh that looks fun, but I couldn't do it", "I'd fall off and hurt myself" or the classic, "I'm too old".

As a school teacher my passion has always been health and wellbeing or social and emotional learning. Maybe it's because I wasn't very resilient as a child!

I see something everyday that breaks my heart. Children with limiting beliefs. They're so young, yet have already decided to believe that they're not strong enough or good enough to achieve (sometimes even the smallest thing).  

Here at Street SUP Adelaide it's no different. Just this morning, before the kids even got on the boards, I had some telling me they couldn't do this or the board was too big or their stick was too short.... I hadn't even opened my mouth about the session or told them what it was all about.

Giving up on something before they've even tried. Our minds get the better of us and we manage to convince ourselves we can't do things BEFORE WE EVEN ATTEMPT THEM!  It's insane!

Lets be honest, it's not only children who do it - but even us big kids were little kids once and this belief started somewhere!

Needless to say, all the Yankalilla YOSHC kids   absolutely nailed it today, they ALL ACHIEVED! Some of the older kids were turning so well they were doing laps and almost figure 8s around the court!

But being a #oshc I can't show you their faces..... So you just get to see me 🙏

"What is it that you really want to do but think you can't?" Give it a go, you might just surprise yourself!

Four parents, four sons ....

What a couple of adventurous families!  

I got a message from Steph saying she'd love some vouchers for Christmas. Of course i obliged and made some up!  

Families who play together, stay together!

In true form, there were some hesitations from some, and a 'let's do this' fire in the belly from others! 

We put on safety equipment of various kinds and ran through the skills and safety of riding. We had a play on the picturesque esplanade at Henley before we ventured south towards the little inclines and declines and the summer crowds! 

With their Stand Up Paddle Boarding skills and a few skaters in the group, these guys absolutely nailed it. Smiles don't lie! The coffee and icecream was well deserved!  

The gang (minus one who tried not to smile until he got icecream - although he did, I didn't catch it on camera!) 

There's that smile Kyle! 

Great work guys!

Life is best lived, one adventure at a time :) 

This beautiful day...

What a great morning for a ride. The girls were keen and there were smiles all round.

After a bit of instruction and a play, we hit the scenic beach path from Grange through Henley. 

We had to stop for icecream and to have a chat and a rest. But even those who were wobbly at the start felt confident by now. I absolutely love seeing people trying and achieving new things. What a beautiful world to be in :)

Plenty of people stopped and watched us ride past. It's not the norm to see Stand Up Paddlers on the concrete, but it's awesome! 

Want to stay dry?!

I don't know about you, but the shark alarm has been going off for days. It doesn't stop me from getting in the water, but if you would rather not, then SUP on the streets where the sharks won't get you!

It actually takes no great skills to master it and you don't need to be anywhere near the coast to get that SUP feeling. You can take it inland, to a landlocked location and still cruise around! 

No need to find your wet-suit, buy roof racks or carry a huge board across the samd to the beach, you can do it around your own neighbourhood!

Meet some awesome humans!

Smashing comfort zones!

I had a group of gutsy women come out for a ride. Their friend didn't tell them what they were in for, and they all accepted the challenge. Two of them had never even been on a skateboard before.

They were hesitant at the start but then the smiles grew larger and larger, they relaxed and started to enjoy. It's so brilliant to watch people achieve things they didn't think was possible in such a short amount of time.

How I discovered Street SUP!

i have run random school holiday clinics and sessions for the past 10 years. When I say random, I mean random. I've had sumo suits, giant inflatable belly bumpers and over sized board games (just to name a few!) In my spare time, I am a keen Stand Up Paddler and Kiter, rookie snowboarder and I just generally love getting outdoors, having fun and living life.

I saw 'Land Paddling' online and I thought it'd be a great addition to the school holidays. So I started running vacation care programs. As an ex-tour leader, the idea has  slowly morphed to adult sessions and is heading towards the team building market and backpackers!

A cross between a traditional longboard and a SUP, the extra point of contact gives you the stability that you miss when you need to kick with your foot and balance on one leg. The benefit of this, is that it makes longboarding accessible to all ad it gives you an upper body workout. I hate the gym, so this is exercising without the boredom of running or doing the traditional gym stuff!

I love seeing people achieve things they tell me they can't. I often hear "I can't skateboard" as I set up for a session. I tell them that they don't need to worry as this is even easier and they often leave saying "I want a longboard for Christmas!" 

I want to encourage people to step outside of their comfort zones and have fun. It's so important to not take life too seriously and to laugh a little (or a lot!)

For those who have no trouble trying new things, then this is just another activity to add to your collection. It's a great core workout and it's fun. 

Bring your mates along, give me a buzz and organise a group session today.