So Im sat here on the sofa recovering from a 4 day coaching holiday in North Wales. I wonder what the girls who were actually doing all the kitesurfing are thinking/doing.
The trip was for 4 days only and it was the first of the Girl Only Holidays that I embarked on. I had Johara Sykes Davies coaching too and 5 very determined girls all with very different backgrounds.
When the forecast came through none of us could believe our luck as after a quiet few weeks on the water the forecast finally changed. I seriously thought someone was playing a joke. 20-25mph and 100% sunshine for the whole duration of the trip! I didn’t think it could be true! However it was!
The girls were all at a range of levels starting with riding along but not staying upwind, then next girls were trying toeside, the next on from that was jumping, then rotations and finally the last but not least girl was going for unhooked tricks. There were two coaches to make up for the variation of levels and it worked really well.
The coaching varies between hanging out on the beach and giving tips while the kite is in the air. Alternatively one of the girls might be asked to land her kite while something more complicated was explained.
A lot of the sessions were filmed, so video playback was a large feature and sometimes the videos could be shown between breaks on the beach so that they can see what they were doing right or wrong straight away.
Evening times were spent recovering, stretching, eating, drinking and laughing our socks off at each others fortunes and mishaps! The sunsets were incredible and we were even able to squeeze in a bbq at one great sunset.
On the final day the wind eased off which was fortunate for everyone’s aching muscles. It gave us an opportunity to practise self landing and self launching and how to deal with your kite if you become unhooked (accidentally or on purpose)! Always useful info, but perhaps not what you want to be thinking of when the sun is shining and the water white capping. It was a perfect relaxed ending to a fast paced long weekend!
Altogether there was 4 fun packed days of kitesurfing on the trot. 7 girls from all over the country and a hell load of kiting madness! Was brilliant coaching you all and thank you to Johara for working so hard!!
Next up are my short burst sessions! Portland 14/15th May! Ive ordered the wind and the sunshine, watch out its going to be bomber!!
