SWPS 2025 Report
Fantastic weather - if not much water! - for the Scottish Women's Paddle Symposium at Glenmore Lodge this past weekend.
The event took place over the weekend of 16-18 May with nearly 100 female paddlers participating. A variety of workshops were on offer as well as a packed weekend of socialising and cake!
In the words of one of the organisers, Emy McLeod:
"SWPS is such an amazing weekend for all paddle abilities, so many workshops on offer - there is something for everyone! It is inspiring to see returning participants and the growth they have had over the years in their paddling. However, it is more than the paddling to some of our participants, it is the meeting of new people, the community of paddlers and having a safe space to share their anxieties in paddling - working together as a group to develop skills, push confidence and celebrate the breakthrough moments!
As a coach it is also inspiring to be working alongside such a strong team of female coaches and aspiring coaches. The biggest female paddling even in the UK - this is to be very proud to be a part of.
Thank you once again for an amazing weekend - thank you to the participants, Paddle Scotland, all the brands & sponsors and finally a big shout out to Glenmore Lodge, our host venue!"
Julia Darby, also on the organising committee, said:
"An absolute highlight for me on Saturday was seeing Lorna Ahlquist kayaking on Loch Morlich, 2 years and 2 months after a horse riding accident left her paralysed from the chest down. Before her accident Lorna had been a very active member of Toward Seasports Club where I coach. Some of her last kayaking prior to her accident was as a “guinea pig” on sea leader assessments. She loved being out on the water.
Karen and Maddy [Jenning]'s knowledge, expertise, and willingness to put time into working out solutions is priceless. The time they spent in the pool on Sunday looking at rescues with Lorna was invaluable. I hope they realise how much their work is appreciated.
Becoming involved in the SWPS Organising Committee over the last year has also given me more insight into how much work goes into the event and how amazing the female Scottish paddling community is!
My role at SWPS this year was as an assistant coach to Kag Gannon with the Sea Safety and Rescue group. I met Kag for the first time at CVC this year and was looking forward to working with her as it’s clear there is masses I can learn from her. We worked with three lovely women, each of whom expressed a degree of trepidation on Saturday morning. Over the two days on the water there were so many positives. If I had to pick just one highlight it was seeing each member of the group do a great job executing an assisted landing through surf onto a lovely sandy beach where we stopped for lunch.
I’m currently a Sea Leader and Sheltered Water Coach. I completed training for moderate water Sea Kayak Coach last year. Coming from a small club with only a very small number of sheltered water coaches and sea leaders I know that I the opportunity to learn from and assist excellent established coaches is particularly helpful as I progress towards assessment. Being given the role of assistant coach at SWPS has certainly been beneficial to me and I hope to build on this further."
One other notable event over the weekend was the thank you given to departing Paddle Scotland staff member and leader on the SWPS organising team, Lara Cooper. Lara has played a huge role in SWPS over the years and will be sorely missed but we wish her all the best on her future adventures!
HIGHLIGHTED EVENTS
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