Camp Season was a good one!
Well we have neglected the blog haven’t we. We shouldn't do that as it is a great platform to give news and updates and keep people in loop as well as using it to give platform and space to others in our community who might have something to say but here we are, first blog post since November.
A few weeks ago we hosted our first camp in Scarbrough which marked the start of our spring ‘camp season’ where we ran four surf camps pretty much in a row in Scarborough and North Devon. When we started doing surf camps in the first place, they were camps, literally. We were in tents and vans and did things outdoors which was amazing, we loved it. The move into houses was a natural one for us, the stress of the weather leading up to the camps, the extra time it takes to shower and set everything up, the amount of excess packing needed to camp felt like it was at risk of diluting the spirit of what we are trying to do with Yonder.
We’ve been doing a lot of thinking about Yonder, aren’t we always! We came up with three words recently that we feel sort of epitomise what we are trying to pass on to our community through our work.
Independence.
Empowerment.
Integration.
We did our first ever surf camp five years ago, it was based off the idea we’d had when we were on a six week trip to Indonesia in about 2013; both still in full time employment, the idea developed over our year long motorbike trip in 2015-2016 and came to fruition on a ‘soft launch’ with friends in 2018.
The idea of the camp initially was to give a supportive space for a small group of women to be immersed in surfing and surfing culture. To essentially open up the way that we surf and spend our time surfing to a small group of other people. Thinking and learning about surfing, talking out surfing, watching surfing, surfing, dreaming about surfing…To have a space where no question was too trivial, where ideas and learning could click into place. For photo and video feedback to help identify and fix issues to accelerate the surfing journey a bit. We never wanted to dilute that with wellbeing, Yoga or anything else, we wanted Yonder to be the place to come for the immersive surf deal. Pure surf, that is our reality, that is what we have to offer.
UK, female only, female coached surf camps were few and far between, if they existed when we started. Now there are more, they are popping up all over the place which is awesome - they work and people like to come on them. That poses the question to us, how does Yonder stay relevant, how do we continue to keep our identity and keep the idea pure and true to Yonder in this ever-changing world? Well, firstly, we are us, warts and all. Our camps are based on our experience as Sally and Tom, our journey through surfing, our outlook and approach to coaching, our equipment, resources and coaching methods.
The direction of thinking that informs the way we coach comes from those three headings above; Independence, Empowerment & Integration.
Independence.
We sat down and asked ourselves how can we develop independence through our coaching. What are the important elements about surfing that we need to teach in order to develop and encourage independence in our clients? What is the most effective way to teach that? We have resources, ideas, points of discussion, pointers, key information and ways of demonstrating this to everyone who comes along tailored to their specific level on their journey in surfing.
Empowerment.
We want all of our clients to come away from our camps feeling empowered. We want to give space for mothers to claim back a piece of themselves, for attendees to feel inspired by the other amazing women they are sharing the experience with. We want to tell and hear stories of women in and out of the sea doing bad-ass stuff. We want to arm our clients with advice regarding etiquette and staying safe, to be knowledgable about the culture and science of surfing, To see allie-ship within the industry and wider culture. We do this through talks and discussions, resources, demonstrations, films and constant dialogue.
Integration.
We believe that ‘women surfing’ isn’t a separate ‘sport’ or activity to surfing. Surfing is surfing, we just haven’t been used to seeing too many women doing it until recently. We want our clients to come away from our camps feeling empowered and independent enough to get out there and integrate into the existing community. I think it’s a testament to our work and our place in British surfing culture that on pretty much every single camp we do, wherever in the country, we know someone nearby who surfs and we have surfed with. We bump into them in car parks, on the street, in the local shop. We want the Yonder camp alumni to feel part of ‘surfing’ as a whole; surfing with men, women, whoever is out there. This integration is the vision of surfing we hold dear as we look into the future of our culture. Individuals who have come through Yonder feeling confident enough in themselves and their experience to paddle out solo and have a place. For twos and threes to explore, to feel welcome, to inspire men and women alike.
No two camps are the same. We have a huge bank of coaching materials, resources, equipment and ideas that we draw upon dependent on the needs and wants of the group and the conditions.
So we surfed, a lot. We laughed, we told stories, we rode skateboards, we sat around a big table and shared home cooked, hearty food. We watched films, shared inspiration. We looked at some slideshows and films and sat around a whiteboard. We explained, explained again, demonstrated, fielded questions, drank some wine, ate some chocolate. It was brilliant, we loved it.
Huge thanks to anyone who contributes to the bits of our camps that make them easier or more luxurious -
Finisterre for hooking us up with socks and bottles for our guests
Good Tempered Chocolate Company for providing that sweet hit when needed
Girls Who Grind Coffee for keeping us caffeinated and always inspired
Yeti for ensuring we have hot drinks on the go.
Photos by Tom Bing.
