The 2010 Boaterchick Fest

Women's Beginner Playboating Clinic, Photo courtesy Jen Shearer

This past weekend was the third annual Boaterchick Fest. This is a fest for women, although men are welcome, to help increase the amount of women in whitewater, help these women develop their paddling skills, and provide a network for these women to support and help each other grow throughout the year. The festival takes place in the Nantahala Gorge and includes clinic that are taught on the Nantahala, Ocoee, and Cheoah rivers.

The three main women who work the hardest to make this fabulous festival possible are Anne Connolly, the festival coordinator, Salli Katz, the sponsorship coordinator, and Amanda Gettler, the website designer. You see these women everywhere throughout the duration of the festival and they work super hard to make sure everything goes smoothly, and you can believe they are incredible at it!

This year there were many awesome instructors for playboating, river- running, and creeking clinics on all of the closest rivers. This year also saw the most registrants that Boaterchick Fest has had. Both men and women came to the fest and enjoyed everything that it had to offer: clinics, yummy food, swag, door prizes, silent auction, live music, free beer.... need I say more?

This year I lead 2 clinics: beginner playboating on the Nanty, that had 9 participants, and a creeking clinic at Nanty Falls. These girls were awesome! They tried every skill I showed them and practiced those skills their way down the river. I was so impressed at the way those girls were so enthusiastic, energetic, and willing to try each skill over and over, no matter how complicated or intimidating the skill.

At the end of the day there was a beginner playboating comp at the NOC wave in which the girls could get in and show off their skills.

The BCF does a great job at promoting the ideals of women in paddlesports and paddlesports in general. A big thanks to everyone, guys and girls, for making this fest successful, thanks to all of the clinic instructors and safety boaters, and a very special thanks to Anne Connolly whose hard work made the fest happen in the first place.