Paddle Diva Taking SUP To The Mainstream

LONG ISLAND, New York - In 2009, Gina Bradley founded Paddle Diva, and is taking Stand Up Paddle Boarding to a mainstream female audience. After noticing a gap in the overall development of our sport, she pounced on the opportunity to shepherd female paddlers into the fold, using her experience and knowledge to create an environment that would be both inviting and sustainable over time. She began the business in her home state of New York, offering beginner lessons to small and large groups; leveraging her success and skillset, she’s grown Paddle Diva into a thriving enterprise over time by introducing paddlers to a range of lifestyle benefits that go hand-in-hand with paddling. She now offers intermediate programs that can help paddlers progress, SUP yoga classes, retreats and paddle tours to Puerto Rico and adventure holidays. In many ways, it’s the unsung heroes like Gina that keep stand up paddling thriving. This week we were lucky enough to catch up with her to talk about Paddle Diva, its objectives and her recent appearance on the Bethenny Finkel Show.

Question

What was the inspiration behind starting Paddle Diva?

Answer

Why I first started stand up paddle boarding is pretty basic. My husband, who is a life-time waterman, saw Laird Hamilton paddle boarding back in about 2000 and thought it looked really cool, so he had a board made here on Long Island through one of our local board makers, Nature Shapes. You couldn’t really find boards board back then, so we have one of the first boards that was shaped on Long Island - it was over 11 foot long about 35 inches wide and really heavy. One sunny afternoon, when I first stood up on that paddle board I knew right away, that this was going to be great for women. I’ve been a scuba instructor and a windsurfing instructor;  those sports have such a big learning curve, whereas with paddle boarding it’s something that is very easy to pick up with good instruction. I started with a calm approach to teaching. I knew I was going to be fine at doing it - my big concern was how I was going to get the message out to the masses.

Question

So your background in watersports helped your confidence going into it?

Answer

Absolutely, but it didn’t necessarily make me good at it. What happened is I immediately went online and found videos of Todd Bradley giving lessons on how to paddleboard, and that’s how I learned. So just because you’re an athlete, it doesn’t mean you’ll know how to stand up paddle board - I figured that out pretty quickly on a windy day and realized there is a lot I need to learn about this sport. That was a bit of the inspiration behind Paddle Diva - I found that the sport wasn’t targeting women directly. The videos I watched by Todd Bradley and Laird Hamilton were pretty intimidating and in a lot of lingo that I understood, but I knew a lot of women out there wouldn’t.

Question

How has the response from women in the Long Island New York area been towards Paddle Diva and being introduced to the sport of stand up paddle boarding and its health benefits?

Answer

It’s been a home run, pretty much. Women gravitate towards it, because it seems like a safe environment in which they can learn. The thing about paddle boarding is that you can make it a walk, a jog, a sprint or a serious workout. And that’s what I try to explain to women - it’s in how you train, paddle, and what muscle groups you focus on when you’re in your stroke to get the greatest physical benefits. I really encourage women to come to Paddle Diva - not only for lessons, but for all the continuing education classes and programs. It’s so that they don’t get bored of the sport or disillusioned by it, because if you do right,  it’ll get you into the best shape of your life.

Question

What is the most rewarding aspect of your work and the thing you look forward to every day?

Answer

Taking large beginner groups of women out, who would never have gotten on a board,  out and then giving them the instruction they need and then watching as that initial ten/fifteen minutes of nervousness starts to fade. It’s great to see them all start to paddle as a group, get moving along the water and enjoying it - that’s the most rewarding part of my job.

Question

Can you tell us a bit more about the tours you offer. Where is your favorite SUP destination of all time?

Answer

The winter season is when I lead retreats three times a year to Rincon, where I offer SUP, Yoga and Suring. I lead these trips with a partner Jessica Bellofatto, one of the pioneers in SUP Yoga and the trips are amazing, we have women who come year after year! My favorite SUP destination of all time (at this point) is Rincon, Puerto Rico. That’s where we have a house and tend to go the most. But I’m looking to explore new areas and places, because I think that stand up paddle boarding is so great worldwide that you could go anywhere. Anywhere is my favorite destination - I just need to get to them all.

Question

What’s the best and worst thing about SUP today?

Answer

I think the best thing about stand up paddle boarding today is that it’s finally making the right hand turn towards the female market. And not like a ‘token effort" such as pink boards with flowers on them, but people are actually smartly approaching the women’s market. But I’m not seeing enough of that, so it’s also part of the worst thing. It’s still a man’s world. Right now we’ve got a real moment to capture the women’s market, but women are the hardest people to reach and retain in a watersports marketplace, so if you don’t do it smartly you’ll lose that demographic very quickly. We have a tremendous amount of mainstream attention right now,  I don’t want to lose that momentum and have SUP become the next fad like wind surfing or roller blading, which came and went.

Question

Is there anyone you enjoy following in racing or the world of SUP today?

Answer

To be perfectly honest, no. Because my thing with my clients and business is not to look at the racing world and the messaging around it. I think it’s intimidating and unattainable - because of what it takes to do that. I used to race and I get the thrill of it, but for where I want to take my business I tend not to focus on the races. The one woman I enjoy following and watching is Kristen Thomas, because I think she has a broad view of where paddle boarding can go. I occasionally google her to see what’s going on and have joined her association.

Question

What was it like being on Bethenny Finkel’s show? Was that nerve wracking being on camera?

Gina Bradley, the Paddle Diva, Appears on Bethenny! from Gina Bradley on Vimeo.

Answer

No, my bigger challenge was not the day I took her paddle boarding in the Hudson River - which a lot of people would have been freaked out about, in case she falls or something bad happens. That I knew would go flawlessly. Where I was more nervous was in the studio segment, when I had to put on make-up and wedge shoes. That was way more nerve wracking. But for the most part I felt completely comfortable in front of the camera and a nationwide audience. That didn’t bother me at all. I feel like I need to do more of that to get the message of women and paddle boarding out to a bigger audience. I fortunately had media training during my eight years working in the advertising industry in New York , so I know exactly what to do and what to say. I’ve got a great background in marketing, advertising and I’ve managed to segue that into my business, so that when I do get opportunities like the Bethenny Show, it’s not that much of a struggle for me.

About Paddle Diva

Paddle Diva is dedicated to making stand up paddling, or SUP, accessible to all women, regardless of age, size or athletic ability. We offer terrific SUP lessons for women and are located on the East End of Long Island, NY, servicing the Hamptons and Montauk, Sag Harbor, and the North Fork.

Founded by Gina Bradley in the summer of 2009, Paddle Diva was started on the premise that women are underserved in SUP market. Motivated by her own passion for stand up paddling, Gina started out teaching women in East Hampton, Long Island, and listening to what they wanted from the sport -- and more importantly, from themselves: their bodies, their careers, their hopes for their children and the world around them. Conquering a sport like stand up paddle boarding highlights what a woman can do when she puts her mind to it. Through our leadership and SUP classes, we have helped hundreds of women surpass their own expectations on the water and have encouraged them to commit to their own personal fitness programs.

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