Sensi Graves waxes lyrical about the importance of woman’s kiteboarding; it’s explosive growth and how girls only kite camps can really improve your riding!

Sensi Graves talks about the power of girls within our sport coming together to help each other improve their riding. 

The debate about the representation of women versus men in sports has been writ large in the last few years. While leaps and bounds have been made over the last few decades, inequalities still exist. Media outlets still disseminate more photos, videos and interviews with male athletes than female ones. Women are still enduring the “sex sells” debate and female athletes are still fighting for equal pay. Despite the challenges, there has been a boom in female-driven events and women have become more acknowledged and represented in many arenas; from surfing to mountain biking to the WNBA.

For the reasons mentioned above, there is still work to be done.  Mutual equality may be the name of the game, but supporting women while we scramble for the top is still about growing our internal network and empowering women within our sport. One of the ways in which I believe we can empower more women and increase accessibility is through female-specific camps. And while you may be thinking, isn’t the separation of women counter productive to enhancing a “we’re just as good as the guys” mentality, here’s why I believe exclusivity for women’s camps is not only ok, but necessary for the growth of our sport. It revolves around three aspects: the benefits of relatable group learning, the supportive environment it fosters and the network it builds.

This March, I had the opportunity to run one such camp of my own.  Motivated by a lack of other opportunities for women to progress past the beginner stage in kiteboarding, Colleen Carroll and I organised a women’s intermediate kiteboarding retreat in El Cuyo, Mexico. Besides being an absolute blast, the women’s camps offered us a peek into the interesting dynamics that exist in how the fairer sex learns and confirmed my suspicions that sometimes the next best step in your progression is booking yourself with a group of driven and fiery females. Read on for those reasons why!

Monkey see, monkey do.

Learning kiteboarding in a group setting is super beneficial. The most apparent reason is that you get to watch another student try, fail and try again at the same things you are struggling with. It allows for encouragement among the participants and incorporates various means of teaching, especially visual.

I’ve found group learning to be especially effective with an all-female group. Despite the equality we push for, the fact remains that men and women are built differently, learn differently and have different levels of chemicals streaming through our bodies (affecting us in all sorts of ways!).

I’ve experienced the need for female-drive progression often during my kite career. When you’re the only woman on the water that day, it’s easy to dismiss what the men are doing.  It’s easy to think, “Oh wow, look at what they’re doing! But they’re way better than I am, I can’t do that.” It’s easy for me to rely on my own skill level and ignore the progression of my male peers because I have an excuse-they’re not as relatable. While riding with my female peers, I’m pushed to identify with the group around me. I can watch them do something and feel inspired by it- If she can do it, I can do it. It feels one thousand times more accessible.

Colleen and I often find this when we ride together. We’re of a similar skill level and can inspire and support each other on the water. During our week in Mexico, I noticed the same thing. The women were inspired by one another, a lot!

Support is the name of the game.

The fact remains, there are more men than women that kiteboard and intimidation in trying something new, no matter your sex, is a real thing. The idea behind all-female run events is that you’re removing as much intimidation as possible. The focus with many of these women-only events is the sense of inclusion and support you provide. Identifying the group or camp as all-female gives the group something to bond over (girls rule!) and enhances the idea that we’re all there to support one another.

During our time in Mexico, we asked the women to name one thing they were good at and one thing they wanted to improve. Then out on the water, we’d hear them yelling at one another to try something new and encouraging each other. Every evening during our camp, all of the girls would get together for dinner, margaritas and a re-living of the day’s events. We’d listen as the girls gushed over what they were trying that day. Groups bond over shared circumstances and kiteboarding camps ensure a communal attitude of mental and physical exhaustion, a sense of adventure, a humbling experience and profound satisfaction. The camaraderie that the camp provides serves as both a unique experience and an accelerator for learning.

Supporting these women on an individual level by identifying her strengths, improving upon her weaknesses and setting goals and then bringing her into the group as a whole buoys her confidence and really sets her up for success.

Grow the network!

As a female rider, I only want to see more and more women join this beloved sport of mine. Women’s specific events provide an opportunity for that. They provide a place for support, an opportunity for inclusion and an enhanced learning environment.

At the end of the week, the group was beyond sad to leave, but they left with more than a tan. They left with a network to reach out to. They left with friends to support and rely on and encourage them. They left with inspiration to improve their kiteboarding and an infectious enthusiasm for the sport. If that doesn’t help get more people into kiteboarding, I don’t know what will.

In conclusion, women’s camps are bad-ass ways to boost confidence, progress learning and empower the individual. Women’s camps offer a haven for collaboration and learning within the broader kiteboarding arena, and it’s ok to admit that.

While the equal rights debate continues to rile the media, it’s ok to admit that men and women are different and it’s ok to have sex-specific events. The point is it’s not about exclusion; it’s about empowerment and inclusion. It’s about setting yourself up for success Sometimes that means admitting that women’s camps are beneficial. By no means does this mean we aren’t as talented or as driven or as good (don’t even get me started) as the opposite sex, it simply means that acknowledging our differences is ok and bonding within a group and supporting that group is even better. Community is about building a support network. We’re working towards that, one margarita infused group of women at a time, and hope you will join us!

By Sensi Graves

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