Our Founder |
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STĀ PADDLING founder, Ruth Ann, grew up on a mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee hiking and camping with friends along creeks, streams and rivers. Her neighborhood on Signal Mountain conveniently backed up to the Cumberland Trail where she spent her childhood and adolescence exploring and adventure seeking. She was drawn to wilderness places where her heart would come alive and her body could be tested.
Signal Mountain is perched along the Tennessee River where Ruth Ann's love for the water was birthed as a child and reignited as an adult. What started with recreational kayaking a couple days a week turned into a daily discipline with increasing distances and endurance. In 2016, Ruth Ann ventured out and she raced in her very first paddle board race hosted by the Surfrider Foundation in the Outer Banks. She came in third place! She's been hungry to paddle and race ever since. |
Ancient & Modern Practice |
Stand Up Paddling traces back thousands of years and across many continents in the form of rafts and punts, but its current form and popularity originated in Hawaii in the 1900s. Records of earlier forms of SUP have been found as early as 3,000 B.C. and its iterations span over various regions such as Peru, Levant, Italy, and China.
STĀ PADDLING emerged from our founders own "restorative paddling" experience and serves as a local resource for others to take advantage of the therapeutic benefits this sport has to offer. The growing team at STĀ PADDLING is made up skilled practitioners who are committed to the ongoing integration of Stand Up Paddling into their respective restorative practice. We love working in close partnership with local counselors who embrace the necessity of inviting their clients to engage in meaningful restorative body work. If you are a counselor in the St. Augustine area, we'd love to play a supportive role in the wonderful work you are doing to engage your client's story. If you are a person wanting to begin your restorative journey, we would love to join with you in a supportive manner. We all have a story. Let's turn a page in yours and start a brand new adventure together today! |
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Our story will gain momentum and depth only to the degree that we honestly embrace both loss and fear.
–Dan Allender