Your name, where you are from, where you live now, how long have you been paddle boarding?
Tracy Lynn (Buresh) La, originally from Bismarck ND, but now live in Mesa AZ. I have been paddle boarding for 4 years.
1.When did you start paddle boarding?
a. Why did you start paddle boarding? (for fun, exercise, etc)
I have always been drawn to water (and I moved to AZ?) and water sports. At an early age I was already being pulled behind a boat on a makeshift raft made out of plywood and door hinges. From there it progressed to kneeboarding, water skiing, wake boarding, snowboarding (frozen water, ha!) and even parasailing a few times. I can remember a few years in Jr. High where I was obsessed with wanting to windsurf, unfortunately that is not something easy to come by in ND. But specifically with SUP was when I became a certified yoga instructor and saw a picture of someone doing SUP Yoga. Once I saw that I knew it was what I needed to do! When I discovered how great it was to run rivers and paddle on the lake though, I was hooked for life!
b.What level do you consider yourself?
Really? I have to grade myself? Lol, I'm in the intermediate category. I have a lot of hours on the water now and did achieve my goal of becoming certified as a Level 1 SUP Instructor and SUP Yoga through the ACA. But I am constantly looking on continuing to improve my abilities and education. Dannie Keil has been a great mentor and friend in this aspect!
2.Where are your favorite places to stand up paddle board?
Salt River, Saguaro and Canyon.
a. Where would you like to go next?
I must say, open ocean with four foot swells was a very different experience than flat water! I would also love to go to Alaska (summertime of course), Boundary Waters in MN, Turks and Caicos, and Venice, Italy to name a few. I have a file on my phone just for bucket list SUP spots. Haha, too many to list here.
3. What would you tell someone who has never paddle boarded?
Take a lesson -learn proper paddle strokes. And I am not saying that just because I am an instructor. An experience can be ruined by not knowing what you are doing and having no control. Same thing with equipment-make sure you are renting/getting quality. Another thing that can ruin it for you is being on a board or having a paddle that is the wrong size, under inflated or cheaply made that won't support you.
4. What was your best experience stand up paddle boarding?
There have been so many great experiences, but I would say this years New Years Day sunrise paddle to start off 2018 right and with my husband by my side (we just got married Dec 1, 2017 and all because of friends in the SUP crew). My best memory though, was going to the NoSnow Spring Challenge in 2015. Not only did I meet a lot of fellow SUPers, but that is also where I first met Heather, Melinda, and my future husband Mike. Melinda was insistent that since I didn't know anyone (moved to AZ in Nov 2014) that I come out with them after the event. I remember calling my mom afterwards and telling her "Mom, I found my people!"
5. Where did you hear about NoSnow?
I found them on MeetUp. I was new here and hardly knew a soul aside from my parents. So I looked for any paddle board groups and they were posting for their Spring Challenge in April. This was in January 2015 so I had to wait a grueling 4 months but it was well worth it!
Tracy Lynn (Buresh) La, originally from Bismarck ND, but now live in Mesa AZ. I have been paddle boarding for 4 years.
1.When did you start paddle boarding?
a. Why did you start paddle boarding? (for fun, exercise, etc)
I have always been drawn to water (and I moved to AZ?) and water sports. At an early age I was already being pulled behind a boat on a makeshift raft made out of plywood and door hinges. From there it progressed to kneeboarding, water skiing, wake boarding, snowboarding (frozen water, ha!) and even parasailing a few times. I can remember a few years in Jr. High where I was obsessed with wanting to windsurf, unfortunately that is not something easy to come by in ND. But specifically with SUP was when I became a certified yoga instructor and saw a picture of someone doing SUP Yoga. Once I saw that I knew it was what I needed to do! When I discovered how great it was to run rivers and paddle on the lake though, I was hooked for life!
b.What level do you consider yourself?
Really? I have to grade myself? Lol, I'm in the intermediate category. I have a lot of hours on the water now and did achieve my goal of becoming certified as a Level 1 SUP Instructor and SUP Yoga through the ACA. But I am constantly looking on continuing to improve my abilities and education. Dannie Keil has been a great mentor and friend in this aspect!
2.Where are your favorite places to stand up paddle board?
Salt River, Saguaro and Canyon.
a. Where would you like to go next?
I must say, open ocean with four foot swells was a very different experience than flat water! I would also love to go to Alaska (summertime of course), Boundary Waters in MN, Turks and Caicos, and Venice, Italy to name a few. I have a file on my phone just for bucket list SUP spots. Haha, too many to list here.
3. What would you tell someone who has never paddle boarded?
Take a lesson -learn proper paddle strokes. And I am not saying that just because I am an instructor. An experience can be ruined by not knowing what you are doing and having no control. Same thing with equipment-make sure you are renting/getting quality. Another thing that can ruin it for you is being on a board or having a paddle that is the wrong size, under inflated or cheaply made that won't support you.
4. What was your best experience stand up paddle boarding?
There have been so many great experiences, but I would say this years New Years Day sunrise paddle to start off 2018 right and with my husband by my side (we just got married Dec 1, 2017 and all because of friends in the SUP crew). My best memory though, was going to the NoSnow Spring Challenge in 2015. Not only did I meet a lot of fellow SUPers, but that is also where I first met Heather, Melinda, and my future husband Mike. Melinda was insistent that since I didn't know anyone (moved to AZ in Nov 2014) that I come out with them after the event. I remember calling my mom afterwards and telling her "Mom, I found my people!"
5. Where did you hear about NoSnow?
I found them on MeetUp. I was new here and hardly knew a soul aside from my parents. So I looked for any paddle board groups and they were posting for their Spring Challenge in April. This was in January 2015 so I had to wait a grueling 4 months but it was well worth it!