Kristi received a message from her Aunty saying that her Physio and his daughter, Annika, were both big fans and had been following her via her page on Facebook. After a few email's backwards and forwards, they arranged to meet up at the Vic Open at the Frankston Waterfront Festival.
Here's a few photo's from today;
Adjusting positions on the board
Where do we go from here?
A couple tips..
Ohh, I can do that!
Keep an eye out for Annika in the future!!
Hey DJ,
There are quite a few 8 - 10 year olds that have written to Kristi on facebook and she will be catching up with all of them.
Kristi loved the time she invested with Annika yesterday and if the wind hadn't been so strong they could have done a lot more.
Kristi is very happy to invest time with any of the kids if they want to catch up and have a paddle, could be the start of a great little junior development group.
With a few pointers by the time these young kids get old hmmm lets say 14 - 16 life could get pretty interesting in both racing and surfing.
Phill
Go Annika! It won't be long before you are showing your Dad up (probably another week!) Well done Kristi for doing this it is great you are giving your time to the next generation and acting as such a great positive role model!
Mick yesterday was pretty impromptu and we had enough people in the water to ensure safety at all times and Kristi was no more than 3 feet from Annika at any stage.
We sat down last night and looked at all the things we had to do for Kristi at 11 when she started and made a long list.
What most people don't realise is that most if not all SUP gear is aimed at teens and adults. We struggled with this many times over the years.
We have boards paddles helmets etc and all sorts that suit young kids as we have been through that stage 3 times.
We also received a couple of calls last night after these images hit the web and may have some exiting news for kids coming up!
Stay tuned!
Phill
Kristi thank you so much for the time you and Phil spent with Annika yesterday. It is great to see someone who not only loves the sport but also is welcome to give back to it with to it- you were amazing with her and a credit to your family and your sponsors (and future ones).
Annika hasnt stopped talking about the session and you have your number one fan!!.
As a parent it is great to see her latch onto a role model for a new sport and also for life skills as well- as many parents know the importance of suitable role models in a sport is the key and for young girls this isnt always easy to find. Is amazing the power of an inspiring 17 y.o to the eyes of an 8 year old.
She is pumped and awaiting some private lessons down at OG.
Thanks again Kristi, Phil and family, the advice (about technique and grom equipment) and inspiration for one little girl was a perfect birthday present.
Hey H2O,
The smile on Annika's face at the end was all time and that is what counts.
She really got in the zone and focused when Kristi was talking to her.
Kristi was frothing over the session too, saying "did you see her reaching with the paddle thats exactly what I asked her to do and she just did it, how cool was that"
Best of all it was FUN and lots more FUN to come.
Phill