The ladies of the lake rallied together to squeeze in one more session at Go Wake Cable Park before winter set in. With a massive turn out of over 30 ladies aged between 10 and 64, it’s safe to say the state of women’s wakeboarding is looking stronger than ever.

After a highly successful season the Ladies on the Lake ride days have seen close to 100 new women having ago at a wakeboarding. The monthly morning sessions have boosted confidence and created friendships that push each of the ladies to reach new skills and to see what each of them is really made of. And it was on a crisp Sunday morning in the middle of May, 30 ladies, some in steamers and some braving the chilly conditions, took to the Go Ride and main cable. By the end of the session, everyone had achieved something new, including 3 ladies landing raileys on the Go Ride, one butt sliding the flat bar for the first time, and two ladies attempting back rolls on the main cable. There were a cheers of excitement for Jane Taylor as she continuously rode away from this flat-water trick lap after lap.

Coach Tara Pyers said “we are already organising dates for September and into next season. These sessions have been so much fun and we want to get them back up and running as soon as winter is over.” A huge thanks goes out to all the coaches over the season: Tara, Sam Golledge, Bel Dipple, Anna Bielan, Steve Dipple, and Mike Golledge. Also to the sponsors for the time given and the goodies for the ladies to celebrate their achievements and motivate them to keep pushing the sport of women’s wakeboarding. Thanks to Go Wake Cable Park, Go Ride, and Jetpilot for their continued support throughout the 2012/2013 season.

Earlier this year I spent 10 days touring around visiting projects and villages. It was a rewarding and incredibly positive experience, especially seeing programs I had heard about or read about in action.

Dj’s, bands and plenty of drinking, plus chances are that Tofo is the place you will run into every other traveller you’ve met in Mozambique. If you’ve had enough of small fishing villages and getting to hang out with the locals then Tofo is also a good stop over. It has definitely been taken over by the tourism bug. You’ll get charged more for everything here, alcohol, souvenirs, accommodation, and the locals are not quite as friendly to deal with as other destinations in Mozambique. The influence of the Western world is visible here in locals capitalizing on the tourism industry, and so they should. There is money and job opportunities to be had and it should be locals benefiting from this.

If you are after a relaxing travel experience where you can immerse yourself in the culture with the locals of Mozambique, then Tofo is not the ideal location. But for a good time with plenty of sun, beach, and backpackers then Tofo is it.

Vilankulo was the highlight of our 10 day Mozambique road trip. Compared to other towns it was less touristy, the weather was perfect with bright sunny days and cool breezes, and the locals were super friendly. A day trip out to Bazaruto Island and Benguerra Island is a must. With crystal turquoise water, soft white sand, and miles of sand dunes, beach and coral to explore, it is a spectacular trip. The snorkelling at 2 mile reef is ok. But, having grown up in the Whitsundays, I am a little hard to please when it comes to snorkelling spots now days. They have to be pretty amazing (full of schools of fish, turtles, large coral reef shelves and an abundance of marine life hiding in amongst the coral) to impress me.

Top of the sand dunes Bazaruto Island

Baobab Beach Backpackers is a little run down, but what it lacks in presentation, it makes up for in personality and atmosphere. Christmas Day the kitchen put on a roast dinner and our Mozam family gathered to feast on the usual Christmas delights, minus the usual family fun-filled squabbles or stress of presents. For Dinner later on, members of my new-found international family, bartered for some fresh calamari and reef fish, for a Christmas night Braai. So regardless of being thousands of kilometres from home, we still stuffed out selves silly for the day.

Christmas Dinner Braai preparation

Located 3-4 houses up the road from the entrance to the Backpackers is a dress makers. For around $10 USD you can have a custom-made dress, top, skirt whipped up in a matter of hours. Head down to the market in town where there is a decent selection of cheap local fabric to choose from, before heading back out to the dress makers to get measured for your outfit. While making alterations to my finalised dress we were invited to join in with the families Christmas celebrations.

Christmas celebrations with the dress makers family

The friendliness of the people in Vilankulo is what made this place so special. No where else in Mozambique were we able to interact and hang out with the locals in such a relaxed way. In Vilankulo it wasn’t all about trying to make a buck off the tourists, instead trying to overcome language barriers to learn a little about each other’s way of life and enjoy a few laughs, while relaxing in tropical paradise.

January 18, 2013

It was only a few years ago that a roll to revert off a kicker would get you through the semis of a comp & a 9 off the kicker would give you the win, and that’s in the Pro division. Now days kids not even in their teens are busting out 9’s consistently. And that’s just during a normal cable session.

The Grom’s of wakeboarding are shredding. And in recent years both cable and boat have seen an explosion of talented youngsters with a drive to succeed and a passion to take wakeboarding to a whole new level. With the likes of young Aussies, Harley Clifford, Tony Iacconi, and James Windsor, killing it on the world stage, the greats of Australian wakeboarding have converged on Cables Wake Park Penrith to coach the rising stars of Australian wakeboarding at the third annual Gromstock wakeboard camp.

Bob Soven & Zahra Kell

Gromstock consists of two days cable riding, followed by three days at Black Diamond for boat sessions. Scotty Kell, Daniel Pyne, Bob Soven, Amber Wing, Sophie Hogben, Daniel Grant, Bec Gange, James Windsor, Manu Rupp, Massi Piffaretti, Aaron Gunn, Courtney Angus, Jamie Neville and Tony Iacconi coached 26 eager groms on the left and right foot cables, and the 2.0 system. Kids hit quarter pipes for the first time, learnt inverts, nailed spins, and got heaps of tips to improve riding technique during the hour-long sets with their designated coach. Teaghan Bartley landed front rolls off the outside kicker on the right foot lake, while on the left foot lake 9-year-old Sam Brown stomped his first toe 9 off the wave kicker.

Organiser Scotty Kell said “Gromstock is the most awesome experience for these kids. They get to ride with the best coaches and riders in the world. What more could any kid ask for!” So with cable wakeboarding short-listed for the 2020 Olympics, Australia’s groms look set to continue in the footsteps of their idols, dominating international podiums for a long time to come.

Published 17th December 2012

For the full 2 part article go to the wakedition online magazine or below is an extract from Part 1 of the article.

Just Go Ride

What if you had been told you would never walk or talk? Would you just give up and accept it? Or would you prove everyone wrong? And once you proved everyone wrong, would you stop there? Or would you keep pushing your own expectations for yourself and continue to exceed the imposed limitations placed on you by those at birth?

Meet eight-year-old Bek and ten-year-old Max. Both were told they would never walk or talk. Bek has Cerebral Palsy and Autism. Max was born with multiple physical impairments due to his brain not fully forming during birth. Both now walk, talk, and with the help of the GoRide and Steve Dipple, both can now wakeboard.

It might not be wakeboarding in the true sense of going around on the cable or hitting obstacles, it is after all only their second lesson. But for Bek and Max it’s an accomplishment so huge, that you can’t wipe the smiles off their faces, or their mum’s and dad’s for that matter.

The process for teaching Bek and Max is different to normal coaching. Steve Dipple works along with a coach, and even the parents, in the water. Every step is broken down into it’s smallest part to build confidence in their ability and to take the fear out of the end result – standing up on a wakeboard and cruising along on the water.

]]> http://emmamakepeace.com/2012/12/19/just-go-ride/feed/ 0 emmamakepeace SONY DSC http://emmamakepeace.com/2012/12/14/tips-for-volunteering/ http://emmamakepeace.com/2012/12/14/tips-for-volunteering/#comments Fri, 14 Dec 2012 13:51:02 +0000 Emma http://emmamakepeace.com/?p=1535 ]]> Volunteering overseas or at home is not a decision to be taken lightly. When you agree to volunteer, especially overseas, you accept responsibility to share your skills and help improve the quality of life for those less fortunate than yourself. The romantic notion of sweeping in to a small village or school and completely changing their world for the better in one week is, well, slightly unrealistic.

The reality of volunteering in a foreign country is that it is hard work. It takes time for you to adjust to the culture and way of life, the food, the lack of first world technologies, the language, and even the malaria medication. But it’s not to say you won’t have an amazing experience. There are just a few things you should consider before making the decision or heading off somewhere to volunteer…

1. What skills do I have?

Remember volunteering is about you helping someone else. It’s not just an activity undertaken so you can tell everyone that you volunteer, or to make you feel good about yourself. Volunteering is about sharing skills and knowledge with locals to build their capacity. In other words, when you leave, you leave a new skill set with the people so that they can continue on the work you started with them. This can be in the form of agricultural and farming best practices, teaching techniques that fit with the countries curriculum, or computing skills that assist people to effectively word process for business or education. When you finish your time volunteering, the aim is that you will have taught someone a new skill, that they can then teach to others (and therefore build the capacity of more local people).

2. Don’t make assumptions

Cultural differences, language translations, and many more factors can make for some confusing communications. Don’t assume that the rural village you are volunteering in has the same standards and expectations that are set in your home country. Particularly when it comes to living and education standards, what is appropriate behaviour guidance (discipline) at home may not be the same where you are volunteering. Speak to the teachers, elders, or leaders where you are volunteering to find out more about what is normal practice.

3. Be respectful

You are visiting another country, and most likely another culture. Find out what kind of clothes you should wear while volunteering. It is embarrassing for you and could be disrespectful to the locals to rock up in short shorts, when the knees are not to be seen, etc. By dressing in an appropriate way it will help to build a relationship between yourself and the locals you are working with, as they will see that you respect them and their culture.

4. Plan ahead

Don’t turn up unprepared. It could ruin your time volunteering and leave you feeling negative about the whole experience and place. Take resources with you, as you don’t know what they will (or won’t) have available to use. Take your malaria tablets at night, before going to bed. If you are going to have a reaction to them, it will kick in about 30-60 minutes after taking the tablet. If you can fall asleep before you start to feel dizzy, nausea, or headaches, you can by-pass the worst part of the reaction. Take water purifying resources, as a back up to bottled water.

5. Volunteering doesn’t end when you leave

Just because your time is up doesn’t mean you can’t continue participating and being involved in the project. Ask about what you can do to help from home. Are there resources you can collect to send over? Can you spread the word to others about your experience and encourage them to help or volunteer? Could you organise a fundraiser or start a charity in your home town? The possibilities are endless and only limited by you. It doesn’t have to be a big commitment, even small things like sending (post or email) new teaching ideas/techniques, as a follow-up from something you did while volunteering, can be helpful. And they continue to build capacity in the local community, which is the end goal of a volunteer’s visit.

But there is one tradition in our family that we couldn’t pass up. The making of and gorging on rum balls is a staple part of my families diet all through December. For as long as I can remember rum balls were made in quantities large enough to feed several neighbourhoods. Wrapped in cellophane and spread out to teachers, co-workers, friends and family as gifts, they were our family contribution to Christmas spirit.

So arriving in Johannesburg with a bottle of original Bundy Rum (my sisters Christmas present to my dad) and a bottle of limited edition Dark Oak Bundy Rum (my Christmas present to my dad), the first thing my dad said was “now we can make some rum balls”. And either my sister and I should have communicated better on our choices of gifts not to double up, or we know our dad so well that the only acceptable gift was as much Bundy Rum as I could carry into the country. I am going with the later, as there is nothing worse than living in another country and not having access to your favourite foods or drinks from home. Plus, through mine and my sister’s sensational ability to know just what dad would want, we were now able to make rum balls.

And our family Christmas tradition can live on, even if it is in another country.

Ingredients

Rum Balls

250g Weetbix

1 can of condensed milk

1 cup of cocoa

1 cup of shredded coconut

1 1/2 tablespoons of rum (although this is really flexible, so add what you want to suit your own taste)

extra coconut for rolling.

Method

Crush Weetbix in a mixing bowl. Stir in cocoa and coconut. Add condensed milk and rum. Using your hands combine mixture, then roll into small bite size balls. Roll in extra coconut. Place in fridge to cool. Then eat!!

Rum balls… & the benefits of being the one making them