Q&A:
Sarah Thornely (Supjunkie)

Photos:
Jade Rogers and Supjunkie

https://www.suptec.co.uk
@sup_tec_wales

WWR to SUP – Emily Evans Q&A

Emily Evans is a bright young talent and not just in SUP – she has competed at a very high level in white water rafting – we caught up with her after a successful 2021 race series and with exciting news for 2022!

Can you let me know how long you have been stand up paddleboarding – did you enjoy it straight away?
I first had a go on a SUP in the summer of 2017; I was cross-training for white water rafting, I had a lot of training to do for the upcoming white water rafting competitions, and I couldn’t always paddle with my teammates, so I just found a way to train the right muscles on my own. I found that I then really fell in love with SUP and wanted to do more. I moved to Wales in October 2017 and found out that there was a bit of a training scene going on there already, and I started to go training with Kerry Baker and Sarah Perkins; they lent me kit until I could buy my own which was amazing. I took part in a race that October, which might have been where I first got introduced to Kerry, Ginnie and Sarah, and everything went from there. We started paddling regularly together, and I slowly got the feel of SUP. I loved working hard fitness-wise, so I think racing was always going to be right up my street.

What other sports have you done?
I have had a go at many sports; I was fortunate growing up that I had the opportunity to find what I enjoyed. I did athletics, hockey and netball at school. Outside of school, swimming, running, kayaking, sailing and windsurfing for a while before sticking with canoe and kayak.

I also did a lot of horse riding and had a go at polo, seriously just for fun though, I was terrible at it! I did enjoy pony club triathlon and tetrathlon, though. Tetrathlon is based on modern pentathlon, so you shoot rather than cycle and without the fencing. Later as an adult, I took up Triathlon – the standard swim/run/cycle for a while, and that was great fun.

In more recent years, SUP has been my main focus; I love to run and bike for SUP fitness, but I love being on the water too; I am a water baby!

Which of those sports have you competed in?
I competed in all the school athletics and cross-country races, sometimes not out of choice though, you know what it’s like being a teenager! I did enjoy them all though and probably sparked some sporting ambition.

I competed in the pony club triathlon and tetrathlon for quite a while, beginning my learning race preparation. I competed in other horsey things like dressage and one-day events during that time.

I then competed in triathlon for a while, but I found it hard to sustain funding for it when I was in my early 20s and working in the outdoor industry. I had some great times though; I learned to follow training plans to organise my time, and I got to travel to a couple of great countries for comps.

Once I started white water rafting and got into the racing, there were many opportunities for travel as the races were often twice a year internationally and then a couple of home races. I competed in my first raft race abroad in Trnavka in CZ and in 2012 in Lipno in CZ – my first Euro Champs. To this day, that event and the river in Lipno is one of my favourite memories.

I have just been SUP racing in more recent times, but that’s enough for me; I love it! It’s great fun to train for, and I enjoy the process. There are many opportunities to race in the UK alone that the year can be booked out with weekends racing away.

Have you always been competitive?
I used to be competitive as a young person, but I remember at school, the girls made fun of me for being so; even now, I remember that. So, I might have changed how I am competitive to keep it more internal. I am competitive, but it’s intrinsic; I do it entirely to challenge and push myself and see how far I can go.

Do you think your knowledge of white water has helped you with SUP? How do you think that technique has helped?
Some elements of knowing how to control a boat on a wave have transferred over really well for SUP surfing on the sea. Water confidence is probably a huge one, too; once you have swum in white water, there isn’t much that is scarier than that! We could then look at reading the water ahead as you would on a river and taking this to an ocean or race environment, where you have to read the situation around you all the time, looking for a gap or opportunity to take a better line, quicker route to get ahead of your competitors – I actually have a small rush of adrenaline while I’m writing this!

Then there is the paddle technique on white water; you can’t just paddle all the time; you have to time your paddle strokes through the chop and waves, working with the water. You have to do the same on the sea, working with the swell, staying relaxed and timing your paddle, looking for where the wind or swell is coming from – all easier said than done, though!

White water and the ocean are two different beasts to me, though, I feel like I know white water very well, but I’m still getting to know the ocean! Both command a lot of respect.

Do you prefer ocean paddling to flatwater?
I love both! I think both are fantastic, being on the water is always magical, even when the weather is bad!

Flatwater I love the chance to work hard at interval training; we have some lovely flatwater locations in South Wales that are really beautiful and safe places to get out and explore or to use as training venues.

I love ocean paddling because it can often be a lot more challenging. There is a lot more to think about, tide, wind, weather, picking a location based on those things, not that those things shouldn’t be thought about when paddling on the flat water too. Information and knowledge for paddling on the sea take time to learn, and it has taken me a while to learn my local area through the help of good friends. I love the focus that I need if I go out on a challenging day because that focus means I have to be entirely in the moment.

I have a couple of locations that I know I can have a go at paddling in choppier conditions with more swell because I know the area is safe, but I don’t push the boundaries of safety, I know what is safe for that location and pick conditions that will challenge my ability.

Do you SUP surf?
I try! I generally have no expectations for my surfing because I do it for complete fun. Some days in the local area, there are so many SUPs out, we catch party waves which is hilarious, and the weather can be so good that you can see all the way across the channel, so it’s just a perfect way to clear your mind and be in the moment.

I love it; I have really gotten into it since I have lived in South Wales, and now, I’m not sure I could live without it!

I have a smaller surf SUP, which I will take out if the waves are three-foot, but I love surfing my race board in anything smaller; it’s such a challenge and is such a fun way to improve board handling in choppy water!

You won hands down overall men and women racing in the GBSUP National Series Kent – an impressive performance – do you think your whitewater experience and skills helped you in those choppy conditions.
Thank you very much!

I think my counting skills may have won that race; however, I was also delighted with my paddling ability that day.

To put things into perspective, I did get on the water that morning on the race though, and warm-up thinking how on earth I was going to complete one lap of that course – I felt so wobbly! However, I settled after I warmed up!

I think that the whitewater experience did help in the way of looking at the course (any technical course) to see how the water and the wind can help. I like to look at all elements of the race, from the start line to the first buoy, where I’m going to stand, how I’m going to feel as I set off etc., all things that we would have done as a team when raft racing.

That race was quite windy and choppy, and I remember knowing that I could come into one of the buoys turns fairly wide in and tight out (paddling away) because the wind was going to do the work for me, so all I had to do was balance, relax and set up the board for the turn.

What do you do as a profession?
I work in rope access, so that’s abseiling in a construction and industrial environment. I enjoy it; I’m outside almost all the time, all year round. It can be physical too, which I love; I see it as extra training! Apart from being really tired sometimes, I don’t feel like it is work!

What is the proudest moment in your competitive career?
Being part of the winning team at the Rafting World Championships in 2016 in the UAE and, secondly, winning the Euro Champs in 2018. I remember reflecting on our teamwork leading up to and during those events; it was like nothing I had experienced before. They were entirely special moments when everything came together; the hard work and preparation paid off. I recently heard the phrase that luck is created when preparation meets opportunity, and I think those times we were ready for the opportunity to show what we had!

Do you have a training plan that you can transfer from white water to SUP to trail running? Or do they complement each other/cross-training?
I don’t have a specific training plan at the moment; however, I always have a rough idea of what I would like to be doing in my head. The last time I had a proper training plan was in 2018, leading up to the rafting world championships in Argentina. My teammate and good friend Fieke put that plan together, she wrote the paddle specifics and Lizzie and I wrote the strength side. Stretching was left as specific to the individual as was extra cardio, but our weeks were full!

I love having a training plan; it creates complete focus and gives accountability to each session you do. With that focus, improvements come thick and fast. It’s a great way to manage your time; you can take the time to see where and when you can fit training around your life.

At the moment, I’m not following one I have written to a T; however, I am roughly aware of what I need to be doing and when. I have written myself a rolling four-week gym plan.

In some ways, training plans are adaptable. If you apply the basic training principles – frequency, intensity, time and type, and you have some imagination and knowledge of the sport, you can adapt from one sport to another. From long slow distance training, Fartlek, interval, high intensity, efforts etc.

You have been coaching since you were 16 – can you tell us about that – would you like to SUP coach, and where do you believe your skills lie?
I started as a young volunteer at Herts Young Mariners Base when I was a teenager. That got my foot in the door and my imagination to coach and lead young people in various activities. I was helping out more and more with the weekly kayak session, discovering that I enjoyed seeing people improve, so until I was able to take the British Canoeing Level 2 when I was 18, I helped the other coaches where I could.

I would like to SUP coach more; I feel that my strengths these days lie in technique coaching and race preparation, including race and general paddle fitness both on and off the board. There are many elements that I would like to cover which would be open to various levels of ability.

You have a wealth of sports knowledge – what are your core values about the sports you participate in?
My current core values are as follows, I have left them written as I have them for the website, and they will go on social media soon.

• Honesty – being honest about where you are, your skills, how you’re feeling during your learning process all help us make the best session for you. Being honest about these things also helps to keep everyone safe. As a coach, we must be honest to help you improve; we also must be honest about our skills, locations, weather details; honesty goes hand in hand with safety and openness.
• Openness – as coaches and learners, we must be open to learning from each other. This makes a great coach/learner partnership. As coaches and learners, we also must be open and honest enough to say when things are and are not working for us; if you take part in activities with us, we will be checking in regularly for your feedback
• Friendship/community – great friendships are made through sport and community, friendships help us grow, so if you choose to take part in learning with us, you are part of our community, part of the network.
• Intrigue – life is about learning, and when we are intrigued, we want to learn; when we want to learn, we are intrigued. When we are intrigued by each other, we can create a great coach and learner partnership.
• Fun – we all want to have fun, that’s why we choose to be on the water! We aim to provide learning with the element of fun because that’s who we are, and we know that people learn better when they are having fun!
• Presence – being on the water is a great way to focus your mind. Either through performing a task and giving yourself a focus or taking the time to sit and listen to the sound of the water and the environment around you. Either way, being in the moment has incredible benefits for your mind and your mental health, so we invite you to be present with us and every time you go on the water.

Who is your go-to partner in crime?
Well, my everyday partner in crime is my dog; I’m so lucky that he comes to work with me a lot; he’s always available for hugs and runs together or just resting!

My local human partner in crime at the moment has to be Sarah Perkins; we’re at the beach when we can, always talking about SUP, making plans for the local area!

Tell us about your new SUP coaching business?
Well, currently, my business will be created around my day job, so I’m hoping that it will have a chance to build organically. I have no expectations either, in the best possible way, so I want to see if there is a market for what I want to offer. It might be a little bit specialist, but I’m going to give it a go. I’m doing it purely for fun as well, I had an idea, and I want to see if it’s going to work, so I’m not applying any pressure to myself, and I’m seeing all the work that is going into it as a bit of a challenge. I love my day job, so I’m not looking for a career change overnight, but I’d love to have more involvement in the SUP world and back in the coaching/sports coaching world. That’s the aim.

From the outside perspective, I would like to offer race training and more technical coaching in the form of weekend workshops, one to one coaching and training plans leading into races. I firmly believe that I can offer that effectively from my experience in racing and competing in a few different sports.

My target audience is those who have a bit of paddling experience already but want to improve or get into racing, either on flat water or the ocean. There are plenty of people who are set up and ready to offer complete beginner coaching and introductions to SUP; however, perhaps in the future, I will be able to offer more in the way of complete beginner instruction.

I have many ideas for the future, and I am currently exploring options for running race-based ocean skills weekends; I plan to set up the same for flat water too.

The idea of these weekends will always be to have some element of safety knowledge, making sure people are prepared to paddle in the environment chosen. It will then cover paddle technique, board handling, race preparation and some race simulation, too, all of which is fully adaptable to different ability levels, so it may sound scary, but, in my eyes, it’s so achievable for everyone. Even if there are people who don’t want to race, it’s an ideal way to learn how to use SUP as a fitness tool and a vessel for journeying.

Are there people you would like to thank who have been instrumental in helping you achieve all you have?
Ok, so I will try not to do an ‘Adele’ Brit award moment here, but there are certainly some lovely people that have always supported and inspired me. I was fortunate to have so many opportunities growing up that I could pick my own way in sport if I wanted to, although it was never pressured at all.

When I was a teen and volunteering at HYMB, I had a couple of great mentors, Daryll and Sarah; they were so encouraging and willing to offer their knowledge and support to the young people they mentored.

When I started rafting at Lee Valley, my now good friend Bex asked me if I wanted to join this rafting race (I had no idea it was British selections), so I took part in this race and did the gruelling endurance race with them. Suddenly I was in the raft race world, she was always 100% encouraging, and I have to thank her for getting me into racing.

Also, in the raft race world, I am so grateful to all the girls I paddled with; I have never experienced such teamwork and mutual support and motivation to reach an end goal. However, I’m going to give a huge shout out to Fieke, as she was a regular training partner of mine, we sat at the back of the raft together, and we were able to push each other as training partners.

I have to thank Sarah Perkins for being such a supporter and driving force behind my paddling and racing and this business idea in more recent years. She has some great ideas and unbridled enthusiasm for SUP that is catching.

Guilty pleasure?
I think at the moment that is just sitting down on the sofa with a cup of tea, some biscuits and watching Netflix while cuddling Jeeves, a rare moment, to be honest at the moment, life is very busy!