Recently the Maria Unit spent a day out surfing with Lilly Pollard, a world-class boogie board rider. Lilly has been body boarding since she was a teenager and has travelled extensively competing on the world circuit for the past 15 years.
She also runs a surfing program for young people, which she says has been very successful in building their confidence whilst also providing them with opportunities to appreciate some of the more simple pleasures in life.
“The thing I love about body boarding is how accessible it is,” says Lilly. “Everyone can learn the basics and have fun in the wash with a boogie board.”
Lilly started coaching our girls and boys in September 2015.
“It’s been really good, the kids get a bit of confidence out of it, getting out into the waves and getting more comfortable out there and then actually catching waves on the body board. I’ve been able to help a couple of them go further and get out the back more and get bigger waves and keep building their confidence.
I was really impressed with how they took it up. It’s a good thing, seeing them overcome the fear factor, pushing themselves and expressing themselves in the water too. Some of them are quite nervous to begin with but after catching a few waves they start putting their hands up and cheering which is so good to see; a couple of them have really come out of their shell in that regard which is awesome.”
