When I went paddle boarding for the first time, I didn’t expect much, because I didn’t really know what to expect. My neighbor had a paddle board and invited me and my family to go down to our neighborhood park with her. I had heard that it was tough and it was really hard to keep your balance, and I was so scared that I was going to hit something or accidentally paddle into the path of an oncoming boat. I didn’t want to screw up in front of everyone, and that made me feel even more nervous. When I finally stepped on, I began to feel a sense of peace. I had found my happy place.

I’ve never been good at sports. Baseballs fly at my face, I’m always too short to play basketball and when I tried soccer at 4 years old, I cried and ran off the field. When I got on the paddle board, I felt like I had finally found something athletic that I liked, where people wouldn’t yell at me if I messed up. The board ended up being much bigger than I originally thought. I had to learn how to move, how to balance when the waves came and how to stand properly so I wouldn’t fall. Maneuvering something twice your size is no small task, but it was worth it.

When it was time to leave, I paddled away from the park to delay the departure. When I finally stepped off the board onto the ground, I could barely walk. I almost fell over because my legs felt like jelly. I didn’t think paddleboarding could have that much of a physical effect on you. I used to think that exercising would never be fun, but this was both. My first experience was a new adventure, and I hope that I can continue doing it as much as possible.