W
ATER HAS ALWAYS been a large part of Yvonne Stansfield’s life.
A keen swimmer in her early years she eventually swapped to kayaking. Now though her passion has been reignited by outrigger paddling — and boy has it consumed her. A fiercely competitive, Yvonne will be heading off to represent her country and club at the Women’s Outrigger World Championships at Mooloolaba in May (in the Senior Masters Division for 50–60 year olds) as an individual and in a team of six. “Once I hit the water people say I have a race face,” Yvonne laughed. “The old girls, or masters; is also one of the most competitive age groups and it really motivates you to succeed,” she said. “The heats and finals are always very competitive and taken very seriously by all. “You have to concentrate on what you do and be oblivious to everything else going on around you.” Hard work and dedication to her sport is what has helped Yvonne succeed, and in the lead up to the championships she will be hitting the training track fairly hard which will include around nine hours of paddling a week plus the odd swim. Many of those she will compete against also hit the gym but Yvonne will add another 12 hours a week ‘exercising’ in the dairy. “I milk cows 2–3 days a week and I have found it is one of the best things I can do for my core strength,” she said. In an increasingly sedentary society, Yvonne in her outrigger is an outstanding example of what women could be doing and said it was pretty easy to get up in the morning and train, when you have one of the best rivers in the country running through your home town.
“It is beautiful when the sun comes up out on the water on those early mornings, although as the weather turns and it gets cold and dark it can be hard to get out of bed. “Physical fitness is so important because these days all people seem to have is fit thumbs from texting all the time.” Outrigging has been an exciting ride for more than fitness; Yvonne has also travelled to “many new places and experienced many new things” with the sport.
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YOU HAVE TO CONCENTRATE ON WHAT YOU DO AND BE OBLIVIOUS TO EVERYTHING ELSE GOING ON AROUND YOU.
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“It is such a great sport, the people you meet and the places you go — it is a respectful sport and a great community,” she added. “Our local club is fantastic and while we are only small in terms of numbers compared to other clubs, we are punching well above our weight. “We have three juniors and four seniors heading to the championships this year.” n
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