KIALOA and 'Elele Evelyn O'Doherty have teamed up to bring you brief highlights of KIALOA paddlers from the East Coast! Tune in weekly to meet more great people who simply enjoy paddling!
Genii Rutherford.
Genii is a rock star yoga teacher from upstate New York who is skilled & knowledgeable beyond compare. I have so much respect for her as a teacher. She is in her 60's and as vibrant as a woman can be! An avid paddler, who NOW teaches SUP Yoga upstate, Genii is a gem
Where do you live and what are your favorite places to paddle?
I live in Latham, New York, a suburb of Albany in upstate New York. I love exploring new waters. Last April, I paddled in Amsterdam on the Amstel River; it was a bucket list paddle. I had lived in the Netherlands and wanted to return and see the city from a paddleboard.
I also went to the Adirondacks and did some solo paddles on Saranac Lake, Lake Flower and Lake Placid. They were mystical paddles with loons, eagles, mountains and sunsets. I didn’t get many worthy photos to document the moments, but they are recorded on my soul. I’d love to guide some paddles for women on these waters this summer.
When did you start paddling and what inspired you?
I started paddling 7 years ago while vacationing with my younger daughter on Lake George. I saw some people paddling and thought that it looked like fun. My daughter and I signed up for a lesson with Patty Pensel at Patty’s Watersports. It was there that I had an “Ahaa” moment. I’m a graceful klutz and couldn’t boogie board so, when I was successful on the paddleboard, I thought I’ve got to learn more of this and I wanted to be able to teach on a paddleboard.
What are some other activities you enjoy besides paddleboarding?
My other forms of fun and challenge are: the study of Sogetsu Ikebana, a school of Japanese flower arranging; teaching yoga; swimming with a Master's program; starting to swim in open water; and paddling with a dragon boat team (It’s so nice to part of a paddling team). The Masters swimming and open water swimming last year helped me improve my SUP race times! I shaved minutes off the 3-mile races I did.
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