Women from across the region made waves in Emerald and Blackwater at Chicks Rip, a series of weekends celebrating female empowerment through water sports.
With activities ranging from barefoot skiing to wakeboarding, the events aimed to inspire women of all experience levels to dive into new challenges, embrace physical activity and forge lasting connections.
Jody Graham, Managing Director of Chicks Rip, said the idea came from wanting to get more women on the water.
“We were able to secure a $7,500 Government Grant from Queensland Sport and Recreation, which helped us build the dream and bring the event to both Emerald and Blackwater.”
The events were held separately, starting with Emerald in September at the Maraboon Power Boat & Ski Club, followed by Blackwater in November at Bedford Weir on the Mackenzie River. Both weekends focused on introducing women to water sports in a supportive and fun environment.
“Major goals were to get women who had never tried boat-powered water sports to fight the fear and just give it a red-hot go. We also set out to get women active, making memories and building friendships.”
Over the weekends, participants had the chance to try a variety of sports, including barefoot skiing, single and double skiing, kneeboarding, wakeboarding, surfing and tubing. To ensure success, the organisers provided an extensive range of equipment and expert coaching.
“We had six boats at the Emerald event for 60 women and four at the Blackwater event for 40 women. This ensured so much water time that by the end of the day, they could ski no more.”
Onshore activities like massages, saunas, ice baths, spa baths, yoga sessions, food, slushies and music enhanced the experience.
Support for the events came not only from Queensland Sport and Recreation but also from businesses like MasterCraft Boats, Prowake, Waterskiers World, Jellinbah Mine, Stadium Fitness and local butchers. The Maraboon Power Boat Ski Club and Blackwater Ski Club, along with their committees, were instrumental in organising the weekends.
Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with participants eager for future events. A standout achievement was a 100% success rate in getting every participant skiing, a reflection of the inclusive and supportive environment created by the organisers.
“Every person said they had the best time and were blown away with the amount of activity they got to have. ‘When are you doing another one?’ was the most common feedback received.
“We do plan to hold more Chicks Rip events next year. Our grand goal is to take it on the road. We’d also like to organise a Blokes weekend to get more men into these awesome sports.”
For now, the memories and skills gained at Chicks Rip are sure to inspire participants to continue making waves in the world of water sports.
