The fourth edition of Camp Bela Yen, meaning “full throttle” in Papiamento, took place last week in Aruba. Our Dream Team riders Sarah-Quita and Oda helped to organize an unforgettable water sports experience for 19 kids in Aruba. This camp aims to teach the basics of windsurfing and other water sports to children while showing the importance of taking care of the beach environment. One of the activities was also a beach clean-up to show the kids how much garbage can be found on the beach and how important it is to clean it.
The location, Fisherman’s Huts in Aruba, provides opportunities for windsurfing, kitesurfing, Hobie Kat sailing, and various other activities. The camp’s schedule typically involves windsurfing in the first part of the day, followed by a break and then engaging in other activities.
Can the kids fall in love with windsurfing in a few days of a camp?
When you go to a camp with Oda and Sarah-Quita, you’re in for a lot of fun, even if you’re not a kid. This camp is all about kids having a good time together, making new friends, and feeling like they belong. Being part of a group that enjoys any kind of water sport is the best motivation to spend more time in the nature and enjoy everything that it offers.
Sarah-Quita about the camp:
“It’s fun to see how everyone kind of blossomed from the first day to the last. Some of the kids didn’t even want to jump in the water as they were scared of the seagrass. Some felt like they couldn’t lift the sail, couldn’t turn, and towards the end of the camp, you really see that they all grew in confidence and they made friends with each other. That’s also one of the main goals, that they’re there with a big group, and learning something together. Because of this experience that they create, they bond with each other. So for me, that’s the goal of that camp, because that’s the experience that I’ve had with windsurfing when coming to the Fishermen’s Huts in Aruba.”
What did the program of the camp look like?
There were 19 kids from the age of 7 up to 13 years old. With the help of 3 coaches Sarah-Quita, Oda and Jordan all kids of all levels learned something new and had plenty of fun together. Kids who were more experienced and were already able to windsurf were a great example for those who were a little bit scared or had no experience with water sports at all. This worked great as a motivation for the younger kids to try windsurfing. All the kids became more confident and comfortable in the water while having fun.
The kids were using the Starboard Start, Rio, GO and GO Windsurfer boards paired with the Starboard SUP Windsurfing Sails from 1.2 to 5.4 m2. Everyone had a perfect set-up for their size and skills, which made the teaching much easier.
Oda shares some of the highlights from the camp:
” We also did some races where the kids were divided into teams. Kids were sailing around and one of us was standing in the water as a buoy and they had to turn around us. Instead of being too technical about how to gybe, they had to figure it out going around us, which I think kids are really good at. So that was a lot of fun. And a lot of the kids were asking about the windsurfing equipment and for more lessons. It was motivating and hopefully, it will help to grow windsurfing in Aruba.”
Photo Credit: Robin Paul Photography
