Standup Paddle Boarding Offers Great Way to View the Sights on the Tennessee River

June 25, 2015

Rick Nyman,

Chattanooga-(WDEF) L-2 Outside is sponsoring a standup paddle board race on Saturday called the Dig Downtown. But you don’t have to be a great athlete to dig standup paddle boarding. Besides a good workout, it’s a great way to view the sights along the Tennessee River.
Said standup paddle board enthusiast Dana Hoxie,"Just walking on the Walnut Bridge back there and seeing people down below me just paddle boarding. It looks super fun."

Said Tracy Thomas,"We came down here. Paddled the river. Fell in love with it, and we’ve been paddling ever since."

"It’s a lot more stable than you would expect. You get out there. Get up. Stand up. Get on there. Kind of get your bearings. You can adjust very quickly if it’s your first time doing it. Within a couple of minutes, you can feel very comfortable doing it, no problem."

Said L-2 Outside owner Mark Baldwin,"It’s non-impact. People that have running issues or knee issues or that kind of thing. It’s really easy."

Said Thomas,"To me it’s a full body workout. You’re using your leg muscles for balance. You’re using your back to help you paddle. You’re definitely using your core and your arms."

Said Hoxie,"You see a lot of people out here on their boats, but at college, we don’t have any boats. So it’s a really fun way to do water sports. And it’s a really fun way to be downtown in a central location and get to do something different."

Said Baldwin,"I think a lot of people like it because there’s an island out there they can explore. It has got a mile-and-a-half of trails. There are caves underneath the Hunter Museum."

Said Thomas,"Just being out on the water. It’s calming. You can see a lot more of this Tennessee River on a paddle board than you can as you just see right here."