GBSUP Ambassador Sarah Hopp on finding strength & community through paddleboarding

As with any realm in life, we don’t arrive untouched. Stepping into sport is no different: we carry our stories, our motivations, our ambitions, and sometimes the things we hope to leave behind. The paths that lead us into sport may differ, but they share a common thread: finding a safe space and the opportunity to discover what we’re made of, unfiltered in the moments of our toughest battles and in the sweetest – even the tiniest, like shaving a few minutes off a race – victories along the way.

As Sarah Hopp puts it: “The great thing about paddleboarding is that it meets you where you are — whether that’s gently floating on calm waters, testing your balance, or laughing through the wobbles with friends. The most important part is showing up, letting yourself enjoy the moment, and discovering what it feels like to move, breathe, and smile on the water.”

At 51, Sarah from Surrey, UK is steadily making her mark in the paddleboarding community, achieving early successes on the race circuit while bringing the same dedication and insight to the sport as she does in her professional life as a Doctor of Education (Research), FRSA, and Neurodiversity Specialist.

A dedicated member of the Frangipani SUP Challenge and Race Team, The Real Blue Chip SUP Club (Thames Sailing Club), and the Ethan Huff LPR Training Team, she has only recently stepped into racing yet already secured major podium finishes, including 2nd place in her age category at the GBSUP British National Championships 2024 and victory at SUP the Creek 2024 in the women’s Technical iSUP race.

We caught up with Sarah to talk about her new role as a GBSUP (GBSUP National Paddle Racing Series) Ambassador and how paddleboarding has unlocked an empowered new chapter in her life.

Photos by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

Hi Sarah, welcome to TotalSUP! Could you share a little about what first drew you to stand-up paddleboarding?

Thank you! I first tried paddleboarding in May 2023, and from that very first lesson I fell in love with it. My session was at the SHAC with Scott ‘Skip’ Innes, who was incredibly encouraging and patient. As someone with Developmental Co-ordination Disorder, commonly known as Dyspraxia, I was nervous about how I would manage, but was determined to give it a go. With Skip’s support, I soon found myself out on the board, and I’ve never looked back.

There’s something truly special about being on the water – the quiet rhythm of the paddle, the stillness of nature, and the sense of freedom that comes with it. Paddleboarding isn’t just a sport: it’s a way to feel grounded, calm and connected.

The SUP community is so welcoming, supportive and open. I’ve met people who inspire me, encourage me, and share their love of water with such generosity. I’ve been humbled by their kindness and have made many new friends along the way.

Paddleboarding has given me more than a new hobby. It’s given me a new lifestyle, connection, and moments of joy that I carry with me both on and off the water.

You’re a neurodiversity specialist and wellbeing Coach. How do those roles influence the way you approach both sport and life – and where does SUP fit into that? Was discovering the sport a turning point for you?

One of the most powerful tools anyone can have is mindset. It shapes how we overcome procrastination, set backs, remain motivated, and believe in our own potential – often revealing that we’re capable of far more than we ever imagined. As a neurodiversity specialist and wellbeing coach, I help people understand themselves, cultivate the right mindset and navigate perceived failure, for example, transforming the perception of ‘losing’ in a race into an opportunity for learning and growth. Setbacks are not a sign of inadequacy – they’re an essential part of the journey toward success.

SUP promotes holistic flourishing – physically, emotionally and spiritually. It connects you with nature and the community around you, while offering space for solitude, self-reflection, and personal growth. For me, discovering SUP was indeed a turning point. It enabled me to find myself again, to nurture self-belief and a love of life that had always been there but that had been eroded over time due to a dark period in my life.

Coming from a difficult background, including domestic abuse, what role has paddleboarding played in your healing and empowerment?

As a Doctor of Education and a qualified counsellor, I understood the theories, the strategies and the ways to support someone facing life’s challenges in its many forms. I could guide others with clarity and confidence – but when it came to my own life, I felt powerless to apply them. Knowing the path didn’t make walking it any easier, and for a long time, I was trapped between knowledge and survival. I tried to hide it from the world and even from myself. Domestic abuse carries stigma for both women and men who endure and survive it but it’s something that needs to be talked about more openly, it can happen to anyone even the emotionally strongest of people.

Being in an abusive marriage, I was constantly in survival mode and it took all my energy – always trying to anticipate reactions, please my husband and often restrict my own choices. Being dyspraxic, he told me I would never be good at competitive sport and would laugh at my attempts to ride a bike or ski. In the process, I lost sight of who I truly was.

Paddleboarding became my sanctuary, a space where I could reconnect with myself, reclaim my freedom, and return to a life full of joy and flourishing. On the water, I remembered what it felt like to be alive and happy.

The person I owe the most to in paddleboarding is my coach, Anni Ridsdill-Smith. A force of nature on the water, she listened without judgement, believed in me without hesitation, and encouraged me when I could hardly believe in myself any more. She took my hand, steady and unwavering, and guided me out of one of the darkest chapters of my life. Her faith in me became the current that carried me forward, and for that, I will always be profoundly grateful.

GBSUP National Championships 2024, Bewl Water. From left, Sarah Hopp and her Coach, Founder of Frangipani SUP | Photo by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

Were there moments when the water or the community gave you a sense of freedom or confidence you didn’t expect?

One of last year’s winter races started disastrously – I nearly missed the start, hit a buoy, and collided with another board. Panic surged, but then I realised I was trying to control the outcome instead of simply paddling my best. I let go, found my rhythm, and slipped into a state of flow. Stroke by stroke, competitors fell behind, and by the end, I had overtaken 8 in my class. The race had turned from chaos into one of personal triumph.

My Frangipani SUP Challenge and Race Team mates are very special people and some of my closest friends. We’ve endured countless challenges and victories together, and we have a real bond. I collapsed on my board due to severe dehydration at one race and they immediately came rushing to my side together with the wider SUP community. Also, my paddling buddies – from the SUPer Race Squad to the Real Blue Chip Paddle Club – turn every stroke into friendship, encouragement and joy on the water.

You’ve found your place with GBSUP and are already rising fast on the circuit. What was it like discovering that community, and what has surprised you most about competing at this level?

The GBSUP community are simply wonderful. The support and encouragement I’ve received have been second to none.

Just over a year ago, I set out on my first GBSUP race in Wales on my Infinity Whiplash, Athena – protector of warriors, goddess of wisdom in the challenge (leisure) category. I lingered at the back of the fleet, unsure especially as there were 20 other competitors in my category, but the moment the paddle touched the water, a quiet alchemy began. The lake, the board and I became one; every stroke a conversation, every ripple a guide. Flow carried me forward, and by the finish, I had taken third place. That day, I learned when you honour the bond with your craft and surrender to the water, even the unlikeliest journey becomes a triumph.

Photo by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

This mindset works for me as this summer I competed at the GBSUP National Sprint Championships in the elite class and had the privilege of racing alongside World Sprint Champion Anna Little who was in the lane next to me. She gave me great advice and encouragement.

However, the GBSUP event that is the most memorable for me is the British National Championships 2024 held at Bewl Water, where I came in 2nd place for my age category in the race class. Totally unexpected and it’s taught me that if you put your mind and effort into it with consistency, great things are possible.

GBSUP National Sprint Championships 2025 | Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

Do you have a favourite GBSUP race or memory so far from your competitive journey?

My favourite memory so far is the Technical Race at the British National Championships at Bewl Water. The conditions were brutal, I was quite inexperienced as a racer, and I was on a Red Sport Plus iSUP. Just looking at the course, I was terrified – but Amanda Roberts  from P3T Photography gave me a pep talk and I remembered Harrison Warren, only five years old, braving the conditions on his own board. This gave me the courage I needed to get on the water.

The race demanded everything I had. The wind had blown one of the buoys off course, forcing me to paddle further, and every stroke felt like a battle between fear and determination. One memory that will stay with me forever, is the Kent safety crew cheering me on, and seeing the SUP community gather on the shore to watch me finish. I’ll never forget Scott sounding the horn with a beaming smile, and everyone rushing to the waterside to hug me – especially my coach who ran into the water fully clothed. That day wasn’t just about racing; it was waterside courage, community, and the sheer joy of pushing through fear to the other side.

GBSUP National Championships 2024, Bewl Water | Photo by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

What does becoming an Ambassador for GBSUP mean to you personally?

It’s incredibly meaningful to me. It’s not just about representing a sport I love, but about being part of a community that values inclusivity, encouragement, and fun. It’s a chance to encourage others to try paddleboard racing, embracing new challenges, and connecting with the joy and freedom that comes from being on the water.

Personally, it feels like a recognition of the energy I put into the sport and all the positivity that paddling brings – and it motivates me to keep giving back to this amazing community.

Photo by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

You’re also a writer – how does your writing connect with your experiences on the water? Do you see storytelling as another way of inspiring others who may be facing struggles of their own?

Being on the water often brings a sense of stillness, rhythm, and attentiveness that reflects the writing process. The paddle board moves quietly, carried by a current that I can’t control, and I see how much it mirrors the page before me. Each paragraph I write has to be thought out carefully in order to convey the meaning and message that I want it to.

My paddleboard is my happy place, it gives me the space to think, to be creative. It’s the space where I let go, observe and translate the subtle shifts of tide and temperature into the cadence of language, until the theory, story or advice I’m writing about, like the water, finds its course.

Stories are more than words on a page – in them we glimpse courage, stumble through uncertainty, and witness resilience. When someone faces their own storm, a story can whisper, you are not alone; you can navigate this. Just as the water teaches patience and persistence, storytelling carries those lessons outward, offering others a map for their own currents, a reminder that even in the heaviest tides, there is a way forward.

Photo by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

As a GBSUP Ambassador, what message do you hope to share with people who might be hesitant to try paddleboarding?

Paddleboarding is about giving yourself permission to try something new, connect with nature, and have a bit of fun along the way. It’s ok to feel unsure.

The great thing about paddleboarding is that it meets you where you are – whether that’s gently floating on calm waters, testing your balance, or laughing through the wobbles with friends. The most important part is showing up, letting yourself enjoy the moment, and discovering what it feels like to move, breathe, and smile on the water.

What advice would you give to someone who feels limited by their circumstances but wants to take that first brave step?

Feeling scared is a sign that you’re moving toward something meaningful. Instead of waiting for fear to go away, take it with you – it’s fuel for your empowerment and it’s proof that your growing. I see paddleboarding as a continuous, evolving journey, and I find it exciting not knowing exactly where it will lead. What matters to me most though, is simply enjoying every step, or paddle stroke along the way. Progress comes from movement, not perfection. Even what feels like a stumble is a move forward.

Photo by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

What’s next for you – in sport, in writing, and as the GBSUP Ambassador?

Looking ahead, I’m focusing on developing my technique, speed and fitness, and I’m excited to be coached by Scott Warren, managing Director of GBSUP. My long-term goal is to race overseas, including the Czech Republic where my family is from.

I’m continuing my work as a life coach and my day job at the university while also writing for academic and wellbeing blogs – and now I’m really excited to be starting a new podcast series with Michaela Afford and Amanda Roberts, who each bring their own expertise (and sense of humour!) to the conversations. Together, we’ll be exploring how to achieve our goals, look after ourselves, stay grounded, and make space for the things that make life lighter.

As a GBSUP Ambassador, I’m continuing to support the great, inclusive work that GBSUP are doing, showing up at races and volunteering at events whenever I can. It’s a joy to be part of such a welcoming community that celebrates both the sport and the people in it.

Photo by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

To find out more about the GBSUP National Race Series, visit gbsup.co.uk

Register for SUP the Creek, 18 October in Salcombe, here 

Follow GBSUP on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube

Follow Sarah Hopp on Instagram

*Photos by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography