Kelly Bullock and her teenage daughter, Kennedy, were cruising on the Tennessee River on Sunday looking like pros, though it was their first time on stand-up paddleboards.
The Chattanooga residents credited their smooth style to free instruction provided by SUP Paddleboards - and simply trying it. But first, the mother-daughter duo admitted, they had to get over their initial fears.
"I was a little bit nervous at first," Kelly Bullock said, standing on a dock at Ross's Landing after climbing out of the river.
Kennedy Bullock agreed.
"You stand up, and you can't really bend anything at all. It's so scary," she said. "And then it kind of just like breaks in and it's fun."
The free lessons provided by SUP Paddleboards were part of the third day of RiverRocks, a festival celebrating the outdoor opportunities and environment of the Tennessee Valley.
The crowd on the riverfront Sunday was smaller than on Saturday night, perhaps because the weekend was coming to a close or because of temperatures in the 60s with gusty winds. But there was still a steady stream of participants.
Overall, the festival is going greater than expected, said Mike McGauley, a RiverRocks organizer.
"Every event has far exceeded our expectations in terms of attendance," he said. "Everything seems to be going beautifully."
An example of Sunday's success, he said, was the Lula Lake Hike, which had about 45 more people participating than expected. There were 76 hikers and a "lot of new faces," McGauley said, mentioning his wife is part of a local outdoor organization.
"That's what we're trying to do is get people out," he said.
Anyone who missed any of the first weekend's events will have plenty more opportunities since RiverRocks goes through Saturday, McGauley said. TodayMonday, for example, has several events lined up including hiking, boating and paddling, and Saturday's schedule is more packed than this past one.
Though work and school may bar some residents from participating in weekday events, McGauley said he is still expecting good turnouts, as proven by the number of people who already have registered for several of the week's hikes.
And there's plenty for those who can only sneak away for an hour or so on lunch breaks and aren't able to break a sweat, McGauley said.
"There's a lot more than just the adventure sports," he said, referencing history tours, bird watching and entertainment events.
But, as shown by the RiverRocks schedule, there are many adventure sport activities lined up, including more free paddleboard lessons.
"For [the Tennessee Valley] area, it's a lot of different variations - you can wake-surf on them, you can [do] long-distance paddling, you can do sprints, you can do yoga," said SUP co-owner Natalie Phillips. "There's a lot of different avenues you can challenge yourself with."
RIVERROCKS SCHEDULE
See the complete schedule at www.riverrockschattanooga.com.