Last month, Seaspray Surf Life Saving Club hosted Ironwomen Harriet Brown and Lizzie Welborn, with the pair delivering their highly regarded KaMana workshop, attracting numerous female athletes from various sports across the Wellington Shire region.
Harriet Brown is one of the most successful ironwomen currently competing, winning the Ironwoman Series twice, with a World Ironwoman title and a World Board Race title to her name.
Brown has won the 52km Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard Championships three times, is the current record holder, and captained the winning Australian Lifesaving Team in the 2018 World Championships.
Harbouring a passion for sport, particularly women’s sport, and having learnt a lot through her time as a professional Ironwoman as well as her work as an Exercise Physiologist, Brown gains tremendous satisfaction from passing on her knowledge and learnings to the next generation.
Lizzie Welborn was one of the youngest competitors to ever qualify for the professional Ironwoman series at just 16 years of age.
Now 24, Welborn has become a coveted athlete, placing third in the professional Ironwoman series in 2020 and 2021, second in the 2023 professional ironwoman series and the sport’s new Summer of Surf series and has represented Australia on numerous occasions.
Welborn also competed in the 52km Molokai 2 Oahu World Paddleboard Championships in Hawaii, placing second to Harriet three years in a row.
Transitioning to being an open competitor and matching it with the more experienced women from being one of the most accomplished youth athletes surf sports has ever seen was a challenge for Welborn.
Today, Welborn strives to equip the next generation of female athletes with the necessary tools to understand the burden of expectation, manage insecurities about body image and the importance of fuelling correctly.
Through led discussions on topics such as body image, nutrition, self-confidence, menstrual cycles and performance, the KaMana workshop provides an opportunity for young female athletes, 12 years and older, to build confidence, feel empowered and reach their potential.
Seaspray SLSC Director of Programs and Development and life member Sue-Ellen Jackson said the Kamana workshops led by Brown and Welborn were well received, with all participants highly engaged.
“Participants represented a variety of sports, which was our aim; to make it a community event,” Jackson said.
When Jackson asked Seaspray SLSC Director of Lifesaving and beach captain Jess Jackson what she believed was the highlight of the Kamana workshop, many were listed but one facet in particular stood out.
“Jess said Harriet and Lizzie connected with all participants, and hearing their stories and challenges they had faced resonated with all,” Jackson said.
“The workshop on body confidence gave the participants many ideas for dealing with negative thoughts and how to practice having more body confidence.
“[And] that Harriet and Lizzie were interested in their sporting endeavours and goals and encouraged them to keep in touch.”
Jackson said that the reaction from the Kamana workshop was positive and that Seaspray SLSC will follow up with an online session later in the year concentrating on nutrition – fueling the body and an athlete’s connection with food.
“We thank everyone who supported the workshops,” Jackson said.
“Especially local businesses and surf club members, which made it possible to bring Harriet and Lizzie to Seaspray.”
