The one team that for us truly are a winner of this Championship and that touched our hearts the mos

This post aims to throw another angle and perspective to the sport and world championships of river rafting.

The first day of the official training days 6 Indonesian women came up to us with the biggest smile and asked if we remembered them from 2015.

They told us that watching us on the river ,we were one of their biggest inspirations to form a masters team of women, if we could- they could, we are so impressed by our new friends.

This is their story:

The Indonesian Masters Women Rafting Team have trained together since the end of 2016 and were successful at the National Championship in February 2017. The team trained at Citarik Sukabumi River under Andi Suherli, a former national athlete. (FAJI dock)The team have been practicing intensely since the beginning of the year after they reached the podium at the National Championships.

The Indonesian Masters Women started selections in December 2016. At the national championship (24-28 February 2017) the team earned their place as the national team. The team had daily physical exercises as well as weekly technique training at Citarik River, Sukabumi..

The team consists of activists and founders of the national federation of Indonesia are now ready to compete.

The women’s team of eight were adventure practitioners in their teens. At the youthful ages of 40 they reunited to campaign for Lupus – a common disease for women. They formed Female Trekkers for Lupus and travelled for charity to Everest base camp in 2005. They then continued to Kenya and Ecuador to climb and Lupus Syyah in 12 Indonesian mountains.

Each member of Masters Women team were member of their campus outdoor activities club. They were rafting athletes in the 80s and 90s. This friendship also resulted in a synergy to build the Indonesian Rafting Federation (FAJI). Some become caretakers and others developed careers in other adventure disciplines. FAJI itself managed to bring rafting as a competition event in the National Olympic meet. In addition to the sports world, one of FAJI’s main focuses are river conservation activities such as a carbon footprint removal program.

The last day, at the closing ceremony they came up to our table bearing gifts:-) They told us that they work on a program to clean up the rivers( and it is needed- we experienced that in 2015) So they have made these mesh bags to carry with them when outdoors, trekking or rafting- to collect garbage and clean the paths in nature. And they had made one for each of the master women at the event.

we were touched to tears as this is something we really care about, we have had a "be fantastic-pick up the plastic" awareness workout all year and these new bags will be with us for all future training- we will tell the story to the people we meet and teach by doing.