Thursday Throwdown: Where the Race Isn’t the Point
Every Thursday at LJ Schooners, a small marina and restaurant in Niceville, Florida fills with a community of people who love to paddle.
A Weekly Gathering on the Water
SUP boards, surf skis, outrigger canoes, and kayaks line up and settle into position as someone says something halfway between a joke and trash talking, and the nervous energy mixes with the simple joy of being outside with friends on the water. Spectators watch with curiosity while Jimmie and Lisa sit at the start line, warming up the megaphone to call divisions and readying their cameras as the evening takes shape.
This weekly event, Thursday Throwdown, brings together paddlers of all ages and skill levels for a two-mile technical course. Points are tracked throughout the season, with prizes waiting at the end of the year. This adds a layer of competition for those who want it while still leaving space for everyone else to simply show up and be part of it.
More Than a Race
The race itself is both central and secondary at the same time, offering experienced paddlers a consistent opportunity for training and race simulation while giving beginners and intermediate participants a way to step into the sport, meet the community, and build confidence through repetition and shared experience.
What keeps people returning week after week and season after season is not just the structure of the event, but the pull of the group and the familiar rhythm of gathering at the restaurant, where conversations begin before launching and continue long after the finish.
A Culture Without Divisions
There is no clean line between beginner and experienced here, as someone lining up for the first time shares the same water and the same moment as someone who has been paddling for years. Jimmie and Scott Boisjolie, my good friends, have shaped this event over time, while Jimmie and Lisa keep it organized, on schedule, and infused with an energy that remains both focused and welcoming. The expectation is simple: you show up, you paddle, and you belong.
You will still see people pushing hard, chasing better lines through the course and trying to shave seconds off their time, but just as often you will see someone waiting at the finish, turning back to check on another paddler or calling out encouragement mid-race, as the competition exists without overtaking the culture that holds it together.
Redefining What Winning Means
Over time, the points system and end-of-year prizes come to represent something different than a typical race outcome, shifting away from rewarding only speed and instead recognizing consistency, effort, and presence within the group. Showing up counts, effort counts, and being part of the community counts, which gives everyone a path to earning something meaningful.
What people collect is not simply points, but a sense of familiarity and belonging that grows with each Thursday, as the routine of returning to the same place and the same people builds something steady and lasting.
The Power of Showing Up
There is something difficult to replicate in the human connection that forms when people gather with shared intention over time, as you can design a race, map a course, track times, and hand out prizes, but you cannot manufacture the relationships that grow from consistency and presence. That is why Thursday Throwdown works. These paddle friends are also some of my favorite people in the world.
A Personal Reflection
For me, this weekly event has been both a training ground and a catalyst, pushing my performance to a level that led me to compete nationally and internationally while reinforcing that competitive paddle boarding is more than a sport; it is a practice that blends strategy, mindfulness, and movement.
The way you fuel your body, maintain balance, and support your overall health directly shapes your performance, just as your daily commitment to practices like yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness shapes your discipline and cadence on the water. At 51 years old, I find myself in the best shape of my life, with a deep sense of gratitude for the role this sport and this community continue to play.
If this story resonated with you, follow along and share it with someone who values growth, community, and living with intention. GHGD is about more than paddling; it is about movement, mindset, health, and the everyday practices that shape how we show up in the world.
If you appreciate this work and want to support it, consider becoming a paid supporter and explore my book and workbook, where I go deeper into the principles, routines, and disciplines that guide this journey.
