Cherie Englund

Cherie is a relatively new employee to the City of St. Paul, having just started in September, 2013. She is working at the Police Department West Team as an Office Assistant II.
 
Cherie has a passion – and she loves to share it. Her passion is: Stand-Up Paddle Boarding (SUP). It started back in 2008 when she signed herself and husband up for a class in Duluth. That day, it was 50 degrees and raining, and they were booked for 8 hours out on the lake. At first wanting to back out, the instructor encouraged them to put on wetsuits and endure the chill and drizzle. They did it and were hooked!
 
They started paddle boarding around the Twin Cities at area lakes where people were drawn to what they were doing. Not many people knew too much about it at that time, and there weren’t a lot of places to learn. So, they decided to become instructors and share their love of SUP with others. Cherie and her husband, Dave, are now certified with the American Canoe Association as SUP Level II Instructors.
 
As one thing often leads to another, they then formed a non-profit business, MN Stand Up Paddle Boarders Association. It was created to provide stewardship of the waterways of Minnesota and to teach the sport of Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP). They volunteer with local cities doing beach and waterway clean-ups on their stand up boards. They are able to remove hundreds of pounds of trash with the use of the paddle boards while doing this. They have taught SUP through the City of Minneapolis and Oakdale in their inner city youth programs.
 
They are now spreading their passion throughout the state. The DNR just started an “I Can Paddle” program at different state parks and have asked Cherie and Dave to be their instructors. It is a family event, with their two children accompanying them to the lessons. If you would like to see all the events they will be participating in (cleaning up of lakes, DNR events, classes), you can visit their website at http://www.mnsupa.org/.
 
Cherie will tell you that SUP is a very different point of view from canoeing and kayaking. It is fun to do and easy to learn. You can gain balance and stability using all of the major muscles in your body. It is so fun that you won’t even realize you are getting a great workout in. If you would like to see all the events they will be participating in and (cleaning up of lakes, DNR events, classes), you can visit their website at www.mnsupa.org.
 
Cherie and her family have been through some personal challenges that included injuries, surgery, and closing of their business they had for more than 20 years. Through it all though, she has learned to roll with change and not be afraid of it and to not stop growing. Besides being physically active, they keep themselves healthy with a diet that includes no processed foods and have eliminated foods without nutritional value.