SUP 11-City Art in the make

Charmaine Walsen and Anne-Marie Reichman are currently 

working on their Flower Power SUP 11-City Tour Art exhibition in The Hague.
During the event next week, the participants find their home in “SUP City”,

 a tent that gets rebuilt and broken down every morning and every

 afternoon traveling from town to town like the athletes on their SUP. 

With their art exhibition in “SUP City”, Charmaine and Anne-Marie like to

 ad some Aloha and color for the entire SUP 11-City Ohana. Perhaps some 

extra inspiration for their paddle prestige. 

Charmaine Walsen is an artist who graduated in 1996 at the Royal Academy of Art, 

The Hague in Fine Arts (ba). She is locally at Scheveningen well know for 

her “Aloha Art” with (surf) waves en Hibiscus flowers. 

It’s her dreamworld and creates happy tropical scenes for herself and others. 

It’s her longing for warm and bright colors when days in The Netherlands can be cold and grey. 

She also makes self- and other portraits. Lately she found the passion for pen drawings again. 

With little strokes and fine lines she makes sketches from people and scenery from travel or her own sphere.

You can see more art work via her facebook https://www.facebook.com/charmaine.walsen?fref=ts 

Her personal website is under ...more

ZEMgear Participates in 2014 Stand Up Paddleboard Race

 

ZEMgear recently took part in the 2014 Paddle Stars Race, participating both a vendor and sponsor. The Daytona Beach-based 2014 Paddle Stars Race is known as a hugely popular stand-up paddle boarding event, featuring paddlers from all over the world – including top-level athletes like Danny Ching and Slater Trout.

The growth in Paddle Sports is reflected in the new products by ZEMgear geared to the Paddle Sports demographic and the specific performance requirements in and around various types of shores and beaches. The ...more

Last Chance to Vote in 2014 SUP Awards!

 

 SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (August 29, 2014) 

Last chance to vote in SUP magazine’s fourth annual SUP Awards 

presented by Tommy Bahama and win an awesome prize pack. 

Visit www.supthemag.com/sup-awards/vote/ before voting closes 

on Monday, Sept 1^st at 11:59 pm PDT to make your 

choices for the Top 3 Male and Female Paddlers, 

Movie of the Year, Expedition of the Year and ...more

Dogs set to "make waves" at 9th Annual Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon

 

RANCHO SANTA FE, CA

With summertime nearing its close, west-coast canines wouldn't dream 

of missing the singular event of the beach season – 

Helen Woodward Animal Center's 9th Annual Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon, 

held at Dog Beach in Del Mar, presented by Blue Buffalo. 

This year, in addition to the "hang twenty" competition, 

local surFURs from gromMUTTs to PAW-fessionals will cheer from the sidelines as Stand Up Paddleboarding Pups lead their ...more

Remember Aniston's paddling??

It's an old article but it worths the re-publishing.

Besides,she was for many years one of our .... 

 Posted on couturecandy.com  23 2007 @ 11:10 AM

 

 

Jennifer Aniston was spotted on a relaxing getaway to Hawaii 

with BFF Courteney Cox on August 19, 

relaxing on the sand wearing a cowboy hat and seeming 

to attempt a lazy-daisy method of paddlesurfing. 

Wearing red shorts with a white bikini 

(similar to Maya Swimwear's Signature Bikini with Triangle Top in White) 

and brown sunglasses (like Nour's Kiara Sunglasses in Manner Mania) 

while paddlesurfing, Jen wore the same outfit plus a basic black tank 

(check out Hank Vintage Threads' Butterfly Tank in Black, which has a funky detailing on the front) 

while hangin' on the sand with Courteney. 

While a peaceful vacation with her best friend was just what Jen needed,

 it seems that pesky rumors that had been plaguing her just would not die. 

A while back, it was rumored that Jen bumped into Brad 

and his daughter Shiloh at a restaurant, which Jennifer insists never happened. 

It was also rumored that Jennifer was flying to London often to be with her beau Paul Sculfor, 

which Jen's rep says is completely false. 

I say, when the rumors get too intense to handle, just head off to Hawaii… that's what Jen did!

Jennifer Aniston seen in Hawaii on Aug 19 2007.

Read it here

Walking on water

It’s an interesting sensation the first time you find yourself standing out on the calm, glassy waters of Howe Sound a few metres off the shores of Nexen Beach.

It’s a novel perspective to be upright, knees bent, feet spread wide apart 

just an inch or so from the still ocean on a stand up paddleboard (SUP).

 It offers a different way to relate to the scenery than when seated 

in a canoe or kayak, and unlike sports such as kiteboarding, 

you don’t need the help of wind. “It’s the closest thing to surfing in this area,” 

said Taylor McKechnie, a Squamish local who, along with fellow paddlers 

Jay Butler and Diana Frederickson, is going out on on a SUP tour 

from Nexen to Britannia Beach. You have to get out early, even before 

the sun peaks out from behind the Stawamus Chief, if you want calm 

waters on the ocean, though. The three have tried the sport before, 

and are now here at 7:30 a.m. trying to make up their minds about SUP.

 “The goal is to see if it’s worth buying one,” said McKechnie. 

While they start their journey down Howe Sound with Ico Schutte, 

a guide from Sea to Sky Adventure Company,  Jessica (Jessi) Stensland,

 the company’s director of adventure, stays behind to chat about 

the growing popularity of SUP. It’s a great sport that’s easily accessible,” she said. 

“Almost anyone can get on a board and experience SUP. And people these days, especially in a place like Squamish, are always wanting to try new things"

.But SUP is anything but a new sport. 

The history of stand up paddling is hard to confirm. 

There’s evidence that for 3,000 years Peruvian fishermen have used a small woven reed craft propelled 

with a long bamboo shaft shaped like a kayak paddle. 

In fact, many ancient cultures from Africa to South America

 used boards, canoes, and other ...more

Top SUP Gear Innovations of 2014

  

It’s an exciting time to be a standup paddler. As the sport continues to establish itself across the world, paddlers continue to innovate not only on the water, but also in the realm of SUP technology. In every part of the industry, these visionaries continue to hone their crafts. Here, we give you the lowdown on the innovations that you’ll see more of in 2014. –Will Taylor

 Kids’ Boards , 

Paddle Design , 

Inflatable Innovations 

and  Custom Creations on supthemag.com

The Story of Standup Paddle/Film Trailer

Check out the trailer to the feature length documentary film “The Story Of Standup Paddle”.  Some of you might recognize some of the action as it’s a re-release, and replacement of ‘That First Glide’. The Story of Standup Paddle, filmed and directed by Mike Waltze, takes us on an informative and thrilling ride into the world of Standup Paddle, or SUP.  This documentary covers the little known origins of the sport and follows it’s evolution all the way up to today’s massive wave of global interest that has made standup paddling the fastest growing water sport in the world.  Some of the ...more

Also posted on  playak.com

DIY Standamaran Stand Up Paddleboard Plans

 

INTRODUCTION:

These are the plans for the Standamaran stand up paddle board I built in the winter of 2014.  A standamaran is a stand up paddle board in the form of a catamaran which results in an extremely stable platform without sacrificing paddle-ability. 
I build this board out of Home Depot and Lowes extruded polystyrene (XPS) home insulation which is easily accessible virtually anywhere. 

This is just how I built mine, and it was specifically designed with fly fishing for carp on the flats.  If you are thinking of making your own stand up paddle board and like the concept of a standamaran you should customize it to your own wants and needs!  The most likely change you may want to make is to make the pontoons longer for improved speed and tracking.  Additionally, if you are much heavier than I am (~175 to 185lbs) you will need to make the pontoons longer in order to add buoyancy.

PHASE1:  Building and Shaping The Foam Blank:

My standamaran was built using methods similar to ...more

ACTIVITY | Ibiza stand-up paddle-surf

 

Anyone who’s recently been to Playa d’en Bossa, Ibiza will surely have seen those groups of fit, tanned people gliding smoothly and leisurely through the crystal clear waters of the Balearic sea.

Paddle-surfing is the latest big thing. It involves balancing on top of a ‘longboard’ (a bit like a surf board) and then gliding through the water with the help of a ‘paddle’ (a bit like a boat’s oar).

It’s incredibly popular this year, especially down at Playa d’en Bossa where SUPfaris offer a complete, hour-long initiation to the sport, teaching you how to balance and expertly supervising your progress.

It’s cracking good fun ladies and gents, with much falling over and loss of ...more

Kelowna paddler sets sights on world gold

 

Whether it's in an outrigger canoe or on top of a stand up paddle board, there aren't many people who can move as fast or powerfully across a stretch of water as Leanne Stanley.

Proof of that isn't hard to find as the Kelowna woman already has nine world championship medals to her credit in outrigger, and many other provincial awards in stand up events.

Now Stanley has aspirations of becoming the world's fastest female in an outrigger, while also cracking into the top 10 competitors in the world in stand up paddling.

A member of the Canadian national outrigger team, Stanley has designed a 20-month training program which she hopes will pave the way to gold at the IVF World Outrigger Sprint Championships in 2016 in Australia.

Stanley has knocked on the door of a world title before, finishing fourth in 2008 and third in 2010. In 2012, feeling poised to make the climb all the way to the top, she was involved in a car accident in Kelowna three weeks before worlds in ...more

Petawawa SUPers take on CHEO challenge

 

PETAWAWA – The first ever Stand Up For CHEO event for the town made a huge splash at Petawawa Point Beach this Saturday.

More than 40 participants flooded the beach to get in on the action and take on the Stand Up Paddle (SUP) sport.

Participants and supporters of the fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) have helped raised more than $25,000, Kimberley Landry, volunteer spokesperson for the Stand Up For CHEO (SUFC) events confirmed.

The Petawawa event was one of three SUFC gatherings and the final. The two other stand up paddling fundraisers were just recently held in Ottawa and Kingston. But Petawawa has certainly helped drive home the goal of reaching that $25,000, Landry said. It’s expected, the $25,000 goal was actually surpassed, but numbers won’t be finalized until next week, Landry said.

All proceeds help CHEO help the young people of Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec. Funds raised go towards hospital’s ...more

Stand-Up Paddleboard Workout: Apparel Executive Has Board, Will Travel

 

Anne Wiper stand-up paddleboards on the Yampa River in Steamboat Springs, Colo. Andrew Maguire for The Wall Street Journal

Anne Wiper may live in the Colorado Rockies, but the apparel executive prefers playing in the water to the mountains. When she travels, her stand-up paddleboard goes with her.

Ms. Wiper, vice president of product for SmartWool, an outdoor apparel brand based in Steamboat Springs, Colo., got hooked on the sport six years while on vacation in the Turks and Caicos. "I remember the first time I went. I looked down and saw a lemon shark nursery," she says.

At home, she discovered a growing community of enthusiasts who paddled on Colorado's rivers and lakes. But she soon tired of renting boards and was turned off by the idea of loading a heavy board onto a car rack. Then she found inflatable stand-up paddleboards that can be deflated and rolled into a ...more

One design SUP racing boosts UK SUP “explosion”

The Naish N1SCO SUP race series at the 2014 Ecover Blue Mile in Weymouth saw over 40 competitors battle it out in a full day of action in perfect conditions on 20 July.
Entry numbers were more than double compared to the 2013 event and competitors ranged from experienced riders, teenagers – and even members of the GB sailing team. With all the riders using Naish One 12.6 inflatables and a seeding system, it meant there was a level playing field where everyone had something to paddle for.
While the races took place at the Ecover Blue Mile end of Weymouth’s main beach, scores of enthusiasts of all ages also jumped at the chance to try out SUP in 30-minute taster sessions for just £3.
Alex Tobutt of Naish UK said the event was helping the sport to take off in Britain: “ We sold out on spaces for the event this year which is very encouraging and we hope to open it up to more next year. This sport is only going one way – and that’s upwards. It’s so encouraging to see a real diversity in competitors and their paddling experience. The atmosphere between the competitors on the beach has been great.”
The N1SCO race series consists of three separate races during the day. The event starts with a 750m race around a square course. Positions from the first race are used as a ...more

Also posted on  playak.com

IVGID Tip: Experience stand-up paddleboard yoga

 

Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) has increased in popularity over the last few years and users are looking for new ways to enjoy this activity.

Racing and touring are two of the most widespread SUP activities, but SUP yoga is also growing. If you’re looking for a new way to challenge yourself on a stand-up paddleboard then try SUP yoga.

SUP yoga is a fun and challenging practice that offers the benefits of traditional yoga including balance, alignment and breath awareness, within a setting of adventure.

The yoga postures, or asanas, are experienced differently on a moving foundation, allowing the paddleboard yoga student a ...more

Stern Wheeler Stand Up Paddling on a Naish Hokua 8′ 5″

 

Fun first person perspective stand up paddleboarding behind the columbia gorge sternwheeler.

Posted on  standupjournal.com

Reporter Chloe Smith takes to the water to try Stand Up Paddle boarding - the UK's fastest growing watersport

 

AS SOMEONE who has never surfed, the idea of getting on a board in the water and standing up seemed like a challenge.

With more and more people taking up stand-up paddleboarding ( SUPing) it's fast becoming the most popular way to take to the water when there are few waves in sight.

I have watched people on their SUPs around St Ives and always thought it looked blissfully serene, and for a novice it seemed like a relatively easy water sport to enjoy.

A beautiful morning when the water was calm provided the perfect opportunity to test out my SUP skills along with instructor James Williams.

James has recently set up SUP St Ives, offering SUP lessons and hire from his harbourfront shop Keebunga.

Down by the water, James ran through the ...more

How SUP can be the Best Exercise You Don’t Realize You’re Getting

I bumped into a statistic that suggested half of the buyers of stand up paddle boards are women. Personally, I think that number is much higher. But if the stat is true, one has to wonder why the other half isn’t on board with this activity. Here are five questions a group of women asked me about stand up paddle boarding just yesterday.
What kind of board should I start with?
To their credit, all of these women looked to be in great physical condition (one of them still had the race numbers marked on her calves). So my natural choice for their first SUP board was something that was a bit beyond the beginner board, but not by much. The Boardworks SUP Great Bear 12’6” Paddle Board, I told them, is a great first board for a number of reasons. But before I could go on, they all gasped at the length, wondering if something that large would be difficult to handle. What makes the Great Bear SUP Board so good is that length and because of the ...more

SUPerCharger Takes 1st at the Ottawa SUP Challenge!

 

My heart was pounding all week leading up to the first Ultimate SUP Challenge on the Ottawa River.  This was my first time competing on a paddleboard and I had only been riding whitewater for 3 months on Class II rivers in Western New York.  I had seen too many Youtube videos of the Ottawa and knew this would be bigger water than I have ever been in – coming from a surfing background as opposed to whitewater.

Pulling up to where the race would be held I was super intimidated not only by the water but all the pros that were competing including Mike Tavares, Todd Caranto, Kristin Thomas and Jessica Rando just to name a few. The first heat was a simple ferry across a rapid, down through Push Button and finished on the far shore. The Second heat added a pivot turn start into some small rapids and two full buoy turns. I advanced through both of those heats in the top three.

The third and final heat added a much bigger challenge down the Black Chute. Watching the men go first there were some gnarly wipe outs on the Waikiki wave.  Todd Coranto and Mike Tevares wowed the crowd with the only clean rides through the wave train. When my turn was up I had my ...more

Floating yoga class on Irondequoit Creek tests newbies

 

Doing yoga on a gently rocking paddleboard on Irondequoit Creek is a mix of exercise, playfulness and pushing the edges of your comfort zone.

The startling beauty of the surroundings and the thrill of trying yoga poses on an unsteady surface make floating yoga — "flo yo" — both relaxing and exhilarating.

"It is an opportunity to experience nature like no other in Rochester," says Karen Parker of Perinton, who celebrated her 40th^{birthday in July by trying standup paddleboard yoga, aka SUP yoga. She loved it.}

Standup paddleboarding began in the 1940s when surfers in Hawaii stood on their boards and used long paddles to navigate through waves, according to Yoga Journal. Yoga on the water is a more recent fitness fad that reached Canandaigua last summer. This summer, it took off at BayCreek Paddling Center in Penfield. A mile outside the city limits, where Irondequoit Creek winds through tall reeds from Ellison Park to Irondequoit Bay, a sign welcomes you to "Rochester's secret wilderness."

On a recent Tuesday night, yoga instructor Lynne Staropoli Boucher welcomes four first-timers and asks about any ...more

Have board will travel: Matt Becker logs miles for SUP, big-wave surfing

 

Matt Becker can fill in for the character of Waldo in the “Where’s Waldo?” series of children’s books.

The 19-year-old Santa Barbaran has been all over the place. Just replace the red-and-white-striped shirt, black-rimmed circular glasses and red-and-white bobble hat with board shorts, a Stand-Up paddleboard and a paddle.

Presidio Sports was fortunate enough to find the local waterman before he heads off on a journey that will take him to Utah, Hawaii, Oregon, Mexico and back to Hawaii. He had just returned from the islands, where he competed in the prestigious and grueling Molokai to Oahu World Championships last month.

“(It’s) a race I do every year,” he told a reporter in an email. “To do well at that race and cross that 32-mile stretch of open ocean known as the Kaiwi Channel, you not only need to be extremely fit and a strong paddler, but also have an innate understanding of the ocean and its moods.”

In his third year doing the race, Becker finished third in the 14-foot stock division with a time of 5 hours, 14 minutes and 30 seconds. He was the best overall finisher from the mainland.

In other major SUP competitions this year, Becker placed sixth at the 13-mile Carolina Cup off Wrightsville Beach, N.C., won the dual paddle and placed fourth in the shootout at Surftech Shootout in Santa Cruz and took first place at the Jay Moriarty Memorial Race in Santa Cruz. He capped last season with a fourth-place finish at the inaugural Ultimate SUP Showdown in Waikiki, Hawaii, an event that featured the cream of the ...more

Pro SUP Shop hosts SUP for Smiles

 

Not everyone is blessed with the same opportunities in life, but the ocean is a great equalizer. Embracing that ethos, Marina del Rey’s Pro SUP Shop hosted SUP for Smiles on Saturday, August 2. The event gave 20 autistic children the opportunity to experience the ocean through Stand Up Paddling (SUP). “It’s all about giving back to the community,” said Pro SUP Shop owner Mike Vaughan, Jr.

This past weekend’s event was the second visit of the summer by the group to the beachside SUP shop jointly operated by the father-son team of Mike Vaughan, Junior and Senior. “There were a lot of smiles out there today,” said Senior as he helped one of the children unclasp the buckles on their life jacket at the end of the session.

SUP for Smiles was inspired by a long time Pro SUP Shop customer, Tricia Ortega, a teacher at Kid-to-Kid, a Culver City-based school specializing in teaching social skills to children with access and functional needs. While this ...more

CURLY GIRL RUNS: New yoga classes take to the waves

 

“Gently draw your right knee up to your body and roll to your left side."
The yoga instructor’s voice is soft and soothing and I start to relax. Closing my eyes, I pull my leg over into a good stretch.
I’m about to try and deepen the stretch when instructor Grace Stolarz adds another — vital — bit of advice: “But don’t roll too far or you’ll roll right off!”
This is no standard yoga class and my mat is not your typical purple towel.
No, this class is in the great outdoors and I’m on a standup paddleboard.
Yup. Standup paddleboard — or SUP — yoga is taking off on calm bodies of water near you.
The sport was either invented in India or Northern California — a Google search reveals conflicting claims — but one thing is clear: the practice is the hottest thing on lakes this summer.
Our class, put on by SUP Dude Yoga, is held out of Grahams Grove in Dartmouth, where a slightly chilly breeze is balanced by a lake as warm as bathwater.
There are three of us, all SUP newbies, and we start with a quick lesson about the boards.
Standup paddleboards are beefier versions of ...more

OC kids love Pirate Coast SUP camp

 

In the world of Mom Ambassadors, this Mom is a big ambassador of Pirate Coast, as are many moms on the OC Family team. It’s a company with heart, love for the kids and passion for fun in the sun and all things OC. Their Kids SUP camp rocks and there’s still four more weeks left with Pirate Coast Paddle Company.

Here’s a video look I put together at some of the fun a week holds at the 5-day camp packed full of awesome when my kids were campers last week.The SUP counselors are great fun with the kids (several are even teachers in the Irvine school district). In addition to learning water safety, balance and mastering SUP, campers do  ...more

New Zealand Lifeguard Gillian Gibree Paddles into Fitness with New Workout Program

Gillian's love of the ocean began when she was a lifeguard in her native Cape Cod. The environment was the perfect setting to take her yoga practice into nature, and bring balance to the body after lifeguard competitions and long hours in the water. After college, Gillian took a lifeguard position in New Zealand, and after relocating to San Diego created Paddle Into Fitness.
Paddle Into Fitness is a Standup Paddleboard and SUP Yoga certification program - with a large focus on technique and water safety training, which differentiates it from the majority of other SUP yoga certification programs. As an outdoor athlete, competing in some of the highest profile races in the world, Paddle Into Fitness offers a unique opportunity to learn how to paddle correctly and efficiently, and learn key water safety skills from a professional athlete. SUP yoga blends a harmonious yoga practice bringing balance and restoring, while SUP builds better balance, coordination, endurance, and body strength. Come learn how to teach SUP Yoga with Gillian while in ...more

Annual Supnami Coming to Sioux Falls

 

Sioux Falls S.D. (KELO AM) -  The Supnami is a paddleboard race that wil take place on Lake Alvin on Aug. 9th.  This is the second year of raising awareness for the local Stand Up Paddling (SUP) community, SUP safety and outdoor fitness.

The Supnami will begin with approximately 1.5 miles of Stand-up Paddleboarding, transitioning to a 3.1 mile run.

There will be a technical shirt for each participant, post race food and ...more

Yoga on water? SUP yoga makes waves in Omaha

 

If you think yoga is tough, try practicing it on the water.
SUP yoga gained traction on the coasts a few years ago. Now the outdoor exercise is catching on locally. At least three businesses in Omaha offer classes at area lakes. To SUP — short for stand-up paddling — people stand on a buoyant board and use a paddle to glide over the water. During a SUP yoga session, participants drop anchors in the water so their boards don’t float away. They then ...more

Mo Freitas- New Focus Raw1-Pro Sup for the Shonan Chigasaki Pro

 

 Mo Freitas and I have been working progressively on the Raw1-Pro model for 4 consecutive personal boards with this 7’2 x 23.5 x 3.7 70.2cv being the final 9.3 lb. wave board designed for this Japan small wave event. While Shonan’s surf may be small (most the time, excepting Typhoon surf), the area is well known for enthusiastic surfers and beach goers, and I think this well-promoted event will be a game-changer for Japan SUP in-the-surf style! Also, pictured is the ...more

Bill Jackson’s BIC SUP One Design Series

 

The BIC SUP One Design race season at Bill Jackson’s in Pinellas Park, FL has been a successful one so far, with their third race in the series held July 19th on a beautiful day on Lake Freedom. With each race, the crew gets more and more excited over the challenge, and they’re all sad to see the end of the season drawing near. Join them for the last race of their season, which will take place on August 16th at 11AM, in Freedom Lake Park behind the store. The crew at  ...more

Also posted on playak.com

SUP Yellowstone National Park

 

It’s summer. It’s hot and you want nothing more than to go and jump into a body of water and cool yourself off. You are currently living in Bozeman, Montana and you have just about had your fill of the activities in and around that area. You have white water rafted, you have fly-fished, you have swam in high mountain lakes after an all day hike, and you have backpacked into the wilderness. But you want to try something new. You want to go somewhere you haven’t been. And most importantly, you want to try something no one else has done. Or at least think no one else has done.

It is our human nature to push boundaries and try things to impress others. We as humans are very selfish and when you are a writer or photographer, it shows.  My birthday was over the summer and as I described above, I had done all of those adventurous activities and did them repeatedly. I’m not trying to sound like I was bored of them but I wanted something new. In all honestly, I wanted to try something that reminded me of home.

I was living in Bozeman over the summer but I am originally from the ocean where I grew up surfing. So I only lived in Montana for the summer and I had brought my stand up paddleboard with me so I could paddle on the lakes and rivers in ...more

Revealed: List Of Athletes Confirmed For The Ultimate SUP Showdown

 

Honolua Surf Co.’s Ultimate SUP Showdown has certainly been generating some buzz lately, so much so that the it’s become one of the most highly anticipated events of 2014.
We already knew there’d be big names and a big prize purse, however things really went next level when we revealed that Showdown 2014 will be broadcast across the USA in prime time, thanks to a major deal with CBS Sports Network.
And now, according to the giant countdown clock I just spotted on Instagram, the Showdown is only 16 days away.

Time flies.
So in just over two weeks’ time we’re gonna see a whole stack of the world’s best go at it on the shores of Waikiki Beach. But who exactly is going to be in that stack?
The event teased us with Showdown: Draft Day, a very interesting concept in which the athletes got a personal call from Showdown head honcho Boyd Jeffery (remember: Showdown is invite only). However that invite list was a closely guarded secret.
Until now.
Because now we’ve got our hands on the full list. And it’s mighty impressive…
Almost every big name you can think of has signed on for the ...more
Also posted on playak.com

Werner Paddles: The Next Big Thing In Sup

Posted on standupjournal.com

Stand-up paddleboarding gaining popularity in Sheboyganeborder

 

Nearly every morning, the Sheboygan resident and her friend, Molly Kubow, are up at 5:30 a.m. and out on Lake Michigan doing one of their favorite activities, stand-up paddleboarding, or SUP.

"It's the best time to go," Gohr said. "Everybody's still in bed. The sun rises. It's just really peaceful and it's almost like a self-therapy."

For those looking for a fun summer activity, SUP is a good place to start, said Mike Miller, owner of EOS, a surf and paddleboard shop that just opened its new location on ...more

Washington DC’s Got SURF: 13 year old Ian Brown and Dad Prove It

jimmy lewis whitewater sup promo edit from Skip Brown on Vimeo.

A shameless attempt to get some new SUPs out of our favorite board shaper, Jimmy Lewis. No one else that we know of is doing anything remotely like this in whitewater on ...more

Gloucester man competes in Hawaii SUP races

 

Will Rich has tackled countless challenges on his standup paddleboard.

The Gloucester native has won the Blackburn Challenge, a 20 plus mile trip around the waters of Cape Ann, and he paddleboarded all the way up the East Coast of the United States in 2011.

Rich has now taken his paddleboarding skills to the far west coast as he competed in the Molokai2Oahu (M2O) Paddleboard World Championships in Hawaii last weekend and he will be competing in a race in Kauai this coming weekend.

It may not have been an 87 day trek up the East Coast of the United States from Key West to Maine like the trip Rich made back in 2011, but the M2O was still packed with challenges including a stacked field of paddlers. The M2O is a daunting, 32 mile open water trek through the Ka’iwi Channel. The race begins on the Hawaiian island of Molokai and finished up in ...more

THE SUMMER OF STAND UP PADDLE: SUP COMES TO TURKEY

 

With summer here, water sports and leisurely activities is the best way to entertain yourself and top up on that tan. Turkey's luscious sea and beautiful coves are a wonderland for the fastest growing water sport in the world: Stand Up Paddle Boarding, otherwise known as SUP

It may have taken a decade to get here, but Stand Up Paddle Boarding has officially arrived in Turkey and is fast becoming the most popular new water sport of the summer. Stand Up Paddle Boarding, which is also referred to as SUP, originated in Hawaii as an offshoot of surfing, allowing surfers to not only go further distances and faster to gain a better vantage point, but also enabling them to catch more waves in every set. Over the past decade, however, it has taken off as a water sports category of its own, and sea and sun lovers all over the world are now jumping on the proverbial bandwagon, which in this case happens to be a surfboard, to try this new sport.
SUP involves standing on a surfboard and using upright oars to navigate. SUP can be done in all sorts of bodies of water, ranging from ocean, seas, lakes and rivers, and is an excellent way to work on your cardio and gain balance and strength while enjoying a more relaxing water sport. Being such an accessible and versatile sport has made SUP the latest craze in water sports, and it is ...more

Paddleboarding grows in popularity

 

If Burlington starts to look a little like California over the next week, don't be surprised. Paddleboarders aplenty will be streaming in to race, demo and socialize at Saturday's Stand Up for the Lake event from 11 to 5 p.m. at the city's Waterfront Park on Lake Champlain.

To learn more about the paddleboarding phenomenon, Free Press reporter Molly Walsh caught up with Russ Scully of Burlington, co-founder of the SUP event and co-owner with his wife Roxanne Scully of the Wind and Waves shop on Pine Street.

BURLINGTON FREE PRESS: 

  I'm seeing a lot of paddleboards on waterways around Vermont, on car roofs, even on little trailers towed by ...more

Adventure 101: Stand-Up Paddle Boarding

 

The fastest-growing water sport in the world, stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) was born in the Hawaiian Islands, and with calm jungle rivers and 50 miles of beaches, Kauai is one of the best places for the sport.
“SUP is the marriage of the two most important water sports in Hawaiian culture: surfing and outrigger paddling,” says Laird Hamilton, world-renowned big-wave surfer and master of crossover board sports. 
> When to Go:
April through October is Kauai’s dry season, best for sunny days and calmer seas and great for beginner coastal paddling, where smaller surf and flat conditions are desirable.
Year-round, hawksbill turtles, green sea turtles, and pods of Hawaiian spinner dolphins are found along the coast.
> Getting Started:
You don’t need to be a gymnast to balance on the ...more

Get out and up on the water with stand-up paddleboarding

 

THE FIRST time I saw someone stand-up paddleboarding — let’s be honest, it was probably Jennifer Aniston in Us Weekly — I thought it looked unstable and slow. I pooh-poohed it.
Then stand-up paddleboarding, also known as SUP, got popular, and it felt like everyone was doing it, including people braving the cold waters around Seattle. I grimaced slightly, hopped on a board and, naturally, fell in love.
Going from sitting to standing on water is hard to describe. There’s a power and fluidity when you stand on a board that elevates it above sitting in a kayak or canoe. You can see ...more

Board width, stability and training your balance

 

There’s been a lot of discussion in the last year or so about board width. Everyone is going to narrower boards and SUPPA has pushed for board width restrictions. In this post I’d like to stay away from the discussion of board specifications and instead focus on the impact board width is going to have on the average SUP racer. While a guy like Kai Lenny can stand on a narrow board and get the most out of it I believe there are real benefits for most of us in choosing stability before a really skinny board.

The last few SUP races I’ve done have been a lot of fun with lots of good sized waves and some pretty challenging and very technical sections. I’ve come to the beach in each race with a smile on my face because of how much fun it’s been trying to make the most out of whatever the water conditions are offering. To me this is the big thing that makes SUP so much fun. If it’s flat it seems to me like it’s just another running race only on the water. I’ve been doing that type of flat water paddling most of my life, and while there are tactics involved like drafting, it’s still really just a grind when you’re doing a longer race. However when conditions get big enough to make drafting difficult and the...more

Also posted on playak.com

How to SUP with your pup Stand-up paddleboarding is popular among canines as well

 

Marie Newton enjoys stand-up paddleboarding with her rescue dog, Petey, almost every day.

“Petey is still learning,” said Newton of Fort Collins, “but she is getting better every day. It’s not really the board. It’s more that she just tends to be a little worried about things in general, but we are working on helping her feel more confident.”

Petey then jumped off the board and splashed happily to shore. “I love SUP in the morning up at Horsetooth,” Newton said. “It is quiet and peaceful and a great way to start the day.”

Stand-up paddleboarding, SUP for short, is a relatively old sport enjoying new popularity. Now it’s becoming a favorite sport for canines as well.

It’s not overly technical, can be done on lakes, rivers or the ocean and doesn’t require a high fitness level. Paddle boarding is like ...more

As stand-up paddle boarding grows, options for enjoying the sport expand

 

PARK CITY — Trent Hickman doesn’t exactly know why surfing captivated a kid from Utah.
“Maybe it’s because my mom is from Malibu (California),” he said. “I’ve always had an affinity for surfing; I’ve always wanted to be a surfer. I remember going to visit my grandpa and trying to learn how to surf. It seemed like Mission Impossible for a kid from Utah.”
Hickman may not have had a lot of opportunities to surf as a youngster growing up in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, but he made the most of every opportunity he had.
In 2004, he moved to Costa Rica. Six months of the year he lived there and spent much of that time surfing. The other six months, he was in Utah, working and wishing he could find a way to ride the waves in the desert.
About five years ago, he found a way to bring his passion to Utah.
“Someone said, ‘You’ve got to try stand-up paddle boarding,’ ” he said. A Park City couple who were among the first to preach the benefits of the sport, Bob and Betsy Risner, took Hickman out for ...more

Interest builds for water sport stand-up paddleboarding

 

People often observe, while watching stand-up paddlers glide across Gray's Lake, that it looks hard. The observer generally follows up by proclaiming she would fall off "that thing," then contemplates the paddler, still blithely slicing the lake, with a wistful gaze.

The observer then returns to mounting a rented kayak, walking a rescue pup, or buying an ice cream sandwich at the concessions window, perhaps silently resolving to try stand-up paddle "someday."

"People think it's going to take a lot of balance," said Katie Gilbert of No Coast Stand Up. "The truth is if you get the basic instruction on the right spot to stand on the board, where to focus your eyes, keeping your knees bent — once people get that, they don't tend to have any trouble at all. They come in ...more

SUP Yoga with Aqua Vida Now at Spruce Street Harbor Park

 

With the hammocks, great people watching and beer, you’ve already got plenty of reasons to head to Spruce Street Harbor Park this summer, but here’s one more to add to the list: Now you can get your stand-up paddleboard yoga on at the beloved pop-up park. Say whaaat?

This past Wednesday, the duo behind Aqua Vida, Jana Mars and Michelle Doyle, launched their first SUP yoga class on the Delaware River out of Spruce Street Harbor Park. They were previously teaching their Philly classes on the Schuylkill, but they’ve officially moved locations, with a bunch of classes slated to happen at Spruce Street Harbor Park this month.
From now through the end of August, you can experience SUP yoga at ...more

Sea Isle Paddle Fest will be a battle of the paddles

 

SEA ISLE CITY - Harbor Outfitters will hold its secondannual Fish Alley Paddle FestSaturday, Aug. 9 in Sea Isle City.

Originally scheduled for July 27, the event was postponed due to inclement weather.
Returning this year is the Battle to the Beach, an 8.7-mile standup paddleboard and surf ski race from Sea Isle’s Fish Alley Basin (Park Road) north through Corsons Inlet and out into the ocean, ending at the 35th Street beach. Men must use a 14-foot standup paddleboard, and for women the requirement is 12.5 feet.
The Fish Alley Paddle Fest is a World Paddle Association event in which participants in the long race can earn points in the association.
The race starts 9:30 a.m. and ends on the beach where the Battle on the Beach races, demonstrations and possibly beach yoga will held.
New this year, the Battle on the Beach will include standup paddleboard and kayak relays and SUP-Squatch five-person team races for all ages. There will also be several equipment demonstrations. The starting heat will begin 10:30 a.m.
Participants are advised to bring their own equipment, but there will be some equipment on site for use while supplies last.
“We really want to get all of the community involved,” said Harbor Outfitters owner Tricia Piola. “We just want everyone to come out and have some nice, clean fun.”
Harbor Outfitters has been in business for 13 years. It operates from six locations, in ...more

Vegan 1 Day Project on Lake Tahoe to raise awareness about farm animals, diet

On the evening of the full moon Aug. 10 and for the sixth consecutive year, I will embark on a solo, non-stop stand up paddle (SUP) around the entirety of Lake Tahoe in one day. I will paddle all day and all night powered by a plant-based diet and a commitment to speak out for factory farmed animals with the Vegan 1 Day Project.

The Vegan 1 Day Project is a grass roots effort to encourage the public to adopt a vegan diet for at least one day out of the year, for health, the environment and the animals.

Many people mistakenly think committing to a vegan diet is restrictive and difficult. In reality, a whole food, plant-based diet is healthy, compassionate and easy. Striving to accomplish something very difficult by paddling alone, non-stop around Lake Tahoe in less than 24 hours, is an act of support for those wanting to make a positive change, even if just for one day.

I’ve been a lifelong surfer and an elite SUP paddle racer, competing internationally, but ...more