Stand Up Stories: An Eye on the World of Stand Up Paddle Surfing

Posted on June 27, 2007 @ 1:16 PM

By way of an introduction…

By Olaus McLeod

Hi there. My name is Olaus McLeod. I’m male, British, 35, married with two young kids – and a full-blown Stand-Up Paddle Surfing addict! In the best traditions of psycho-analysis, I figure the best way to deal with my addiction is via a three-step strategy: (1) admit that I have a “problem”; (2) re-trace the steps that brought me to this sorry state; and (3) look for a way out of this mess.

Hmmm…

Step One: Okay, so I do have a problem - if I must call it that. Or is it me that’s the problem – some addictive aspect to my personality which forces me to subject my poor loved ones and those around me to endless outbursts of stoke for my new-found passion? Maybe Step One needs a bit more analysis…

On to Step Two: How, in the space of a few short months, did a perfectly happy, rational, arguably “normal” surfer give up all that he held dear to him (in terms of his surfboard collection, at least!), in favour of this new, exotic drug called SUP Surfing? Well, it was quite simple really. It all began in the Summer of 2006, with the news that Laird had paddled across the English Channel, standing up! To cut a long story short, I was blown away, both by Laird’s incredible achievement and by the concept of cruising along on a surfboard, propelled by a long paddle! Within a short few months, I sold all my longboards, bought one of the first Stand Up Boards (SUBs) to enter the UK, and began to get some serious SUP Surfing in!

I also got into the idea of endurance paddling and in April 2007 paddled a specially shaped 14’ SUB from Sennen, Cornwall, 35 miles to Hell Bay, Isles of Scilly. I then ran a marathon, and finally set off for Sennen again, on my board. Unfortunately, I was hit by Gale Force winds and stormy seas and had to abort the return leg. Nevertheless, as well as raising a respectable amount of money for charity, I also managed to spread the word about SUP Surfing in the UK a little; and illustrated the possibilities of paddling SUBs over considerable distances.

I returned from my To Hell And Back challenge, as I called it, even more fired up for all things Standup! Since April, I have set up an SUP Surfing company called SUBCULTURE; and I am also forming the British Stand Up Paddle Association – or SUPA for short – which will serve as the focal point and regulating body for SUP Surfing in Britain. SUPA members will also benefit from Third Party Liability Insurance cover – serious peace-of-mind, when wielding such big bits of kit in the surf!

The SUPA website will offer comprehensive information on all things Standup – from techniques and training regimes to equipment and news about forthcoming events and global developments in the sport. SUPA will also offer a forum and encourages EVERYBODY interested in Standup to sign up – for the benefit of SUP Surfers everywhere. Make no mistake, SUPA will be at the heart of SUP Surfing in Britain!

For further information on all of the above, please visit:

www.surferspath.com/features/confessions-of-a-stand-up-paddle-surfing-addict

And finally, on to Step Three of my plan for dealing with my SUP obsession.

As they say, a problem shared is a problem halved, so I reckon exercising my need to talk about SUP Surfing (“THE WHOLE TIME”, as my wife regularly says!) will be a cathartic experience! Luckily for me, the kind folk at The Surfers Path have given me the opportunity to write a regular blog on all things Standup, which will help me no end! My blog will mirror all that’s happening at SUPA – and in the world of SUP Surfing. I hope you will forgive my literary shortcomings (I am seriously lacking in journalistic experience!) – and stay with me as I document the growth of SUP Surfing in Britain and around the World.

I must admit I feel slightly peculiar, putting my head “above the grass”, to chronicle this fantastic sport. After all, who am I? An unknown from a nation that still seems to be below the radar of surf-trip destinations, for many surfers around the world! To have the bare-faced cheek to set myself up as a commentator on a wholly Hawaiian pastime is surely folly!

But maybe that’s just it: my “vision” for Standup (as pompous as that sounds) is truly global and all-inclusive. I hope to encourage enthusiasm for the discipline WAY inland, for example - far away from the coast and way beyond the usual target audience for an activity which has “Surfing” in its’ title! Maybe THAT is where my credibility lies!

For me - a life-long surfer - Standup far transcends the sport of Surfing, from whence it came. I envisage paddlers training on lakes, rivers, canals, reservoirs and inland waterways - as well as down at the beach. The core-fitness and endurance aspects of this discipline offer competitive and recreational possibilities that, I believe, will attract an audience who have never been attracted to the pure joy of trimming along a wave. Indeed, I passionately believe that the competitive possibilities for Standup extend all the way “up” to the Olympics. The future truly is bright!

Please feel free to e-mail me via with ANY suggestions for SUP-related blog content. Tips and recommendations on techniques and equipment; fitness and nutritional information; great places to paddle; forthcoming events; or any questions you want answered – I want to hear it all! I want to report on stories and perspectives from SUPers all over the world - from the Big Names to the no-names. TOGETHER we can make this an important and respected commentary on this fantastic global sport!

Paddle on…

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Comments

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John Ashley | July 31, 2007 at 03:21 PM

No need trying to justify the SUP obsession- it’s terminal! Check out my blog: http://www.paddlesurf.net to see what we’ve been up to down here in San Diego, Ca.

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