Inspiration All Around Me

SUP Race season is on!

Actually, it probably started back at the Carolina Cup but things have been very iffy on my end since the middle of March when I was trying to patch up my old DEAN 12-6. It did not sink during the Carolina Cup but it did manage to break open along a seam the very next day. Since, the board has been Dremeled open and left to dry out in my mother's garage in Maryland. I think I may take ALL the glass off and try to re-glass it myself...just for fun. But back to my original point which is: inspiration is everywhere this race season!!!! People are doing amazing things out on the water and it's not even the Fourth of July!!

It seems that I cannot go to an event or read about an event without taking away some positive vibes to put to use in my own training. Being a part of the SUP community is just so fulfilling. My own accomplishments fulfill me and the accomplishments of others inspire me! Have you ever noticed that it is extremely difficult to find an asshole at a SUP event. I haven't met any (so far) and have only heard about one well-documented case at an east coast race... Now let's move on to the good chicken soup-for-the-soul stuff that gets me amped up to get out on the water and do my best...every time I'm privileged enough to be out there.

I met Nathan Bankson last year at a few races back east as he and his handsome Speedboard 14 were always close by at the start of races. We often exchanged nods and smiles and "good lucks" before the horn went off. He had just purchased the board and had not been able to spend as much time on the board as he would have liked due to a busy work schedule. Speedboards, from what I hear, are not for the balance-challeneged paddler. They are hard to paddle and even harder to paddle well. Despite being on a very demanding board, Nathan always had respectable finishes but usually finished just off the podium, but that was last year. This year is very different. This year Nathan is hitting the podium and Speedboard has taken notice. Go check out Speedboard's website click here and you will see a nice little picture that you can click on to read the Team Speedboard Athlete Profile of Nathan Bankson.

Obviously Nathan worked very hard during the long Virginia offseason when the weather makes it easy to find any excuse to avoid being near the water. He put his time in and his hard work has rewarded him. I have thought of Nathan often over the last few days as I have tried to adjust to a board that is very challenging for me to ride. I just keep thinking that time on the board will help me improve as it did for Nathan. I am quite happy with the fact that I bought a board that will force me to work very hard in order to raise my level of paddling. Hard work pays off! I would love to be a featured rider on somebody's website besides my own!!

At the first event of the 2013 Midwest Sup Championship in Benton Harbor this past Saturday I watched a newcomer to the 14 fleet put on quite a showing to win the race. Last year Tony Paul raced in the 12-6 class and seemed to have quite a battle going with Ross Herr who eventually won the 12-6 class in the 2012 Midwest SUP Championship. Back in January I met Tony at the Orange Bowl Paddle Championships and saw he was on a 14. Can't say I was disappointed to see him in a different class than myself because I had always heard about what a great paddler he was so I wondered why he made the switch! A lot of people are heading to the already crowded 14 class and I am trying to hang on in the 12-6 as long as I can. At any event in any part of the country you have to be at the top of your game to reach the podium in the 14 class. Having a hell of a battle last year at 12-6 I figured Tony would be in a bigger battle against all the top guys the Midwest has on 14s. Well...

At the 3rd Annual Sweetwater SUP Challenge put on by Third Coast Surf Shop Tony reached the top of the podium in the 14 class, and was the overall winner, and he did so in quite an impressive fashion. That man was fast; I mean dang fast! Wow, was all I could think while watching him get further and further away from me as the race went on. He made the jump from 12-6 to 14 look effortless, which by no means, means it is an easy transition to make. Tony's win on Saturday evidences a lot of hard work and dedication to the sport. I don't know Tony well (yet) but I am going to pick his brain for some training tips for sure! His win was truly inspiring because he beat some incredibly fast paddlers! What I witnessed him do last Saturday is just another shining example of what might result from putting in some serious time preparing, paying heavy dues on the water, and showing a lot of respect to the sport. bravo, sir!

Last year I met Westy when he was in Chicago nursing an injury that I know had to be frustrating for a guy who had earned a reputation for being an avid waterman. He was not able to paddle in the way that got him to be an Elite team rider for one of the biggest companies in SUP - YOLO Board. Well, this 2013 race season is a bit different for Westy as I have watched him cross the finish line ahead of me at the events we have competed in together. We went out on a training session together and month or so ago and I saw no hint of a leftover injury as I worked my tail off to try and keep up with him. He paddled well and his stroke looks very technically sound. My stroke makes me look like a bit of a spazz. His board has very few scuffs on it. My board is less than a week old and already looks like it has been through a complete race season! Paddling with Westy makes me want to paddle better. I want my stroke to improve so it will be admired by the paddlers behind me.

Paddling with Westy...(I can see a Youtube series in the making with that title)...is also beneficial because he is a great person to be with on the water because he always offers encouragement. You pass him he says good job, you fall behind he tells you to come on and catch up to him. There is always encouragement from Westy to push yourself to do better, as long as you can stay within earshot! I'm a jerk so if you are ahead of me I am thinking: fall, fall fall, but with Westy there is always positivity and a huge desire to share the stoke.

Westy also has a reputation for being one of the best teachers in the business. I have seen him with people just getting started in the SUP vibe and his energy and patience seem to have no limit. By watching him I see what I need to work on if I expect anyone to want to work with me on the water for longer than 10 minutes!! Over the last year we have become pretty good friends and I appreciate the time he gives me to help improve as a paddler.

Race season is just getting started yet there is so much to feed off of! I can't get over how much awesomeness I have seen already! As the sport continues to grow I can't imagine what else will be available for me, and for anyone else looking for positive encouragement, to feed off of and input into their own system. I hope we all continue to grow and improve as our sport does. I thank Nathan, Tony, and Westy for their inspiration and I thank all the other people I paddle with as well because I have gotten so much more from countless other paddlers. Some I have mentioned in previous posts and some I have not but just know that I am probably watching you because there will always be opportunities for all of us to learn from each other.

Thanks for reading and see you on the water!