Last weekend Torbay played host to the SUPER Championships, bringing paddlers from across the country together for a range of SUP activities. Paddle UK is proud to have supported this thrilling festival of SUP racing and competitions.
Sam Rutt recalls the success of the weekend…
‘Fun’, ‘inclusive’, ‘well organised’, ‘exciting’ and ‘bringing the SUP vibe alive’ were all statements that were used to describe the inaugural SUPER Championships in Torbay (27-29 September). The SUPER stands for SUP English Riviera and the event was designed to be a fun, inclusive way to introduce racing. From absolute beginners up to watching international racers speed along the coast, it had something for everyone.
On the Friday the fun kicked off with sprints and ‘one design’ racing; this is where everyone competes on the same board. Racing was held in the sheltered inner harbour providing everyone calm flat water to test their speeds. At the event HQ stalls were being set up with all manner of SUP products, from clothing to cleaning, so even if you weren’t taking part you could enjoy wandering around the stalls.
Saturday morning we were greeted with the most stunning sunrise over the bay at Abbey Sands with the sprints, technical and distance races taking place. There was some great competition in the sprints with a 53 old fighting off the younger competitors showing that stand up paddleboarding really is a sport for every age.
The afternoon saw the fun move back to the inner harbour with SUP Polo. If you’ve never had the chance to watch this sport it is highly entertaining. Teams of four go head-to-head in a battle of skill, speed and who can fall in the most stylish way. It was great to see the people of Torbay surround the harbour walls to watch the action take place and cheer everyone on.
Participants then headed to event HQ where Paddle UK, one of the main sponsors, shared with the audience its 18 month SUP Plan with Q and A afterwards. Then it was time to put on some dancing shoes and enjoy the music and for those who had energy left some dancing.
Keep a look out for next year’s date, this is one event you want in your calendar.
Find out more about the event on their official website here.