Denmark will be the host nation for the upcoming ISA SUP & Prone World Champs. Credit: copenhagenmediacenter.com
Surfing South Africa is proud to announce that the Board of Directors has ratified the selection of the members of the national SUP team which will represent South Africa at the 6th ISA World Stand-Up Paddle and Paddleboard Championships to be held in Denmark from 31st of August to the 10th September 2017.
The national team to represent South Africa at the ISA World Championships is made up of athletes, coaches and management from Kwazulu – Natal, Gauteng and the Western Cape.
Dylan Frick, Gary Van Rooyen, Tamsyn Foster and Khara Doyle (All Western Cape) will compete in the SUP Surfing discipline, Dylan Frick, Kimon Dos Santos (Western Cape), Chris Couve (Gauteng), Team Captain Jacqueline De Billot (Kwazulu-Natal), Rolande Williamson (Kwazulu-Natal) will participate in the SUP Racing discipline while Candice Murray (Western Cape) and Kit Beaton (Western Cape) will compete in the Prone Paddleboard racing division.
The Team Manager is Jarryd Doyle (Western Cape) and the team Coach is Shayne Chips (Kwazulu-Natal).
Cape Town’s Dylan Frick going head to head with the Danish Viking & ISA Vice-President, Casper Steinfath. Pic Credit: Ben Reed (Location: Fiji 2016)
The ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship has become one of the International Federation’s fastest growing competitions, with Denmark expected to see record participation in terms of number of countries and athletes participating. This year’s event, which will be hosted across the two cities and take place for the first time in Europe, will showcase the discipline’s top athletes competing in stunning and iconic Danish locations.
The event will kick off with SUP and Paddleboard Distance and Sprint Racing events held on the historic canals of the Danish capital Copenhagen, right in front of iconic venues including the Opera House and Royal Theater. The championship will then move to Vorupør, situated in the northwest coast of the country in an area known as “Cold Hawaii”, celebrated for its excellent wave conditions and unique surf & SUP culture. Cold Hawaii will be the site of the SUP Surfing and SUP and Paddleboard Technical Races straight off Vorupør’s popular and picturesque beaches.
SUPSA President Dave Maxwell commented “ This year the World Championship is being held in Europe for the first time and it will therefore be another new and exciting chapter in the short history of competitive Stand Up Paddling. SUPSA welcomes the revision to the team composition made by the ISA which allows equal participation by women in the event and is proud to celebrate this moment with the appointment of our first woman Team Captain this year, Jackie De Billot. We are excited to watch the progress of this year’s team which has a good blend of youth and experience as they compete in Denmark.”
Unbelievable conditions welcomed the paddlers to the start of the 2017 King of the Bay Race Event at Bluff Yacht Club on Sunday 21st May.
The slight chill in the air was just a tease for what was lined up for the day! The terrible conditions which had prevailed throughout the last week had finally subsided and what a perfect day for racing it was; the sun packed a punch and the wind was literally breathless.
Race registration went smoothly, and, as with racing, the last-minute preparations were underway! Juice bags, board sponsor stickers, sunblock, hacksaws and paddle shafts…. it was all out there.
Silence lurked amongst the favourites as race strategies and tactics were almost tangible. Blank stares into the distance were interrupted by the fast approaching race start and final equipment checks.
As the Surf ski paddlers started their race and headed out into the distant glassy waters, the SUP race briefing was underway. Jackie De Billot, SUPSA official, explained the course and safety regulations for the race. The excitement was brewing as paddlers, some new to the event, were about to paddle through the Southern Hemispheres busiest commercial harbour. A big thanks to the Durban Port Officials for granting permission for this great race to take place.
Pre-race briefing on the bank at the Bluff Yacht Club – Image Bruce Crystal
Paddlers took to the water for their warm ups, the heat of the day now settling in and STILL no breeze to speak of.
The siren cried and racers were under starters orders, the Men starting first and the Ladies 1 minute after.
The men’s race was underway, with Kimon dos Santos and Matt Swemmer making an early break up the channel before the right turn up the silt canal. Drafting was key in this flat water race with the odd welcomed ‘bump’ to boost a surge. Low tide at sunrise meant paddlers were against the pushing tide, and the sand banks were definitely something to look out for! Close behind the front two were Shayne Chipps, Brandon Read and Thulani Nzama working together to chase down Dos Santos and Swemmer. Nearing Wilsons Wharf, Swemmer lost his footing and fell, giving Dos Santos a small lead. With Swemmer now down, the surge came from Chipps to make up the gap as he broke away from Read and Nzama. The only thing left between Dos Santos and the KOTB Victory was the channel exit and the last haul to the beach. The pushing tide through the channel reclaimed the last of the energy from the tanks. Turning the corner and seeing ‘home’ was a welcomed sight and the race was on! Dos Santos managed to kick onto the front bump and landed on the beach ahead of Swemmer and Chipps with Nzama and Read (1st Legend) fighting it out for 4th and 5th place respectively.
Dos Santos, Swemmer and Chipps approaching the finish at Marine
Dos Santos, claiming his first KOTB Victory on his debut, had this to say after the race, “Definitely one of the best races on the calendar and it was amazing to be able to paddle through the Harbour. It was my first KOTB and wouldn’t say it was an easy one, the hot conditions and not having any wind made it a gruelling 10km race!” – Well Done Kimon!!!
On the woman’s front, the early breakaway came from Jackie De Billot with Danica Bartho and Charlotte Atherton hot on her heels. Approaching the half way point the underlying sand banks pushed De Billot out on the wider line whilst Atherton and Bartho went for the harder slog over slightly shallower waters. Atherton broke away from Bartho and made good time over De Billot catching before the channel exit. It was, “Hammer down and together they pushed on” said De Billot as she jumped onto Atherton’s tail wake with Bartho close behind. The front two worked together out the channel and left it to a sprint to the end as they approached the final bouy before turning to the beach. De Billot dug deep finding herself with a slight lead after the bouy and the battle for the Ladies KOTB Crown ended with De Billot taking 1st, Atherton in 2nd and Bartho in 3rd. 4th place went Jeanne Grace (1st Diva) with Lande Williamson coming in at 5th. 1st Junior home, Jess Rankin, taking 6th place overall – a great effort coming up trumps on her first race event! Karissa Grace was up next in the Juniors category.
De Billot and Atherton in the final approached to the Beach – Image Anthony Grote
De Billot, securing her 3rd consecutive KOTB Win, said, “I’m chuffed to have secured the Hat-Trick, it’s one of my favourite races and always a privelidge to paddle through the Durban Harbour. Well done to all the paddlers!”
Stepping away from the ‘racers’ it was great to see such a great turn out on the social front with a few debut paddlers in the mix. Wern Van Molendorff came up in 1st place in the social division. Well done Wern!
A big thanks to Bay Union for allowing SUPSA to run their second National Race Event in conjunction with the renowned King of the BaySurf Ski Race.
Special thanks to John Oliver and his team for timing the event and all the other race committee members and the event sponsors without which, this race wouldn’t be possible!
Racers on the beach at the finish. – SUP Durbs! Committee
This was the first of nine national races for the year, and a great opportunity for racers to put their points on the board towards the Stand Up Paddling South Africa (SUPSA) race rankings.
With the conditions looking stellar leading up to race day and most of the country’s best in town and up for the challenge, the event was set to be one of the best yet.
Sunday morning kicked off with pre-registration, which was held at the Century City clubhouse. As the competitors began to roll in from all over, there was a sense of anticipation & hype around the event, which was nothing short of tangible.
After collecting contest T-shirts and race vests, the competitors and crowd made their way toward the race arena where the contest briefing and race start would take place.
Mike Oxley, contest director, welcomed the competitors, and after briefing them as to the course layout for both the Elite 10km & social 1.5km, handed over to the race official, Steven Tripney, for a run down on the rules & race technicalities.
With the Elite 10km due to start at 9am sharp the competitors took to the water in preparation as a few of them began to run through their warm up routines before lining up and awaiting the countdown for the start of the men’s 10km national race.
3,2,1…and the men’s race was off to an explosive start with over 40 of the country’s top paddlers hurtling down a 400m straight before taking their foot off the gas as they entered the first Buoy turn. SA’s no1 (Dylan Frick), last year’s winner Chris Couve, and an in-form Kimon dos Santos all made their presence known as they rounded the buoy first and sprinted their way to an early lead ahead of the pack.
Following closely behind them was Thomas King, Nick Park Ross, Cameron Green, and Shayne Chipps as well as the first of the Juniors division: Matthew Maxwell & Nathan van Vuuren.
Exactly a minute after the first start, the siren sounded and the ladies were off. Jackie de Billot, Lande Williamson, Monika Wohglemuth, and Alex Tripney found their stride quickly, solidifying their lead early on into the race and slowly closing the gap between them and the men
Within the first lap the competitors, both men and women, began to find their rhythm and position themselves for the long haul.
An hour into the race, the tension began to grow as the paddlers were now on their final lap and heading towards the finish line. The crowd was on their feet in anticipation, knowing that at any moment the race for the finish line would be on.
Managing to maintain a comfortable lead throughout the race, we saw Dylan, Chris, and Kimon round the last of the bends towards the finish line.
The sprint for the finish was on as Dylan and Chris went head to head, emptying their tanks of anything they had left.
Edging across the finish line first was Dylan with Chris only half a board length behind with Kimon coming in a few seconds later to secure a 3rd in what was truly a nail biting finish.
The Juniors were next as Matthew Maxwell and Nathan van Vuuren had the crowd in an uproar with yet another close sprint finish. Matthew managed to cling on to the lead this time with Nathan finishing hot on his heels followed by Cameron Tripney in 3rd.
First of the ladies, Jackie de Billot, paddled comfortably across the finish line followed by Lande Williamson, Monika Wohglemuth and Alex Tripney all within relatively close succession
The 1.5km Social race was up next as over 40 paddlers of all ages and skill levels took to the water on a board of their choice with the sole aim to JUST HAVE FUN.
First to finish within their categories were…
Mike Fiet – raceboard, Hannes van den Heever – Inflatable, and Matthew Fiet – waveboard. Taryn King / Tammy Foster were first to cross the line for the ladies and Courtney Green being the first of the Juniors.
The Team from RED Paddle got in on the action as teams were allocated for SA’s first official 22ft Inflatable “Dragon” racing…
4 x teams were chosen, each with a total of 4 competitors in each team. The team members would be on a 22ft inflatable board at the same time, racing for the fastest lap time. Team 3 – Cameron Green, Nicky Venter, Christine Frazer, and Adrian Van Varik managed to claim first place position with a time of (2:14)
With the contest drawing to a close the competitors, along with the multitude of supporters, made way to the clubhouse where the prize giving was to take place.
A massive amount of support was shown as the country’s top paddlers were handed their rewards for all the hard work and training that they had put in leading up to the event.
As the long-standing and sole governing body for SUP, the ISA continues the positive growth and development of the sport worldwide
The International Surfing Association (ISA) has today announced that men and women will participate in equal numbers for the first time at the 2017 ISA World StandUp Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship, held in Denmark from 1-10 September. Under the guidance of the ISA since the sport was created, the International Federation is continuing its drive to promote gender equality in SUP – reflecting the excellent growth and development of the sport in both men’s and women’s divisions.
For the first time in the six years of the ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship, the divisions will feature gender equality, creating more opportunity for elite female athletes. Photo: ISA / Rommel Gonzales
As the global authority for the sport, the ISA has also enabled both SUP racers and surfers to contest medals in several Olympic Movement events in the past few years.
At this year’s Championship, the SUP Distance Race, SUP Technical Race and SUP Surfing will feature two men and two women from each national team, with the Paddleboard Technical Race, Paddleboard Distance Race and SUP Sprint Race featuring one athlete in each gender category.
Under the guidance of the ISA, both SUP Surfing and Racing disciplines have grown in popularity and professionalism. The ISA World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship is now the fastest growing event in the federation’s World Championship Series. This latest advancement of women’s SUP highlights the ISA’s daily efforts to further develop the sport around the world with a greater number of elite female and male athletes now qualifying to compete at the highest level.
In its 6th edition, the ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship will be held in two locations. The event kicks off in Copenhagen from 1-3 September with the Opening Ceremony, SUP and Paddleboard Distance races and SUP Sprint Races followed by a medals ceremony in the heart of the city. The teams then travel to Vorupør where the SUP Technical Races, SUP Surfing and Team Relay Race will take place from 5-10 September.
The ISA event will be organized by Friends of Cold Hawaii, an association that hosts annual ocean sport championships in Denmark, in collaboration with the Danish Surf and Rafting Federation (DSRF), Sportevent Denmark, Wonderful Copenhagen and Copenhagen Watersports – the largest rafting and StandUp Paddle club in Denmark, and will be the first time the competition has travelled to the Scandinavian nation.
The first two years of the ISA World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard were hosted in Peru, before taking place in Nicaragua in 2014, Mexico in 2015 and Fiji in 2016.
ISA President, Fernando Aguerre, said:
“Promoting greater opportunities for women and gender equity through our events is critically important to the ISA and to me personally. As the world governing authority for SUP and Paddleboard, disciplines of Surfing, we are constantly working to foster their worldwide development and growth.
“We are excited to take this event to Denmark for the first time, where the enthusiasm for SUP is a testimony to the global growth, development and youth appeal of this key ISA discipline. Following the 2016 Championship in Fiji last November and with Denmark later this year, we can demonstrate the universality of SUP and Paddleboard – which is a result of years of hard work by the ISA and our National Federations in all continents.
“We plan to build on SUP’s successful inclusion in major multi-sport games, such as the 2019 Pan Am Games and 2019 World Beach Games, and continue our tireless promotion and support of the sport with the goal of eventual inclusion in the Olympic Sports Program. SUP is an intrinsic part of the Surfing world, and we intend to keep it that way.”
Dear ISA Members,
The ISA is writing today to share important information regarding the upcoming 2017 ISA World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship (WSUPPC) to be held in Denmark from September 1-10th!
Please read the following information carefully and contact the ISA with any questions.
MAXIMUM TEAM SIZE AND DISCIPLINES The ISA has decided to expand the opportunities available to women at the 2017 ISA WSUPPC by allowing the same number of entries per discipline as the men. As a result, please note that the team size has increased from 15 total athletes to 18. Subsequently we have reduced the paddleboard division to 1 athlete per gender. All changes to the team size can be seen in BOLD below.
Team Size: Equal Size for Women and Men
9 Men
9 Women
Alternates, Team Officials and Team Supporters- no limit
Competitors Per Discipline:
SUP Surfing: Men (2), and Women (2)
SUP Racing Technical: Men (2), and Women (2)
SUP Racing Distance: Men (2), and Women (2)
SUP Sprint Race: Men (1), and Women (1)
Paddleboard Racing Technical: Men (1), and Women (1)
Paddleboard Racing Distance: Men (1), and Women (1)
Competitors for Special Event:
ISA Team Paddle Relay:
SUP Racing: Men (1), Women (1)
Paddleboard: Men (1), Women (1)
COURSE DETAILS: Location and Distance
SUP and Prone Distance Racing Course
Location: Copenhagen
Distance: approximately 18-20km
SUP Sprint Race Course
Location: Copenhagen
Distance: 200m
SUP Surfing
Location: Nr. Vorupør, Cold Hawaii
SUP and Prone Tech Racing Course
Location: Nr. Vorupør, Cold Hawaii
Distance: approximately 3km
Team Paddle Relay
Location: Nr. Vorupør, Cold Hawaii
Distance: between 400- 1000m per relay leg
**The ISA Contest Director reserves the right to make necessary changes to any course or schedule due to conditions related to the safety of competitors.
**Exact maps will be provided as soon as course details have been set
All teams are strongly encouraged to read the full event and equipment details in the current ISA Rulebook
EVENT SCHEDULE
**Subject to change by the ISA
Tues., Aug. 29 – Thurs, Aug 31: Copenhagen
On-Site Registration
Managers Meeting at 7pm on Aug 31
Fri., Sept 1: Copenhagen
Parade of Nations and Opening Ceremony
Sat, Sept 2: Copenhagen
SUP and Prone Distance Races (both Men and Women)
*Men and Women will have two different start times; one in the morning, one in the afternoon. Therefore, it WILL be possible to share racing boards between genders
Sun., Sept 3: Copenhagen
SUP Sprint Race (both Men and Women)
Awards Ceremony for Distance and Sprint Races
Buses depart Copenhagen for Nr. Vorupør, Cold Hawaii – our Event Hosts are providing complimentary transportation to all registered athletes, team officials, and equipment from Copenhagen to Cold Hawaii (about a 5 hour drive).
Mon., Sept 4: Nr. Vorupør, Cold Hawaii
Ceremony
Tues, Sept 5 – Sunday, Sept 10: Nr. Vorupør, Cold Hawaii
SUP Surfing, SUP Technical Races, Prone Technical Races, Team Relay
Schedule TBD depending on conditions
Closing Ceremony immediately following the final heat/race on Sunday, Sept 10
Mon, Sept 11:
Team buses return to Copenhagen from Nr. Vorupør, Cold Hawaii
*Buses are not expected to arrive in Copenhagen until the afternoon on Monday, Sept 11. Please plan your travel accordingly. If you need to be back earlier, you will be required to provide your own transportation.
EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATIONS
SUP Surfing-No weight or length restrictions
SUP Racing-Technical and Distance: 12’6″ and Under; no weight restrictions (see explanation below)
Paddleboard-Technical and Distance: 12′ and Under; no weight restrictions
All Boards:
Single hull
Stationary/non-correctional fins
Fin box allowed
Equipment is the responsibility of the teams and will be officially checked at designated times prior to its use in competition.
Athletes must supply their own equipment.
The ISA will provide local board transport
SUP RACING BOARD SIZE: Clarification of Decision
After examining the feedback from our ISA Members regarding preferred board size, the ISA has decided to continue the use of 12’6 SUP Racing Boards for 2017. The reasoning is as follows:
The results of the survey of ISA Members were inconclusive and do currently reflect a preference for 14’
Adopting 14’ would clearly favor the developed nations who have the means and resources to ship larger boards to DEN
12’6” boards are more suited to the wave/ocean conditions in Nr. Vorupør, Cold Hawaii
The question of the best world-wide solution for the boards requires further study and the ISA will take active steps moving forward to review, monitor and consult the stakeholders as we look ahead to future WSUPPCs
BOARD SHIPMENT
The ISA and Event Host strongly encourage all teams to research and coordinate necessary shipment of boards as soon as possible.
Due to the restrictions with airlines, it is very likely that many boards will need to be cargo shipped well in advance of the event. Please look into options now.
For more details including the next steps to register, Anti-Doping, event site information, etc., please visit the ISA World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship page on the ISA Website. (Click Here!)
