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The Elite Race
Saturday September 29, 2012

The Battle of The Paddle features an offshore course that will challenge competitor’s technical, surfing and athletic skills. Elite Race competitors will race on SUP Class 12’6” boards and will compete multiple laps of an off-shore circuit that will include an exchange area where they must beach their equipment for a short sand run around a course flag.

Qualifying Heats:

This year the race will be conducted with morning qualifying heats that allow racers to advance into the afternoon Elite Race final.

Qualifying heats include men & women.

Each qualifying heat will advance up to 25 men & 10 women racers into the Elite Race final. Heats #1 & #2 will be seeded using last year BOP CA’s Elite Race top fifty results.

If your 1st through 50th 2010 result is an odd number you will be in Heat #1. If your 1st through 50th 2010 result is an even number you will be in Heat #2.

All other entries will be randomly selected into either Heat #1 or Heat #2.

Race Schedule (both men & wahine)

Heat #1 START @ 9:00 A.M.
Heat #2 START @ 10:00 A.M.
Elite Race Final START @ 2:00 P.M.

Course:
The course is around all buoys as directed by the Beachmaster/starter. At no time during the race may a competitor impede another competitor. Unsportsmanlike conduct/actions will result in disqualification. Any competitor failing to round all buoys will be disqualified from the race.

For morning qualifying heats: paddlers must complete two (2) laps around the designated course and exchange area. Event race distance is approximately 2.0 miles. At the finish, leave your board on shore, run through exchange area to the finish line in control of your paddle.

For the Elite Race Final: paddlers must complete three (3) laps around the designated course and exchange area. Event race distance is approximately 3.0 miles. At the finish, leave your board on shore, run through exchange area to the finish line in control of your paddle.

Board Certification:
All boards to be measured and certified on Sparky’s SUP table before being allowed into the Elite Race. Boards must be < 12’6″ Stock, fixed rudders and mono-hulled. Sparky’s SUP Table located at the Board Drop-off Area.

Sparky Approved Rainbow Sandals decals must be displayed on all Elite Race boards. Please place decal on the upper top deck section of your board. Failure to have the decal will result in disqualification.
SUP 12.6 CLASS Defined (by coalition of CA & HI SUP committee):

• Length – 12’6″ ft maximum (381.0 cm )
• Board Weight – No Weight Restriction.
• Fins shall be fixed in place.
• Board Design is open, except for multi hulls, which are not allowed.
• Rudder(s) are not allowed.
• Foil(s) are not allowed.

Competition Jerseys:
All competitors must wear their competition jersey securely on their torso at the start, during and finish of all events. Failure to so at any point will result in disqualification. Please do not wear items that will obscure the numbers on your jersey re: Camel Baks.

Beachmaster/starter: Shall be responsible for officiating event start and finish.

Course Marshall: Shall be responsible officiating the race from the water.

Board Handler Marshall: Shall be responsible for managing and officiating the board handlers and board handler area.

Protests:
Must be filed within 15 minutes of the last competitor finishing the event. Protests must be filed with either the Beachmaster or Course Marshall. The Beachmaster, Course Marshall and associated event officials shall determine the outcome of any protest filed.

SUP – You Must Be Standing – 5 Five Stroke Rule:
If you fall you have 5 strokes to get back on your feet and stand up. This rule is in effect so a paddler does not achieve an advantage by not standing up. You must complete the course standing upon your board.

The stand up rule is not in effect in the area from shore to the first turning buoys both coming in and going out of the exchange area.

Exchange Area:
After rounding the last buoy with the right shoulder, paddlers must beach their craft and run the designated sand course in control of their paddle. The paddler must re-enter the course between the designated markers.

Handlers:
Each Elite Race competitor is required to have (1) equipment handler that can re-position the competitors SUP craft for the course re-entry.

Board handlers must stay within the designated area until their competitor has rounded the last course buoy leading up to the exchange area. Handlers must obey all instructions from the Board Handler Marshall. Failure to comply will result in disqualification.

**Elite Racers/Handlers meeting at 08:30AM Location: Event Stage.
Mandatory meeting to announce instructions for Elite Race board handlers.**

Start:
The Elite Race will have a beach start. Paddlers must follow the Beachmaster/starter’s instructions. Final start instructions for men and women Elite Race will be announced prior to the race start time.

Finish:
After rounding the last buoy with the right shoulder, paddlers will finish in an upright position, run through the exchange area to the finish line in control of your paddle. The board is to be left on the shore. You must cross the finish line area to receive a finish time and placing. Any shifting or hassling for position in the funnel will result in disqualification. Competitors must not leave the finish area until their place, name and number, has been recorded by the scorer. Please make sure to return the electronic device to tag collection.

Prize Money
Overall Wahine
1st $5,000 1st $2,500
2nd $3,500 2nd $1,250
3rd $2,500 3rd $1,000
4th $1,000 4th $500
5th $750 5th $250
6th $250
7th $250
8th $250
9th $250
10th $250

Trophies
Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle trophies awarded to Men 1st through 10th place. Wahine racers are awarded trophies 1st through 5th place.

This Sunday join us for a really fun and Guinness World Record breaking event. Enjoy the day while supporting a vital cause.  This is a perfect event for beginners, family & friends and those who want to have paddling fun in a non-competitive venue

Paddle Party 2012 is a huge paddle boarding party where everyone is invited.  Whether you’ve never seen a board or consider yourself a pro, there’s something for everyone. On August 19th from 10am to 3pm, gather your friends, kids, neighbors, boss (maybe not) and come make history as you aid in setting The Guinness Book of World Records for “Largest Group Paddle Boarding Lesson.”   Live music, hula dancers, water playgrounds, food, and drinks are all part of this family friendly event.

Checkout the killer event website:

Emerald Coast stand up paddling enthusiasts competed in the two mile race of the YOLO Board Mileage Builder Series on Friday, June 22nd at the Baytowne Marina in the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. Held in conjunction with the Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic, the evening offered fun for slots both SUPers and spectators alike. Presented by Sandestin Real Estate and the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, the Mileage Builder Series includes four monthly races from May to August that increase by one mile increments and feature individual competition.

Top three finishers in each division include:

Men 14’ Division
1) Steve Reeves
2) Sean Hughes
3) Kevin Cook

Men 12’6” Division
1) Matt Wise
2) Brad Fenn
3) Jeremy Cerrone

Men 12’ Division
1) Dave Simmons
2) Mike McAdams
3) Norbert Nebucz

Women 12’6” Division
1) Jessica Daleo
2) Theresa Woodley
3) Michelle Janczewski

Women 12’ Division
1) Gina Gordon

www.yolorace.com

http://www.liftsup.com

Come to the Greatest Show on Surf!!!

San Clemente Ocean Festival

Saturday & Sunday July 21 & 22, 2012

One of the great events of the summer, the San Clemente Ocean Festival is open to everyone. If you paddle, surf, swim, run, SUP, dory, have kids or enjoy just being at the beach… you will love the San Clemente Ocean Festival.

Ocean Festival Website 

Back this year will be the California Waterman & Waterwomen Championships with $5,000 in cash prizes to the top male & female overall point scorers.

A new addition to 2012, The Surf speelautomaten online Race to Victory SUPCross, will showcase the thrills and spills of SUP racing”s newest format. The exciting SUPCross races features competitors sporting helmets, colorful jerseys and big fast SUP boards. $2,500 in prize money available to top men & women finishers.

All Saturday July 21 entries to get either killer race lycra (for California Waterman & Waterwomen Championships) or Victory Koredry surf shirt (Surf Race to Victory SUPCross).

Sunday July 22 entries to receive cool San Clemente Ocean Festival design event tee and ocean racing swim cap.

For more information please contact: Barrett Tester: (949) 276-4431×216
Email:  barrett.tester@gmail.com

SurfAid is proud to announce that top professional surfer Joel Parkinson will be taking on the Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard World Championships to raise money for a new school in the Mentawai Islands.

And Singapore schoolteacher Jackson English, who is SurfAid’s biggest individual fundraiser, will also be paddling for SurfAid in this year’s grueling 32-mile (51.5 km) race, which will be contested on Sunday 29 July.

“I’m really stoked to be doing the Molokai paddle and raising money for SurfAid,” Parkinson, 30, said. “I was up in the Mentawai Islands only a month ago and saw firsthand how much damage the 2010 tsunami did to the area.

“It was really confronting to see the damage it did to the landscape, and you can only imagine how frightening it must have been to have experienced it,” he said.

Parkinson will be raising money to help build a new school in Masokut village, on Sipora Island. The former village was wiped out by the tsunami and, with the help of SurfAid, the Masokut community has since rebuilt their village on higher ground. However the children, aged seven to 10, are being taught in a one-room timber shack that has plastic sheeting for walls.

“SurfAid’s program to rebuild the school in Masokut is so worthy, and I’m stoked to be able to contribute in a small way,” Parkinson said.

SurfAid Schools Program manager Milton Brown said the fundraising target is $25,000, of which nearly half has been raised. “Billabong supports our schools program and it is great to see one of our leading ambassadors in Joel taking on the hard yards for the kids,” Brown said.

You can support Joel here www.fundraiseonline.com.au/Parko

Jackson English, 37, who hails from the NSW Central Coast, is an old hand at the Molokai 2 Oahu, having finished runner-up twice and third on three occasions.

English recently helped raise $37,000 at the United World College of SE Asia 24-Hour Swim Challenge, which is part of nearly $400,000 that he has helped raise for SurfAid since 2006.

“Paddling across the Molokai Channel is not easy but the pain I suffer in one day is nothing compared to the suffering that the people of the Mentawai Islands can go through on a daily basis,” English said.

“With three healthy young children of my own, it breaks my heart when I visit the Mentawais to see young children who are suffering from illness and disease that is very easily preventable.

“Raising awareness of the incredible work that SurfAid does in the Mentawai Islands is the least I can do. Help me help SurfAid give a hand up, not a hand out, to the people of the Mentawai Islands.”

English will be raising money for SurfAid’s Malaria Free Mentawai program. You can support him here www.surfaid.org/malariasucks
ABOUT SURFAID
The mission of SurfAid, a non-profit humanitarian organisation, is to improve the health, wellbeing and self-reliance of people living in isolated regions connected to us through surfing.

SurfAid’s health programs involve education in nutrition, hygiene, healthy environments and disease prevention – including mosquito net distribution.

SurfAid has built an award-winning capacity in emergency preparedness and has delivered five emergency response programs following major disasters, including the Boxing Day 2004 Tsunami and the October 2010 Mentawai tsunami. surfaid.org

Rob Machado and Joel Parkinson set to compete in SUP and prone divisions as top athletes in the  surfing world continue to test their abilities in the Channel of Bones.

Honolulu, HI (June 12, 2012) – Organizers of the annual Molokai-2-Oahu Paddleboard World Championships (M2O), presented by Kona Longboard Island Lager announce today that race registration has closed early. Having sold out for five consecutive years, the 2012 event experienced the fastest registration pace in its 16-year history. Interested athletes can still be added to the wait-list by contacting the registration team at Molokai2Oahu.com.

On July 29, 2012, the world’s best stand up paddleboarders (SUP) and prone paddlers from 15 countries will compete in a 32-mile race across the infamous Ka’iwi channel, also known as the Channel of Bones, between the islands of Molokai and Oahu. To purchase the official 2011 race movie, download here.

Combined with M2O’s reputation as the sport’s ultimate challenge and the increasing global popularity of paddleboarding, most recently play casino online in SUP, an event best was established this year for corporate partnerships.

Returning partners include presenting sponsor Kona Longboard Island Lager, Dukes, Maui Jim, Garmin, Rogue SUP, Patagonia, Watermen’s Applied Science and Sambazon. New to M2O this year are the Hawai’i Tourism Authority, GoPro and Teva.

“The Molokai-2-Oahu Paddleboard World Championship is an amazing race that draws elite athletes from around the world to Hawaii every year, allowing us to share the beauty and culture of the islands with the competitors, their families and the international media,” said Michael Story of the Hawai’i Tourism Authority. “We are thrilled to be a part of this year’s race and look forward to showcasing all that the islands have to offer.”

“We are grateful to all of our sponsors who help create this unique race experience for the athletes, their support teams and paddleboarding fans around the world,” said Rob Farrow of the M2O Group. “M2O is the sport’s most iconic race. It’s as much about the experience as it is competing for the championship. Anytime you complete a crossing of the Ka’iwi Channel, a feat that is both physically and mentally demanding, it is a victory.”

READ MORE AT http://www.molokai2oahu.com/