Westbound Boarder

Seriously, whatSUP with your board? As many of you out there have likely already seen or at least heard of the latest board sports craze, Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP), we here at Westbound Boarder are here to put it all together for you. If you are not on top of yer game and have not heard about it yet, SUP speaks for itself. It is basically a surfboard, that you stand up on, and use a paddle to maneuver yourself around the water. Sounds simple enough right? Well, one thing is for sure, there is good reason that this is the newest sport to blast into the board sports atmosphere, while quickly gaining massive popularity!

So long as you live near a body of water, SUP skills can be all yours as this craze is done both in the ocean as well as in rivers and lakes. So listen up, read carefully, get out there and try to SUP; but before you do, get the 411 right here:

• Safety-First: get real with yourself. You may not be a beginner swimmer, but you are a beginner Stand Up Paddleboarder, consider wearing a waist pack life jacket. Easy to wear, they don’t get in the way and they can save your life.
• Don’t Leave Your Board Unattended: In other words, if you lose your paddle don’t swim off to retrieve it, leaving your board behind. The wind can easily blow your board away faster than you can swim to rescue it.
• Get a Leash: Use an ankle leash to be sure you don’t lose your board and get stuck in the middle of the lake, river, or ocean without your board. They make leashes specifically designed for Stand Up Paddle Boarders. They are made to coil and stay on top of your board, to avoid slowing you down, or snagging on anything under the water. Just like snowboarding and surfing, you want to attach your leash to your back foot.
• Paddle up-wind first: Paddling up-wind takes much more energy. So don’t get yourself caught a long distance down wind, you may be too exhausted to make it back.
• Love the paddle: Use the paddle to your advantage. Never let go of your paddle, keep it in the water as much as possible and use the paddle to retain your balance and to keep yourself from falling.
• Stance: This may seem obvi, but retain a centered, straight forward stance on your board (esp. on flat water surfaces, like lakes and rivers). Leaning too far forward will sink your nose and too far back will sink your tail down, decreasing your speed. The centered forward facing stance makes paddling from side to side easier and will allow you to be more stable on your board. When the surface is not so flat, (which will be common when riding on the ocean), consider adopting a stance where your dominant foot is forward, just as you would if you were surfing. This will make maneuvering and controlling the board an easier task, than if you were simply facing forward.
• How to Get Your Paddle on: Reach forward with your paddle and stroke the blade through the water so your paddle is perpendicular to your board. Keep the paddle close to the board and do not extend the stroke too far past your legs. Notice that a paddle board blade is angled forward which enables a smooth release as your paddle exits the water. If you stroke too far past your legs, this smooth release is negated.
• Your feet are free: If you can get used to the concept that your feet are not glued to your board, you will be a much happier Stand Up Paddleboarder. Once you are comfortable on the board and do not have trouble balancing on it, make an extra effort to move around the board. It is especially easy in flat water paddle boarding to stay cemented to your board. Make every effort to shift your feet from the centered stance to placing your dominant foot forward. Also move from the tail up to your nose and back to the center.
• 360 Baby: Make that 360 happen! Work on rotating the board on the water by stroking your paddle away from the board. Once you’re comfortable spinning in a full circle you are ready to spin in a faster and more challenging way. The more challenging 360 is done by assuming the dominant foot forward position (which resembles the position a surfer takes on their board), and by shifting your weight to the back of the board using the paddle to pivot the board around. Lean on the paddle a bit to assist in your pivot. Once you have mastered this spin, you are ready to step up your SUP skills to surfing the ocean!

If you’re still not sure about giving the SUP a try, here is a great opportunity to test your ability. If you are lucky enough to be an Oregonian, come downtown to Willamette Park and meet up with the folks at Gorge Performance. Gorge has introduced a 2^nd Wednesday SUP Demo Series where you can try it all out for yourself and for free! Don’t live in Oregon? That’s okay, because SUP is catching on everywhere; chances are your local board shop is joining the craze. Simply ask your local board shops if they rent SUP gear, or have any SUP events on the calendar. Still no luck finding your way to learning the SUP skills? Let us at Westbound Boarder know, we have the resources to get you informed and up on your SUP in no time. In the meantime, I will see you Oregonians at 2^nd Wednesdays with Gorge Performance!