Has it been discussed before ?
Surely a demo at the next Aussies couldn't hurt.
Bop style W course would be the go and the spectators would have something to enjoy watching for a change. I mean those surf races tend to be very,very boring and unless there is a wave on the boards and ski's can put you to sleep also.
A great way to showcase the sport as there are a few crossing over of late.
I would say no chance in hell. The way SLSA has gone you will be wearing life-jacket + helmet and if the surf is over 2 foot the race would be called off.
Scotty, I am not a competitor any longer so don't wish to be negative about those that do compete. But why would a SURF oriented sport like SUP align itself or associate itself with Surf Life Saving.
In my opinion SUP would be much better off strengthening the ties it already has with the Surfing and Longboarding fraternities.
SUP is an extension of Surfing and as such needs to stay rooted in the Surfing ethos. It is about the ocean, freedom, catching waves, riding swells or runners and having a blast.
I have always read your Topics and responses with interest but the thought of CLUBBIES (no matter what they wear) makes me shudder.
OH dear NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ET.
) and SUP arguably has more in common with ski and mal and even kayak paddling rather than surfing, we invite the clubbies from our local LSC to join some of our races on their skis and rescue mals...and the ski/OC1/kayak guys invite us to join some of their races...and everyone gets along just fine.
Thanks for your thoughts CARTOON, though I would think that most "SURF" oriented SUPpers would agree with me.
Anyway you are entitled to your opinion.
Though I won't change mine. ET.
Over the years it has come to my notice that most surf users hate sup'ers and most non-surfing background sup'ers seem to feel the same way about other surf users.
Stand up paddle as a sport will never be accepted fully as part of any other form of surfing - and why would it want to be IMO.
SUP is SUP - its not surfing - its not paddling - its certainly not sls - it simply is what it is and has to stop looking to assimilate with other surf disciplines.
The last (NSW) Country SLSA championships I went to had a shortboard surfing contest, entered by Clubbies. It was a bit bemusing as it was the first event of the day & held in 6' solid waves. Then they called the Lifesaving events off due to rough conditions.
Go figure.
**** the clubbies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
those pricks have tried to reinvent themselves over the past few years. read surfing subcultures of australia and new zealand by kent pearson. The clubbie movement was responsible for policing morale standards and ensuring draconian beach use regulations were enforced. The beach patrol brown shirts to use a historical parlance. the movement is archaic steeped in pointless tradition, unable to adapt to change and is actually the antithesis of the care free relaxed aussie surf culture we prophes to enjoy. And they wear ****ing budgie smugglers!!
But other than that i guess they're ok.
im all for introducing clubbies to the sport (racing side that is). would definatly bring the level of competition up several steps!!!! you dont get more dedicated athletes than in sls.
i also think it should be mandatory as part of australias education system (location dependent) that all school kids should join a club and get there bronze. definatly increases awareness of the ocean but i think more importantly gives people a sense of first aid that they would otherwise never recieve.
would prevent allot of child drownings IMO.
The SLSC (Surf Life Saving Clubs) are just that and should wholly concentrate on "life saving", (including their own!) managing swimmers at the beach and competing amongst each other IMO, i see no reason whatsoever why a SUP would be used for rescue services by SLSC when they have jetskis, rubber duckies, prone boards etc etc.
They already cause enough stupidity in the lineup when ever they get their antique wooden surf boats out and pull their speedos up their arses.
Keep SUP for the SUPpers IMHO.
Clubbies and lifeguards already pretty much rule SUP racing.
Sad but true that but there is no substitute for a life time they have spent in the ocean chasing bumps on what they call Paddle Backs and we now call Downwinders.
Surfing may be a different story and more inhabited by skilled short and longboarders.
Its not a widely known fact that at the Local Branch,Queensland and Aussie titles SLSC run surfing comp from under 14s through to over 40s short and long board.
Judges are accredited Surfing Aus .electronic timing the full thing.All competitors must have a current proficiency in all the resus,spinal management etc with at least 20 hours of patrolls completed by the end of December.
High standard of surfing with C.Horan from Surfers and pro Luke Munro from Currumbin ,Grant Hoskins Burleigh and if you go back to 1977 Tommy Corral Newport.
The Time frame for extra events at State and Nationals would be impossible.If some of the elite competitors want to cross over to SUP they would absolutely smash the Americans and Hawaiians.
That must be a reference to the Aussies at Scarb,,,Trigg Island when we closed the area with the best banks and best surf Perth had seen for months.
Local police were called to keep the comp area clear.
It was the best surf comp I've ever been in.4man heats on 2 banks.
One of the die hard locals back stroked at the back of the break towing his board with his leggy for hours on end.
yes I tend to agree, the tradition of rivalry continues as there is a great cultural difference between ideals of the surfing fraternity and those in the surf clubs.
This difference dates back to the 60's and 70's when "the police of the beach tried to enforce rules upon the surfers that often led to all out brawls, alright times change, but the difference is still there in the surf, for racing on flat water or bop that may represent a mutual ground.
the value and merits of the work done by the SLSC should not be underrated when it comes to the management of the water activities by the general public, but the alignment of sup surfing should still be with the Surfing Australia..but they should also adapt to that change which will take time because of the inherent short board culture within the surfing fraternity. What will become apparent to the National and State Surfing authorities is the standard of Sup Surfing throughout Australia has improved exponentially and that "good surfing is good surfing" no matter what equipment is used, this just takes time to lose the "sup image of fat balding old farts activity", especially when you see the standards achieved in all age groups at the recently held and well run Nationals.
Always going to generate a lot of heated discussion. Re racing perhaps we should ask Jamie Mitchell, TGIF, Kelly, Kissane and Beau O'b. Oh thats right it would be a bit biased as they all have a strong history in senior clubbie races.
Re race formats many are starting to mirror the old Uncle Tobies. Prime example being the "Waikiki Eliminator" which is the recycling of a great race format from a decade ago. I bet there are other formats that would be worth revisiting.
Board design at least from an Australian perspective has been strongly influenced by Clubbie manufacturers although few might be aware of the tweaking of existing designs.
I agree that there would be both pro's and cons to aligning with SLSC to run events and I think running races as individual events works well (Surfing Australia or otherwise). There are however some broad genaralisations being made that are very narrow minded. The lifesaving movement has many sub-cultures. Comparing a board/ski/iron man competitior with someone who races IRBs, surfboats or beach sprinting is like comparing a mal rider with a surfer, boogie boarder, body surfer or goat boater. All have a place but each is very unique in the type of people that are attracted to a type of discipline.
As for surfers that have had connections in surf clubs either as nippers or otherwise you will find a good talent pool Rastovich, Hitchings, Seddon, Tom & more recently Nick Carroll etc just to name a few.
Anyhow I'll get down from my soap box and get back to my bowl of nutri grain before it gets soggy.
Herb
my experience in recent years of life savers is them generally being pretty good about things.
i remember one time at kingscliff they shifted a can to get it off a bank that just came good- midrace. you can't ask for more then that.
the clubbies vs surfers thing hey- geez, just how old are some of you guys
one could say sup pers are the new clubbies
great topic and a wide range of veiws
I started Scotts Head sup weekend 2 years ago for the very same reason as I think it could be a sport of SLSA . I know the clubie thing Ive worked all over the world as lifeguard and sometimes cringe but we volunteer our time. maybe one day at Aussies
but I doubt it
Ive sent emails and spoken to Dave Thompson slsa manager surfsports about this topic
Im the president of the club and an offical but trying to change slsa is hard
but the more clubies out there that send an email to Dave maybe he will get the message
I can remember when women weren't allowed to join
now they are 50% of the membership !!
I hope you can come next year to Scotts Head and have great weekend of sup racing and surfing
and yes we use a Sup on Patrol
Kindly Donated By Starboard
We Use the Starboard rescue board which I have surf life saving approval to trail on Patrols
so far 3 rescues
I call them survielance boards
at the club we have another 2 sups and the clubies love them so suping is getting the guys and gals in the water
personly we need to be waterman sups ski swim boards surfing whatever gets us in the water
my 5 cents worth
Select to expand quoteHerbertVoigt said...
Always going to generate a lot of heated discussion. Re racing perhaps we should ask Jamie Mitchell, TGIF, Kelly, Kissane and Beau O'b. Oh thats right it would be a bit biased as they all have a strong history in senior clubbie races.
Re race formats many are starting to mirror the old Uncle Tobies. Prime example being the "Waikiki Eliminator" which is the recycling of a great race format from a decade ago. I bet there are other formats that would be worth revisiting.
Board design at least from an Australian perspective has been strongly influenced by Clubbie manufacturers although few might be aware of the tweaking of existing designs.
Geez it would be nice if we could all get along... I grew up in a Surf Club, still connected but from a distance. It has changed massively. And its a shame. You grew up learning how the surf works, reading the waves knowing the tides and being able to have the confidence in knowing that if a someone stuck up their hand you could go and help. Now you firstly read a book, answer some questions gain a PHD from reading a book about rips and then they find out if you can swim. Here take a whistle a funny looking hat and prevent someone entering the water - you are now a life saver. It is all wrong.
Competition would be great, but how? After the last few Aussies it has all been remembered for the wrong reasons. Losing 2 young men in a few years has really changed SLS Competition.
I too could bang on for ages about the rights and wrongs and if competition would work. Hendy, Karla Gilbert and Kirsty Holmes all ride SUPS. Deep Oceanboards are out of Dolphin Surfcraft, and they make the best SLS Comp boards and Skis.
Jesus Scotty always gets the threads going....
How do you rescue somone on this anyway?? Watching the new breed of clubby on the water these days, it would have to be dead flat!!
"Geez it would be nice if we could all get along... I grew up in a Surf Club, still connected but from a distance. It has changed massively. And its a shame. You grew up learning how the surf works, reading the waves knowing the tides and being able to have the confidence in knowing that if a someone stuck up their hand you could go and help. Now you firstly read a book, answer some questions gain a PHD from reading a book about rips and then they find out if you can swim. Here take a whistle a funny looking hat and prevent someone entering the water - you are now a life saver. It is all wrong."
I too share many of your frustrations but the comment that "its all wrong" is way misguided. The core still remains and its all about having fun in the water and helping a few poeple out along the way. Take a drive between 4-6 pm on most week days along the Goldy and there will be squads of kids, teenagers and older all paddling together in and out of through the surf, chasing bumps, surfing waves having fun and developing genuine skills in the ocean. No books or whistles or phds just having fun paddling, swimming, surfing.
My kids joined nippers last year, best thing we have done. It's a great family sport and you can be as involved in it as much as you want. Kids are learning great skills, making mates outside of there schools and like herb said I can't keep the eldest away from the training and out of the water. Great environment for the kids
Anyway I don't think you will see SUPs as part of the comp scene, already too many events to get thru on a typical weekend. SUPs as rescue boards and observation platforms will and can work depending on the beach and conditions, another tool to have in the box.
I am one of the rare teenage surfers from the eighties that was also was heavily involved in SLS clubs, nothing beats the feeling of dropping into a six foot wave at the front of a surf boat....even with a wedgie. Patrol weekends staying in the clubhouse dorms where some of the most "productive" times as a horny teenage lad......especially over holiday periods.
