Think this topic has gone side ways and far from getting boards on there rail.
Back on topic the shorter sup are the future of sup comps with out a doub, I can see fun events where 10ft plus boards will be used but top end will be shorter.
Come on people find the grom within.
Sure it's growing fast but like the beer belly of an aging man....ugly and in the wrong direction...
I don't think sales is a true indication of sport'growth'... We're talking surfing here right?
Having 200 middle aged men and women floundering around currumbin creek is a good indication of an improving attitude to healthy lifestyle but hardly represents a growing scene with a future... Clubs and juniors are the future, same as 'normal' surfing..... At this rate the future of sup is a lot of dusty boards in garages or at least a healthy 2nd hand market....
. The width on the custom is wider than old production but carves much better due to rocker, rails etc. please don't confuse length and width with design in regards to on edge carving.
Back to the original topic of the thread, I do not think that the width of boards determine the kind of turns that you can do, it has a lot to do with the rocker profile too.
Again though, if the flat turns are not rewarded in a comp then people will stop doing them.
However, expect SUP surfing to follow short board surfing in where it is heading, airs, 3's and all the rest.
Just because us over 40's think that we can't do those on a 30" wide SUP does not mean that everyone can't.
This is SUP surfing, not "SUP longboarding" so any restrictions on board length will only serve to push people out of the sport
To grow any sport you need to invest in junior development programs focused on fun not comps,comps can come into play at a later stage,I've see too many sideline parents turn their kids into hating a sport.Keep it simple,a young kid can paddle anything so one board for all,surf,race and bop.Watch the improvement when they get on the good gear.Customs for the above average Joe/Joanne will see times drop and more points scored fact.
Not everyone is made for comps,so don't lose focus when growing any sport.I agree with the old tested 80/20 rule here.So maybe the comp numbers are the same but the people taking SUP up is growing?
On the comp side,look at how far behind longboarding is compared to shortboarding in sponsorship dollars,do you really think SUP is going to attract more corporate dollars than longboarding .You can run two division to the surfing short and long,SUP is simply not big enough to have both short and longboard clubs atm.
I strongly believe Racing and Bop are the true future of SUP and surf a poor third.
This is not a troll I have too much respect for many in this forum.Yep who am I to add input,you guys know sup way better than me
the grom within should still be short board surfing.
it's a standup paddle board we've on, not hp al merrick or dhd
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watch the quickie pro to see the difference people
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Sitting here watching the sups at noosa it looks painfull on any board!! Keahi and Jackson looked ok but hard work and not much rail surfing going on
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i like supping. been doing it for a while now. i'm just throwing stuff out there so i hope no one takes it the wrong way.
i seen sup comps build and in the last year or so numbers drop away.
i think something has to be done to kick start sup comps again
currumbin ck paddlers are running a juniors program atm and jacko says they are starting one too- which is great for the sport on the goldie and its a good start. most of the kids looked more comfortable on dad's short surfing sup which appears to have done away with the cost factor for the moment.
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Select to expand quotelaceys lane said...
i like supping. been doing it for a while now. i'm just throwing stuff out there so i hope no one takes it the wrong way.
i seen sup comps build and in the last year or so numbers drop away.
i think something has to be done to kick start sup comps again
currumbin ck paddlers are running a juniors program atm and jacko says they are starting one too- which is great for the sport on the goldie and its a good start. most of the kids looked more comfortable on dad's short surfing sup which appears to have done away with the cost factor for the moment.
Lacey when Kristi came up for the week and trained with the Currumbin Paddlers group the most impressive thing I saw was how well you include every level of paddler.
It was inspiring to see the genuine encouragement and the inclusivity. Every paddler was encouraged to do their best what ever that was and the training was tailored to suit each paddler. Didn't mater if you were a 1st timer or a world class paddler there was something for everyone.
Watching the young group of kids you had racing was all time, they were having a ball. By the time they get old say 14 they will be smashing it.
The key thing was they all had FUN.
Phill
The images on the web from your training this morning is a real eye opener smokin work!
Comes down to judging 2. If judges pay crappy little flick turns that's becoming common... People will do them.
I'm nervous about juniors getting in.... Will the sport lose the big round house cutty and we will see a heap of flicky slidey turns, let's be honest it's. Not hard to get a wide board sliding with tiny fins in it.
I keep going back to the dogs round houses.... They look cool. Much better than flicky slidey stuff.
Until the new school surfers learn to hack like parko and co they won't win a world, title.. Same will go with sup. Custom board or not....
Do I digress, sheez, can't remember what the topic was....
Good thread even if it has gone sideways!
If we are the fastest growing sport/watersport in the world right now why are numbers dwindling at many Comps and organisers struggling to get sponsorship?
Every sport needs a pointy end and we would not be where we are without the development that comes from customs and team riders. Team riders, Pros and the Elites need to ride customs.
What I am talking about is growing the sport, getting numbers up at comps and events and attracting Sponsorship dollars so they can get bigger and better for everyone to enjoy.
There is room for everyone here, I am not talking about limiting what you can ride, I am talking about shifting the focus to be more inclusive.
Handicapped Time trials are a good example of how to include everyone, let so lets keep working on being inclusive and that means making what the majority ride (production boards) competitive at the majority of comps and events.
Well OG,
Didn't you get the discussion going!!
I'm a newbie / kook, who is starting to get there, in this new world of SUP. Forty years of surfing mals and shorties, still doesn't allow you to get on a SUP and go. I went for a longboard style SUP and in the future will get a short board style SUP.
To your point, all surfing goes through phases, in style, in equipment and that is reflected in competition and judging. Many great surfers have been ignored by the judging systems at the time, because they were either different, or on a different path. Ross Clarke-Jones being a pretty good example.
Give it time. Fat little pig boards will suit some, while others will want to bury the rail and turn, comps will be judged on the most progressive or spectacular.
As for the amount of juniors, well that's a complete post on it's own.
Cheers
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Here's a couple of ideas to get more groms on SUP's.
1. Crew running SUP schools should be talking to their local primary & secondary schools about incorporating SUP into their sports curriculum.....if they haven't already.
2. Poach groms from the clubbies & nippers.....if that isn't already happening.
They are the kids that love being in and on the water.....seems most clubbies that take up SUP love it.
Mention of Ross Clark-Jones.... Remember the boards both he, Tommy, Sanga & Bainy were riding in the movie 'Mad Wax' way back when? Short, flat rocker - really wide between the fins & big fat tails, as ewe did (except for Kong). & what're they on now - probably the same progressively better boards that SUPpers will be riding in as many years to come, given the same period of development.
& +1 AA.
(my 1cents' worth)
.....if that isn't already happening.
Original post. Not even a question, rail turns are the only turns. Flat slides etc are in part due to bad design on part due to fins way too small for the widths of the tails. Just my opinion here, but then I'd rather watch Matt Hoy or Occy rather than Gabriel Medina as well. I like to see some power in a turn.
Development of the sport. That's another topic altogether.
I have had this discussion quite a few times in the past months.
Other sports like windsurfing for example had a similar explosion and then died. When equipment becomes too specialized and it becomes hard to learn or start to compete people stop. As the pointy end loses interest there is nobody to replace them and the sport slows down.
While I love the idea of junior development there is a whole much bigger group that is being forgotten or overlooked. Every race or surf event should have a novice section, a short length race or a time based event where new competitors feel comfortable to enter and enjoy.
Look at running for example, you don't only have jogging and marathons, you have 5km, 10km half marathons etc. something where people can start, get involved, love it, get the bug and continue.
The minute novices are forgotten, even with juniors the competitive side of the sport will decline.
Haven't read all the post but original question seems to be directed at the "Dishpan".For those that don't what that is , it's when you push hard on the tail to break the fins free to do a cheater tail slide flat cutback. When the surf is small in comps this is all you can do to score points , no it's not a rail turn but without speed and a decent wave face you can't do a full rail turn cut back on a Sup and keep the momentum , you will end up behind the foam ball , ending your wave.
Shortboarders do it all the time , Sup riders do it more because we can't generate the same speed. It's all part of comps and it just gets mixed up and scored with the other manoeuvres what's the problem with that. It all adds to the show.
