Junior's in the sport

This is kind of a call to arms!!! With a massive lack of junior's in the sport I speak not just for myself but anyone passionate about SUP when I say, We need more interest and focus on "Groms". The release this week of Infinity SUP Australia incentives for more kids to get involved is hopefully a turning point. The more we get kids in the water,the more the sport gets highlighted, the more education there is and with increased awareness comes growth. Yes I have a shop but it hasn't always been that way. I have 2 kids and a wife that all love the sport and understand all to well the cost involved (even now) We all know quality boards aren't cheap but, When it comes to kids there focus will constantly shift between disciplines and there requirements are forever changing with growth. This being said, there is a lot to be said for spending that bit more up front for something that will allow there progression and enhance there pleasure rather than slow them down and potentially put them off the sport. No matter what the sport, Kids need tailored equipment the same way we as mums and dads do. We all want what's best for our kids (within reason). In my personal experience, I have fond that although the board is at considerable cost up front, With the right support and knowledge from your local distributers it is quite beneficial to turn your gear over regularly, somewhat like what we do with cars. By doing this we then create a used market of boards suitable for kids and in time make the sport more attractive and affordable for more people. In the process we realize that that initial outlay has actually saved us money over time.. That's my rant over. Please help us grow this sport.
Stay Stoked!!!

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nosaj27 said..
Anymore info on the "Infinity SUP Australia incentives for kids"???

Hey mate, Contact you local Infinity Dealer. I'm assuming based on your profile you are in Noosa. The closest dealer to you would be SUPCentre in Brisbane - 32691034 or Myself on the Goldy - 55510389 Both of us have the program listed on Facebook as well. Any dramas, shoot me a message or give us a call.

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hilly said..
Feel free to sponser my child it is costing me a fortune :( He is the only SUPer I have seen under 40 apart from Wes Fry. 14 atm just got 4th in school level surfing comp :) No infinity in WA. Oops there is never seen one though

Unfortunately this is not a sponsorship program. The crew at Infinity Australia have seen the shortage of groms in the sport and have been kind enough to offer some incentives to help parents out as much as they can... We all know that there are boards out there that are designed for the younger crew but, they are just as expensive as boards for you and I... The new range of Infinity carries a good proportion of smaller boards that perform magically under the feet of groms. Even their 8'2" RNB works really well for my 10y/o (not a small 10y/o either) Between the RNB and the BLine the shapes are perfect for kids to progress on and will see them through for a number of years..
Stay Stoked

Nahhh... SUPing is for old timers.
I guess the juniors will want to SUP/surf foil rather than bother with a granny sport.

Well, at least I would think this way if I was 50 years younger :-)

There are quite a few factors that limit kids participation in Paddleboarding

Kitting the kids out with a sup/paddle/wetsuit/flappy hat is a pretty expensive exercise, especially when they are likely to outgrow their kit every couple of seasons.

Theres also the logistics of owning a SUP. You can't carry one on a bike, most kids don't live within carrying distance to the water so are heavily reliant on Mum or Dad's taxi.

In perth a few of the SUP stores offer SUP hire and lessons on the river, in a safe controlled environment with qualified supervision.

You'd also have to factor in peer pressure from kids their own age. Cool kids don't SUP, thats a fact.

The sport needs more juniors participating - and there are no shortage of kids who would like to participate. Look at Kai bates, Harry Maskell & Josh Stretton. All young rippers who have come up through the juniors being supported by brands like Infinity.

Seems to me any program like Infinity's Junior program which helps get more juniors on the water is a good thing.

I'm not knocking you sup people I know and respect a few of you BUT,I cant see stand up ever being as popular as prone surfing.
I believe the cycle will continue as it is,late teens early 20's will be in low numbers,30's plus and all the poor buggers with injuries.

They say juniors are the roots to every sport but its not happening in the stand up world.

Look at lawn bowls its a very popular sport with nature and seniors but not so with juniors.
The good thing about this is bowls has been an ever lasting sport so I guess there is no reason
why stand up can't follow.But to be honest surf stand up is not the future,racing flat water and down
winding are the real exciting parts of stand up IMO.

Sup is a new branch of paddle sport and the fact that it is a bigger board and more expensive than a short surf board and less mobile makes it less attractive to kids . But as more families get into it the kids will have access to it. Then in time there will be juniors over the next 5 10 15 years it will develop . Young kids will have exposure to suping and branch into surfing . The same thing happened with the resurgence of longboarding initially it was older guys then later the young crew got into it. There will be plenty of young crew into it in time .

Great picture and talent but very rare and not a true reflection of the line up.

I thought over 40s was the junior sup section

The grommets should start out getting flogged in the shore break on their little short boards with their grom mates.
Introduce them to nippers to learn the basics of the ocean
Then learn to paddle, duck dive, catch waves with their arms/hands.
Then learn to read waves, set the rail etc etc.
If they want to venture off into some obscure pursuit when fitness or injury limitations present later on in life then that's up to them.

When your top 3 threads are on foil you have no hope.

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SupsailDave said..
Just gotta put my 2 cents worth in here. But isn't sup the fastest growing sport around the world. You see this written in news papers, magazines, hear it on interviews on multimedia. Geez it's even said by all the pros in there interviews. So why do we need to push/promote sup for juniors? Just asking?

Closely followed by SUP foil

That is sick!!! That's the best pic I've seen in a long time.

Over the last 6+ months my business SUP Fitness Australia, has been focusing on teaching/training/coaching groms from aged 5.

The response has been overwhelmingly positive from both the kids and parents. Through game based paddling activities the kids are progressing extremely well and their fitness levels have soared.

Kids are like sponges: they adapt to the sport very quickly and easily and their technique puts a lot of adults to shame.

I have a fleet of kids sup boards and paddles making it more easier for them and popping them on a 12'6 for sprints has been pretty cool to watch.

They are the future of our sport. IF you have a child/niece/nephew/grandchild
get them out on your board. You might be pretty surprised of how quick they out paddle most adults!

If if you're ever on the the Sunny coast pop into one of of my daily Kids on SUP sessions.