King & Queen of the Lake Stand Up Paddle Race Recap & Results

SUP newcomers, veterans, and enthusiasts alike came together on Sunday for the finale of the King & Queen of the Lake race series sponsored by Stand Up Paddle Flatwater and Kialoa.

Held at beautiful Elk Lake, the race series featured a sport class for recreational paddlers as well as a race class for those who wanted more challenge. Courses for both classes were “buoy courses” and included plenty of navigational challenge. “I like races that also involve the brain a bit,” says race director Randall Barna. “It makes it more fun for the racers and spectators,” he adds.

The shorter, easier course and slightly less competitive atmosphere of the sport class opened up the event to less experienced paddlers and attracted many first-time racers. Several reported aspirations to step up to the race class next year.

The race class was further divided into sub-classes according to board type and length. The difference in speed between these sub-classes highlighted the importance of equipment choice for paddlers who are serious about racing. “Events like this help people in their choices when they plan their gear for next year,” says Randall.

In addition to stand up paddle boards, the race series also celebrated other paddle sports vessels including outriggers, surfskis and prone paddleboards. After the race, Kialoa offered demos of their beautiful, innovative, handmade paddles.

Contestants’ best two scores of the three races in the series were combined to determine overall winners in each class. Congratulations to Your Royal Highnesses Lisa Jacobowski, Frank Ring, Jaye Arney, Jen Kjellesvik, and Randall Barna, and thank you to all participants!

Click here for complete race results. Click here for a message from race director Randall Barna.

See more SUP race photos at the Stand Up Paddle Flatwater Gallery and be sure to check out the race video if you haven't already.

Get your SUP race boards and Kialoa paddles at Stand Up Paddle Flatwater!

King & Queen of the Lake Stand Up Paddle Race Footage

More than 30 paddlers vied for the right to be dubbed race royalty on Sunday at the final race in the King & Queen of the Lake race series sponsored by Stand Up Paddle Flatwater and Kialoa. Competitors and spectators enjoyed near perfect conditions at beautiful Elk Lake - blue skies, bright sun, calm winds, and clear, sparkling water. Final results are still being tabulated and will be posted as soon as they're available. In the meantime, enjoy the video! See more SUP photos and video at the Stand Up Paddle Flatwater Gallery.



If you want to win races or just enjoy going fast, check out our SUP race boards. They're the speediest SUBs on the market.

8th Annual Rogue Gathering Longboard Classic - More Pix!

See more photos of the 8th Annual Rogue Gathering Longboard Classic in the Stand Up Paddle Flatwater Photo Gallery.

King & Queen of the Lake - Last Race of the Series is this Sunday... and it looks like the weather is cooperating!

The final race in the King & Queen of the Lake race series (sponsored by Stand Up Paddle Bend and Kialoa) takes place this Sunday, September 26th at Elk Lake. The weather forecast is for 81 degrees and sunny! Woohoo!

Royal status will be bestowed upon top finishers in each eligible class – with three classes already clinched - congratulations to Randall Barna (Men’s SUP 14’), Frank Ring (Men’s SUP Sport) and Jaye Arney (Women’s SUP Sport). Titles in other classes are still up for grabs.

The King & Queen of the Lake race series is a fun, family race series on beautiful Elk Lake. There's a sport class for those new to paddling as well as a race class for those who want more challenge. The series celebrates a variety of Hawaiian paddle sports including OC-1 outriggers, prone paddle boards and, of course, stand up paddle boards. A windsurfing race takes place later in the afternoon.

Schedule:
9:30-10:00a.m Registration at Elk Lake Resort*
10:15a.m. Paddle Race Skippers Meeting
10:30a.m. Paddle Race Mass Start
1:30p.m. Windsurfing skippers meeting, at Sunset View Beach
2:00p.m. Windsurfing Start

*Registration is mandatory as is compliance with all laws regulating watercraft.

For further information, email Race Director Randall Barna at

Randall@Footform.com.

You may also be interested to know that Elk Lake Resort is hosting a Luau on Saturday, September 25th from 5:30p.m. to 8:00p.m. The wonderful Bill Keale will be performing live!

Congratulations Judy!

10 years ago yesterday, Stand Up Padde Bend team rider Judy Shasek was declared cancer free. At 7:00 yesterday morning, Judy stood up on her board in the Deschutes River and began paddling from the spillway to the rapids just upstream of Bill Healy Memorial Bridge and back. To celebrate her decade of health, Judy paddled 10 laps of this circuit 10 times before the sun set.

Judy, who is 61, wore 61 ribbons inscribed with names of fellow cancer survivors as well as people who are currently fighting to overcome the disease. Friends and family members joined her for a lap or two here and there, cheered her on from the shore, and gathered at the finish to congratulate her on completing the roughly 33-mile journey well ahead of schedule.

Although the temperature was below 60 degrees for most of the day, Judy reported feeling relaxed and comfortable during her paddle, and exhilarated at the end. “I don’t feel tired at all,” she said. “In fact, I could do more.”

Members of the community who had contributed ribbons for Judy to wear were visibly touched to see the names of their loved ones on her shirt. Judy provided shining proof that it is possible to become healthy again and stay that way. She’s an inspiration. Thank you Judy!

Judy's SUP Karmathon appeared on KOHD News last night.

Judy's All Set for her 33-Mile Paddle Tomorrow!

SUPer (in more ways than one) Judy Shasek is ready for her SUP Karmathon tomorrow.

Stand Up Paddle Bend is offering half price SUP board rentals to anyone who would like to join Judy for part of her 33-mile paddle to celebrate life and health.

The SUP Karmathon starts at 7:00 a.m. and is expected to finish at around 4:00 p.m. Judy is launching and finishing near the Bend Outrigger Canoe Club (805 SW Industrial Way).

Supporters are welcome to paddle a few laps with Judy, cheer her on from the shore, or gather at the finish to join in the celebration.

Call 541.639.2655 or email Info@StandUpPaddleBend.com for further information.

Last Weekend's SUP Events: the 'Round the Rock Stand Up Paddle Race & the 8th Annual Rogue Gathering Longboard Classic

Two of the Pacific Northwest's biggest stand up paddle events took place last weekend: the ‘Round the Rock Stand Up Paddle Race in Seattle, Washington and the Rogue Gathering 8th Annual Longboard Classic in Newport, Oregon which included stand up paddle surfing.

‘Round the Rock

The ‘Round the Rock event included a 13-mile stand up paddle race around Mercer Island on Lake Washington, a 2.5 mile race along the shores of Seward Park, and an SUP expo featuring demos and product displays. Proceeds from entry fees benefitted Seattle Children’s Hospital and the Surfrider Foundation.

Racers faced a variety of chilly, gusty winds from all directions as they rounded Mercer Island.

Thomas “Maximus” Shahinian, a real estate broker from California, won the 13–mile race on an 18-foot board with a time of 2 hours and 18 minutes. Shahinian has been SUPing for about two years, after paddling outrigger canoes for 15 years. He dedicated his win on Sunday to a friend who died two weeks ago of cancer.

Congratulations to Scott Estrada who visited Bend last week and paddled with us on Friday evening. Scott took 2nd place in the 14’ category and 8th overall on his Joe Bark Dominator, shaving a whopping 50 minutes off his time from last year’s race. Estrada called the ‘Round the Rock “a great event.” He said what impressed him most was the determination of “competitors coming in after 5 or 6 hours of being out there, soaking wet. It was completely incredible. They just refused to be picked up by the coast guards. It was just inspiring as ever.”

There was also a kids' race, in which about 20 children, many SUPing for the first time, paddled out to a buoy about 30 yards from shore and back. Winner Grant Vasek, who is 11, said he thinks SUP is “more challenging than kayaking because you have to stand up and balance on the board while paddling.” Yet the standing up part seems to be what he likes most - "I love being on the board. I love surfing," he said.

Brandi Baksic, a firefighter from San Diego, was the first female to cross the line, followed by Heather Nelson, a surf-ski and ultra-marathon distance kayak racer and adventurer from Bellinghham, Washington, who is 4 months pregnant!

The Rogue Gathering Longboard Classic

Stand Up Paddle Flatwater founder Randall Barna calls the Rogue Gathering Longboard Classic, “the quintessential example of Oregon surf culture for the longboard generations.”

Congratulations to Stand Up Paddle Bend team riders Randall Barna, Judy Shasek and Isabella Acosta Barna who placed 6th, 2nd and 4th in their SUP categories. Randall made the finals even though he was forced to work with a borrowed paddle after his own paddle blade split during the semi-finals. "There was some drama when my paddle broke," Randall says. However, "Peter Miller and Pam Stevenson from Kialoa paddles were right there watching and immediately grabbed me another paddle. The first one was Pam's and too short so the next wave in, I switched again and got a longer paddle. All Kialoas so they felt right at home in my hands."

SUPBend team rider Tom Burke was ready for a strong finish after months of practice in Maui last winter and spring, but he bruised and possibly broke some ribs in a shorebreak wipe-out on Saturday and was too injured to compete. We're happy to report he's feeling much better now.

Peter Miller, another member of Bend’s SUP community took second in the longboard event for the Grand Dukes age group. Peter also competes in SUP but decided not to this year since the finals heats were back to back and he wanted to save energy. Congratulations Peter!

Click here for complete results of the ‘Round the Rock race.

Click here for complete results of the 8th Annual Rogue Gathering.

Oh, and if you’re looking for a fast SUP board, click here to check out some great SUP race boards.

If surfing’s more your thing, check out these stand up paddle surfboards.

We also have some great all-around SUP boards for those who want to do it all!

Stand Up Paddle Karmathon

Bend SUPer aims to complete 10 laps from spillway to the Healy Bridge rapids and back on a stand up paddle board to celebrate 10^th anniversary as a cancer survivor.

At dawn on September 21^st, treasured member of the SUPBend family Judy Shasek will begin paddling from the spillway to the rapids just upstream of Healy Bridge and back. To celebrate her 10^th anniversary of being cancer-free, Judy aims to complete this circuit 10 times before the day is done.

Judy calls her endeavor a “karmathon.” She invites others to participate by writing names of loved ones on ribbons that she will wear during the event. “If you would like to remember a special person, celebrate a life, send forward a prayer or otherwise recognize someone in your life who’s gone through a struggle or is in the midst of one, write his or her name on a ribbon and I will wear it on the day of my paddle,” she says.

Judy expects to complete her roughly 33-mile journey at about 4.00p.m. Supporters are welcome to cheer her on along the way or gather at the finish to celebrate.

A lover of the outdoors, Judy celebrated her 5^th anniversary as a cancer survivor by completing a 100-mile Livestrong bicycle ride in Portland. Having been a SUPer for the last few years, she decided to honor her 10^th anniversary by “setting out on the beautiful waters of the Deschutes right here in my home town. There is nothing quite like the moving meditation of doing some sort of physical activity outside – enjoying all that nature and life have to offer,” she says.

Ribbons are available at the shop (Stand Up Paddle Bend, 550 SW Industrial Way, #115). For further information, call 541.639.2655 or email Info@StandUpPaddleBend.com.

Judy in 1967 and Judy now.