The Gathering Rogue Longboard Results

"The Gathering" Rogue Longboard Classic was interesting, to say the least, with the giant swell rolling through on Saturday. Sunday was smaller and barely manageable but a few of our Bend SUP borders and surfers managed to make it to the podium! Judy Shasek in the SUP womens class, Tom Burke in the SUP mens class and Peter Miller in the grand dukes longboard class. Congratulations to all of our Stand Up Paddlers from Bend, Oregon. Read here for more about the Gathering.
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Here's what Ed Shasek had to say about the 2009 The Gathering event:

"Swells were 14 feet on the face Saturday, frightening. It looked like "Victory at Sea" The waves were crashing all the way over the jetty. Randall and I didn't go out. The SUP guys that did were getting smashed. Tom Burke went out and got at least one good ride inside the big stuff, still overhead, Peter Miller went out and decided to stay out of the big stuff and came back in, although he did get 4th in the Grand Dukes prone surfing class (over 60) with several great rides on Sunday. Tom said it was very difficult to get out and he had to turn-turtle several times. He got a lump on his cheekbone when his paddle clocked him. There were very few rides by SUP on Saturday, I think I saw two, and these guys were good SUP surfers. Tom made the final six for Sunday finals, but did not go out as he was tired and wanted to get back to Bend with his wife to paddle the river and rest. He had just returned from Maui the day before. Randall picked up his 6th place trophy for him. For the Sunday finals, it was overcast and cold on the beach. The swell subsided to about 6-8 face, but it looked like a washing machine. Judy's Saturday heat was postponed to the Sunday finals, as there were only two SUP women. She did great. I was so proud of her. She got all the way out and got one up-and-down ride and one ride across the face on the outside break. The other woman couldn't get out and road the foam a bunch of times to take 1st. This woman was good enough to get 3rd in the woman's prone over 25 class. She was 48 years old from Alaska and thought the weather and water was balmy. Judy got the second place trophy. She was 1st in our minds as she had the strength, steel ovaries and determination to get outside. She is a much better woman than I am a man. If she was a man they would clang when she walked. In fact, I thought I heard them when she was walking up the beach after her session. We all paddled the Bay at Newport on Saturday afternoon and had a beautiful paddle. Had to paddle against a strong wind to get back to the put-in."
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Click here to view these pictures larger

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

Local Bend, Oregon SUP Paddle Surfers Head South to the RainBow Sandals Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle

This weekend, Oct 3,4, is the Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez "Battle of the Paddle" It's a long way down to So Cal for this event, but I'll guarantee Gerry's going!

Here's a link with the info: http://www.rainbowsandals.com/battleofthepaddle/
This is the ultimate SUP Stand up paddling event to attend and everyone can participate too! Karen Wren, from Portland and an occasional contributor of information to our blog, is entered with the Elite group and paddling for Hobie. Good luck Karen!

Tim Henion, of Bend, will be at The Battle of the Paddle via Arizona and doesn't have a way to get his SUP board there.

• If anyone is going and has room on their roof racks to take his SUP board to him contact Tim: thenion@bendbroadband.com or call Tim @ 503-519-8591

Otherwise, our Friday @ 4:30 gatherings are still on! Just bundle up if it's cold. Meet at the paved parking lot by the Bend Outrigger canoes and Alder Creek kayak. Newcomers are welcome and bring your favorite beverage for afterward. I've missed a few Fridays lately due to weekend get-a-ways for surfing at the coast. I've got some great stories to tell this Friday so hope to see you there!

Aloha,
Randall Barna
www.StandupPaddleFlatwater.com

Sept. 13th Elk Lake Wind Surfing Race Course is a Fun SUP Paddle

Jerry Lear is running this weekend's Windsurfing race at Elk Lake (about 40 minutes from Bend, Oregon) and sent the following info. If your stand up paddle board had a past life as a windsurf course board, here's your chance to get out your old rig and take a spin. Entering the race is free. If you don't have a windsurf rig in your life, you may want to try paddling the race course before or after the race. I paddled parts of the course during the last windsurfing race and it was fun. The light, shifty winds that Elk Lake is famous for gave me an extra workout. Here's Jerry's note:

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Hi there windsurfers,

The last windsurfing race of the season will be this coming Sunday,
September 13th at Elk Lake. The changeable weather patterns this time of year will be a true test of who the real windsurfers are.

Randall will be away and has asked me to run the race.

We will meet at Beach campground as we have been. There will be a very
short skippers meeting at 1:30 with the first race, wind permitting,
beginning at 2 PM sharp.

(The race is FREE -- no entry fees, no prizes, no organization, just a few of us
getting together to race.)

In case you are late or just want to think about it here is the skipper's
meeting. Begin at 2 PM sharp and run 3 races. Depending on the wind
direction we will sail upwind to either the elkwnd or elkwnd2 mark (see
attachment), then leave the elkrch mark to port and finish in the usual way
below the 2 buoys at the start.

Someone has taken our starboard start mark which was too close to shore
anyway but there is still a second mark which we can use for the finish but
not for the start.

For the start there will be a 3 minute countdown and then we will start to
leeward of the start mark which is farthest from shore. We will use an
imaginary start line going at right angles to the wind from that start. We
will also pick an object on shore to be the pin end of the line but will ask
that everyone begin within 10-12 board lengths of the start and no port
starts please.

If you think you might be coming I would love it if you could respond to
this note, but you don't have to do this.

See you Sunday, Jerry
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www.StandUpPaddle Flatwater.com
Buy your SUP and windsurf crossover boards, gear and accessories from us. We appreciate your support.

Naish Stand Up Paddleboard Race in San Diego Sept. 13th

Naish ran a race series this summer with about 12 retailers throughout the country. Each retailer held races once a week for 4 – 7 weeks where a cumulative score was tallied throughout. Retailers then awarded the top 3 of the men and the top 3 of the women. Naish then gave these winners an invite to San Diego for the national championship. The top 3 men and top 3 women of the championship then get the above prizes.

Only those racers that competed in the race series are able to win the prizes.

However, Naish is also offering an open race for anyone who wants to paddle that will run at the same time of the championship.

WHERE: 1100 West Mission Bay Drive, Bonita Cove, Mission Bay, San Diego, California
WHEN: Sunday, September 13, 2009.
Race registration 10:30 am
Race start 11:30 am
FOR MORE INFO: supchampionship@naishsails.com

For your stand up paddle ocean flat water gear, please shop our site www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com. Thanks, we appreciate your support.

Ready for a 13 mile Race? Register for the Round the Rock Stand Up Paddle Race in Mercer Island, Washington

Got a note from Mike Mudd telling us about this new stand up paddle board distance race circumnavigating Mercer Island on Lake Washington. Their are two courses offered, a 13 mile full course or a 2 1/2 mile short course.


This race sounds like a lot of fun. Remember to get your gear or any last minute accessories from us at Stand Up Paddle Flatwater, we appreciate your business and support. www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

WHEN: September 27, 2009
Registration: 8 a.m., Race Time: 9 a.m.
WHERE: Mercer Island, Washington
WHAT: Stand up paddleboard distance race of either 13 miles or 2 1/2 miles
WHO TO CONTACT: info@roundtherock.com
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We got this note from the race founder and organizer, Jeff Underwood telling us more about how the first annual race is shaping up:

Randall,

As a SUP-addict, I check out your site frequently. I'm organizing a SUP event for the end of September on Mercer Island, WA. I'm wondering if you can give a plug or provide a link to our site on your blog?

I hatched this event with the idea that it would be a small fun 13 mile paddle around the island, and the mansions that line its shores. Seemingly overnight, it has ballooned to be a big event, with corporate sponsors jockeying for position! Our site only went live on Wednesday and we already have competitors pre-registered from SoCal and Florida!

Anyway, all proceeds are to benefit Surfrider Foundation, and it should be a terrific event.

There's a shorter race of 2.5 miles for those who may be intimidated by the 13 miler.

Please feel free to forward this info. anyone who may be interested.

Paddle on,

Jeff Underwood,
Organizer
'Round the Rock Stand Up Paddle Race

Rogue 7th Annual Longboard Classic and SUP Surf Contest in Newport, Oregon

This is a last minute reminder for anyone who is planning on either long boarding or stand up paddle surfing in this fun contest. Save room for lunch. The Rogue Brewery serves hot coffee and snacks in the morning and gets the BBQ grill going for lunch. Non-alcoholic beverages are available as well as Newport's finest hand crafted ales.

Note: If you need help getting your gear to the beach, volunteers run trucks from the jetty to the surf venue.

WHAT: Rogue Brewery's "The Gathering" 7th annual Longboard Classic Surf and SUP Surf Contest
WHEN: Sept 12th and 13th,
WHERE: South Jetty, Newport, Oregon.
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: August 28th. NO Beach entries, no exceptions.

CONTACT: e-mail contact is: Stacey@rogue.com

WHERE TO CAMP: The campground at South Beach State Park in Newport is almost full so get your site ASAP.

Read about last year's contest on our blog entry. We posted a video of the conditions, let's hope this year is sunny and no 30 mph winds!! (Like the photo from the 5th Annual Rogue Gathering Surf contest.)

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com
Thank you for buying your SUP gear from us, we appreciate your support.

Odell Lake Pioneer Cup Paddle Race 2009 Winners

This years' 29th Annual Pioneer Cup Paddle Race 2009 on Odell Lake, Oregon was a success! Originally a 5 mile downwind canoe race, this year there were only two canoes out of the 32 vessels entered. This paddle race at Odell Lake, Oregon is fun for kayak surf skis, traditional kayaks, canoes, stand up paddle boards and outriggers. This year there were two of the new type of craft by Hobie with the Hobie Mirage Drive.

Despite the U.S. Forest Service warning about the lake algae, the paddle race went off without a hitch. John Milandin (the race organizer) offered himself as a guinea pig telling the racers that the prior evening he'd bathed his arms and face in the lake water and survived unscathed. One guy observed that John even looks younger after his lake water treatment!

Special thanks to John and Janet Milandin and their grand daughter Darby Sullivan for organizing the event. Thanks to the two Odell Lake lodges that offer support: Odell Lake Lodge on the East end (rustic log lodge hotel with restaurant) on the downwind side of the lake and Shelter Cove at the West end (RV and tent camping with a little store).

Odell Lake Lodge hosted the post-race BBQ on their deck. A yummy fresh potato salad helped the racers pile back on any lost carbs from the exertion. Thanks also to Ryan Lewis the chef and Bill Meyers the race timer.

Here's a list of winners: There were no gender or age groups -- just classes based on the vessel.

1st OVERALL: Tinh Vu 36:55 (all of the top three winners were on surf-ski style kayaks)
2nd OVERALL: Pam Stevenson 41:10
3rd OVERALL: Patrick Erwert 41:10 (apparently, Ladies are "first"in the Pioneer Cup!)

Erick Scharffenberg and Del Scharffenberg 41:55 canoe
Doug Gomez and Martin Gyorgufalyf 41:60 kayak tandem
Jason Tedrow 44:00 outrigger
David Smullin 44:30 kayak
Ron Taylor 44:44 kayak
John Kelly 45:30 kayak
Bard Kraler and Joe Quang 45:33 canoe
Peter Miller 46:36 outrigger
Lisa Jakubowski 47:14 kayak
Michael Heare 47:40 kayak
Chuck Tucker 49:51 kayak
Paul Reznick 49:53 kayak
Ken Briegleb 52:37 kayak
Mary Parker and Bino Fowler 53:04 Kayak tandem
Rachel Mavis 53:42 Kayak
Celine Godin and RObert Oborne 54:39 Kayak tandem
Kerie Raymond 55:36 outrigger
Todd Whitby 55:44 kayak
Regan Ertle 56:24 kayak
Thomas Dean 56:51 SUP
Randall Barna 57:25 SUP
Tim Kerns 1:03:52 Kayak
Suzie Miller 1:4:14 SUP
Isabella Acosta Barna 1:04:28 SUP
Dennis Oliphant 1:04:28 SUP
Debbie Delateur 1:05:52 Kayak
Nancy Jumper 1:07:39 kayak
Bob "Captain Sawdust" Jumper 1:08:13 SUP
Hannah Olson 1:08:15 SUP
Cristina Acosta 1:08:57 SUP (Winner of the overall memorable (but not coveted) Sightseer Award!)

The Pioneer Cup Paddle Race at Odell Lake is so much fun. It's always on the fourth Saturday of July, so mark your calendars accordingly. Read more about past Odell Lake Pioneer Cup Paddle Races with information about where to camp and stay.

Do you want good stand up paddle gear for the race? Remember life jackets are now required for stand up paddle boards that are not in surf zones. Get your comfy life jacket at our on-line store.

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

Rooster Rock Race Includes Standup Paddle Class

Over 200 racers are expected this Saturday June 27th at the west end of The Gorge. Primarily an Outrigger canoe race there will be a five mile division for smaller craft including Standup Paddle. Heres the link: http://www.maunahale.org/?q=Rooster_Rock_Race

Once you link to the site go to the Race Packet PDF at the bottom of the page for all the info. It looks like fun and adds another race to the Standup Paddle Race Schedule.

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com
Thank you for buying your SUP gear from us, we appreciate your support.

Plan for the Odell Lake Oregon Pioneer Cup Race July 25, 2009

(July 22, 2009) NOTE From John Milandin: I understand that the Forest Service is going to post a warning today. The race is still on and participation is each persons call. You can rinse off at the east end if you wish. The lake has been turning since time immemorial and during my 11 years as manager of the east end lodge when algae turns were heavier, there were no problems. I have seen no clinical studies based on the current science.

Time to plan for the Odell Lake Pioneer Cup Paddle Race at Lake Odell, Oregon this July 2009. This downwind paddle race is decades old and originally was just canoes. The race now includes surf skis, SUP stand up paddle boards, kayaks, canoes and most any other paddle powered craft. Janet and John Milandin will be running the race again this year.

The course is about 5 miles downwind, and at the end is a BBQ (additional fee - please support this effort by the lodge) on the deck at the historic Odell Lake Lodge. The race entry fee includes an official Odell Lodge Resort ball cap and a chase boat for those just-in-case situations.

The race is very non-intimidating and a good race for your first stand up paddle board race. It's a straight down-winder so even if you just stand there, you'll eventually blow to the finish line! Some years John has a special "Sightseers Award" for the last racer to cross the finish line. If you're an experienced paddle boarder you'll love the challenge of racing other seasoned athletes.

Please come join in this summer. If you're traveling, there are clean Forest Service Campgrounds both on the lake or nearby, or stay at the Odell Lake Lodge Resort.

Read our prior posts for more pre-race details. Remember that you can get your Stand up Paddle gear (maybe even FASTER gear) at www.StandupPaddleFlatwater.com

WHEN: Saturday July 25, 2009

• Registration 8 to 10 AM
• Race begins 11 AM
  
• Depending on the craft, the race is about 45 - 90 minutes. Most Stand up paddle board racers last year came in around an hour.
  

WHERE: Odell Lake, Oregon - Hwy 58 about 70 minutes from Bend, Oregon. Meet at the West end Shelter Cove Resort. The take out is at the East end, Odell Lake Lodge.

COST: Registration @ race $15/person (includes hat)

Odell Lake Race Classes: (If you need a canoe, let John know and possibly he can arrange a rental.)
canoe -open, local
kayak-solo, tandem
outrigger - solo, tandem
stand up paddle

BARBEQUE: This costs a little more, usually around $10.00 or so (I'm not sure). Barbeque following the race on the porch at the lodge! Be sure to plan to stay for the meal. We always take a group photo after the race.

WEATHER: Odell Lake, Oregon, is a high mountain lake. Summer paddling temperatures have been as cold as 49 F (note the photo of us in wetsuits and ski hats was an August day) and as warm as in the mid 90's F (the photo with Jason Bowerman - first place SUP paddle board race winner 2008). Come prepared with cold and warm weather equipment.

For further info call John or Janet Milandin at 541-782-2815

Note: Life Jackets are REQUIRED. We sell a waist pack life jacket perfect for stand up paddle boarding that doesn't get in the way.

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com
Thank you for buying your SUP gear from us, we appreciate your support.

Jack Gillen Shares the Stoke

Standup paddle season in Bend starts with a party. And Ed and Judy Shasek shared the aloha with the first party of the season at their home on the Deschutes River. We were lucky enough to get another visit from Jack Gillen, owner of Wave Chi Hawaii. Jack visited Bend last year and inspired our then-new paddling group with his stories of inter-island crossings. Jack recently returned and gave us an excuse to kick off our party season.

Jack talked to our local Bend, Oregon, Standup Paddle group about his physical conditioning and awarness business, Wave Chi Hawaii. It was a great time. Judy made her famous Florida-Style Pulled Pork and the rest of us added our potluck favorites.

Captain Sawdust shared his new handmade wood Stand up Paddles. Jack included a new physical fitness option for paddlers (or anybody using their arms and shoulders - all of us!) in his presentation. He demoed a few moves with Indian Clubs that are specific to paddling. You can contact Jack Gillen to order a pair of Indian Clubs. He's working on a video to share his Indian Club exercises.

Jack Gillen was recently featured with a 10 page article in Surf and Sail Standup Journal. If you live Bend, Oregon, stop by and see Randall to pick up a copy.

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

1st Annual Deschutes Wooden Boat Gathering

Capt. Sawdust brings us the news of the 1st Annual Deschutes Wooden Boat Gathering on Capt. Sawdust's fine handmade wood-strip SUP stand up boards will be on display along with his new line of wooden paddles. Be among the first to see the Captain's craftsmanship and sample the new Silver Moon Brewery handcrafted beer, Trail Ale, made on location in Bend, Oregon by Silver Moon Brewery. Part of the proceeds from sales of Trail Ale go to the Bend Paddle Trail Alliance.

WHEN: Sat. May 2nd, 3:00PM to 6:00PM
WHERE: Alder Creek Kayak store - grassy area behind the store on the edge of the Deschutes River.
Bend Store
Phone: 541.317.9407
Address:
805 SW Industrial Way Suite 6
Bend, OR 97702

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

Whitewater Slalom Event on the Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon

Jayson Bowerman is no stranger to whitewater but this is a first! Jayson is SUP Stand up Paddle surfing the Deschutes River. In March!!!! Brrrr!!

The Riverhouse Rendezvous Kayak Slalom Race on March 29th in Bend, Oregon was Jayson's public debut on a standup paddleboard in the Deschutes river rapids. Jayson is an expert kayaker and all-around water man. When he's not paddling he's a master craftsperson, making custom guitars for Breedlove Guitar. Click the Breedlove Guitar link to see a video with Jayson in the shop.

Good job Jayson, and what's with that kayaker hogging the course?

Thanks Al Paterson for the photo.
www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

Nelscott Reef Oregon

It looks like the Nelscott Reef pro surfing contest for 2008 had another epic swell! JB apologized for the photo quality, are you kidding? Although you can barely see the tiny surfer at the bottom it's the wave!

Congratulations to the surfers brave enough to go out there and escecially those that paddle-in.

I haven't heard of any standup paddlers in this wave yet. If so, send photos!

www.StandupPaddleBend.com

Standup Paddle Bend Open Challenge

Notice of Open Challenge Race for the Record.

Anyone, at any time, on any standup paddle equipment, may challenge the record!

All records will be posted on the StandupPaddleBend.com(StandupPaddleFlatwater.com) website and the Standup Paddle Flatwater (standuppaddle.blogspot.com) blog.

The Course:
The stretch of the Deschutes River known as "Colorado to Southern Crossing". The start/finish line is the imaginary line from shore perpandicular to the first (downstream) HAZARD sign near the Bend Outrigger Canoes and Alder Creek Kayak launch. The turn-around line is the imaginary line across the river indicated by the Mt. Bachelor Villiage fence line.

Start from a standstill position, nose behind the line, and a timing person will give the start command with ready, set, go. The stopwatch begins on go. An independant, impartial timing person, with stopwatch, is required as witness and official timer.

The upstream paddle is approximately one mile and you may choose your channel. You must cross the turn-around line with the whole board, and paddle back to the start/finish line. The official finish is when the nose of your board crosses the start/finish line.

Classes and Categories

Categories
Each record will include the Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM) that the Deschutes river is running that day, as published in the Bend Bulletin (on the weather page). As records begin to fall due to reduced current we will start another "CFM" category.

Classes will be as follows:
BOARDS- Unlimited, 14' and under, 12'6" and under, 11'6" and under, 10'6" and under. Rudders, foils and multi-hulls are only allowed on Unlimited.

AGE & GENDER- Men and Women, 10 and under, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80-83, 84-86, 87-89, 90 and over.

Record Submissions

Submissions must include: Date, CFM, Name and address, gender, age, Witnesses/timers name, board brand/model and length, paddle brand/model. And, last but not least, TIME. Send to randall@footform.com

Be the first in your class to take the challenge, you're guaranteed to set a record!

Randall Barna StandupPaddleBend.com

Halloween Costume SUP Paddle

Our local SUP group's first annual Halloween Costume Paddle on the Deschutes River through the Old Mill District in Bend, Oregon was a chilly success. Deschutes River water temperatures in the 40's seemed friendlier when the sun poked through the clouds between squalls, and the winds made for a welcome workout for those of us who had already visited the candy bowl.

Everyone agreed that Lucy Thompson (the Jack Russel Terrier) in her strawberry costume was the cutest. She ran off before the paddle to sneak up on a local cat she regularly chases. Despite her strawberry disguise, the cat saw her coming and the chase was on. Lucy lost her "stem" in the tussle, but none of her attitude. Her "dad" Ron Thompson was a Predatory Lendor -- certainly the most politically appropriate costume of the paddle.

Paddlers from L - R:
Isabella Barna, John Weishaupt, Ron Thompson, Randall Barna and Cristina Acosta

Photos: Ron and Lucy dog are on a Laird 12'1" gloss stand up paddle board.

Thanks to Capt. Sawdust and Kathy Southwick for the photos.

NOTE: Put in at the Central Oregon Outrigger launch
(just south of the Colorado Bridge) to turn around after going under the Healy Bridge to return to the start. About 1 hour.

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

Noll Longboard Classic SUP Event Storms-On

The first-hand report from Peter Miller is that the SUP class of the Noll Longboard Classic was held Oct. 4th 2008 as scheduled. The unpredictable part was the weather and surf. Earlier in the week the surf forecast was for a 25' swell at 16 sec. interval! As the week progressed the swell dropped and the weather set-in.

Friday morning was raining sideways with the strong winds buffeting South Beach, the normal contest site. The standup event was moved to the sheltered side of Pt. St George where the wind was offshore and waves around shoulder-high. The surf was fairly smooth considering the storm seas on the other side of the point.

Results of the top seven as follows: Rhyn Noll, Ken Wilson, Jeff Corning, Spike Richardson, Ollie Richardson, Luke Matheson, Peter Miller. For the complete story check out the link to the local paper: http://www.triplicate.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=10366

www.StandupPaddleBend.com

Places to Paddle: Bend, Oregon is THE Place for Flatwater SUP Paddling

The surf is up in Central Oregon! And, the Bend Bulletin is helping to spread the word about the great Stand up Paddling scene in Oregon. That day was also a Surftech demo day. People tried out all types of Surftech SUP boards on the Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon: Laird, Takayama, Infinity and more. When you're ready to buy your board for the Deschutes River and High Cascade Lakes, or where ever you live, call Randall at 541-389-4547 for Standup Gear. And if you don't live in Oregon, don't worry, Randall can have the Stand up Paddle boards and gear shipped anywhere in the U.S.A.

Note: This aerial photo of the Deschutes River by Buck Heim shows the area of the river that goes through Sunriver, Oregon. It's a SUP paddle boarding dream of easy downstream flat water paddling that's accessible for most anyone of any age who is willing to stand on a board.

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Surf’s up in C.O. The sport of stand-up paddle boarding is growing locally
By Katie Brauns / The Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, Published: September 16. 2008 4:00AM PST Katie Brauns can be reached at 541-383-0393 or at kbrauns@bendbulletin.com. ARTICLE ACCESS: This article is among those available to all readers. Many more articles are available only to E-Edition members. Sign up today! Link here for the entire Bend Bulletin article.
Surfboards in the High Desert?

Yes, and in high demand. Not long ago, few Central Oregonians had even heard of these surfboards called stand-up paddle boards. Now, stand-up paddling is growing rapidly in the area. Saturday’s Stand-up Paddle Boarding Family Fun Extravaganza at Sunriver Marina on the Deschutes River attracted more than 30 curious participants who joined an instructional clinic, relay races and a downriver tour.

Most first-timers said they would like to do it again. Some even mentioned buying a board (cost ranging from $700 to $1,700). “It’s a good activity for all ages,” said Mandy Baker, 27, a youth adventure camp leader in Bend and one of Saturday’s participants. “In one minute you get your wobbles out. Really, anyone that can hike or walk can do this. “I’m going to try it again for sure.”

Slice of history The ancient sport of stand-up paddle boarding was revived in the 1940s by surfers in Hawaii, according to www.AdventuresNW.com. By most accounts, stand-up paddle boarding originated in Polynesia. The AdventuresNW site also suggests that archaeologists digging for ancient artifacts have found 7-foot-long, single-bladed paddles throughout the Hawaiian Islands on several occasions. The upright method of paddling is an efficient way to break through the water’s wake, rather than lying down and stroking with the arms.

Upright paddling also makes it easier for surf instructors to keep track of their students — and to take pictures of them for mementos.

Moving in Stand-up paddle boarding recently began to spread inland, and Central Oregon has enthusiastically welcomed the sport. “We got the word out that we had stand-up paddle boards and we were busy all year,” said Tom Hamilton, Sunriver Marina manager. “What’s happening is, the sport is mushrooming inland to lakes and rivers. So we have an obvious connection there, because we have a really nice resort right on the river with almost countless lakes surrounding us.”

The marina has a fleet of about 15 rental stand-up paddle (or SUP) boards and has an order in for twice that number for next year. Lessons are also available at the Sunriver Marina. Randall Barna, a spearhead of paddle boarding locally, began selling the boards last year through his Web site, www.standuppaddleflatwater.com. Then, about a dozen interested paddlers joined in, mostly paddling flat stretches of the Deschutes River in Bend and Sunriver.

This summer, more than 50 paddlers are part of the stand-up paddle flat-water group. A few dozen of them meet every Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Alder Creek Kayak in Bend (near the Colorado Avenue Bridge) and paddle up the Deschutes to Farewell Bend Park and then back down to Alder Creek.

In addition, Barna organizes gatherings to Cascade Mountain lakes and to different segments of the Deschutes, providing a shuttle service so that paddlers can always be traveling downstream or downwind. The assembly is a good excuse to socialize, but apparently it’s a great workout as well. “When I got out on that board for the first time … it was such a good CORE workout that I was totally hooked,” said Susan Shannon, a mother of three from Bend. “The paddling is easy for me because I was a canoe instructor, but it was the core workout that I really liked.”

“You have to keep moving your legs to balance and then twist when you paddle,” said Tim Henion of the core workout paddlers get while SUP boarding. “And you use your shoulders. You get it all over.” Henion had just returned from a four-mile paddle going downstream on the Deschutes and back up, starting and ending at Sunriver Marina.

Novice participants swarmed the Sunriver Marina dock on Saturday and learned about paddling while standing up. Along with learning how to hold the long paddle and stroke most efficiently, participants soon discovered that it was easy. Balance is key, and most of the paddlers got the knack of it right away. Youngsters and adults of all shapes and sizes tooled around on the river, splashing strokes, gracefully turning or clumsily falling off their board.

Only a few lost their balance and dumped into the cold, weedy water of the Upper Deschutes. The flat-water attraction “As the summer went on last year, there was more and more people getting interested (in stand-up paddling),” noted Barna. “And this summer it has increased 10 times.” Barna measures the growth by the number of paddlers who have purchased boards in the last year. “The big deal is the flat-water opportunities that we have here,” explained Barna. “Anything other than coastal paddling is called flat-water paddling. And Bend is a destination resort for flat-water paddling and is probably the first one in the U.S. that has taken off.”

Not only are paddlers getting a workout, they also are outside enjoying nature, even viewing the aquatic life beneath the surface of the water. “I like to paddle in the mornings here,” said Alex Zarganes, who teaches paddle-board lessons for Sunriver Marina. “I come in when it’s calm and serene. I saw wildlife. Within an hour I saw a beaver, a great blue heron, an osprey fishing, and a mom and a baby deer, all within an hour on the second day that I have paddled in the morning. … You really do get in a zone. I paddled in a lake one weekend at 6 o’clock in the morning. … It was the most peaceful I’ve ever felt. I was in the middle of Crescent Lake, all by myself.”

Paddle boarding attracts all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts, from mellow river floats to the extremists. “It seems like any sport that you are standing on something and you are in motion automatically kind of has an edginess to it, like skiing or skateboarding or snowboarding,” noted Hamilton on Saturday as he watched paddlers snake through the water for their first SUP boarding experience. “It has that edgy element to it.” Some Central Oregonians have taken SUP boarding to the extreme: They have run whitewater. . . . READ MORE at the Bend Bulletin

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

The 6th Rogue Gathering Longboard Classic Results on the Oregon Coast

A group of us SUP surfers from Bend, Oregon traveled to Newport, Oregon to compete in the annual longboard classic and Stand up Paddle surf contest called The Gathering, hosted by the Rogue Brewery every September. The weather was windy and sunny and sometimes foggy in the early morning. The surf was small to overhead. Handcrafted brew, hot coffee and BBQ burgers kept all of surfers and audience happy. The announcers and judges did a great job making this 6th annual event, The Gathering a friendly, fun event for everyone from novice to expert.

This past Sept. 6 and 7th at The 6th Annual Rogue Gathering the SUP standup paddle class grew in one year from six to sixteen entries! This was enough for three heats, two for men and one for women. The two men's heats led to the top six for the finals heat. It was a really fun event.

The gals were all beginner SUP surfers from Bend: Judy Shasek, Susie Miller, Isabella Acosta Barna and Cristina Acosta. With the exception of Isabella (who won first), they mostly got stomped in wind gusts in the 24 mph range and the biggest waves this group of gals had ever been in. The good news is that they showed up and filled the top 6 places, so they all got a plaque!

For camping and other info, check out our prior blog entry.

Thanks to Michael Carpenter and Randall Barna for video footage and Isabella Acosta Barna and Randall Barna for editing the movie.

Thanks to Ron Church's estate for the photo art and Penny Murie of Medusa Design for creating a cool & groovy poster with Ron Chruch's surf photo. Penny Murie is also the Rogue Brewery label artist.

The Results for the 6th annual The Gathering Annual Longboard Classic surf contest hosted by Rogue Brewery, Newport, Oregon are:

Stand Up Paddle SUP Gals (all ages, which happened to be 14 to 59): 1st - Isabella Acosta Barna; 2nd Cristina Acosta; 3rd Judy Shasek; 4th Susie Miller
Longboard Gals:
Menahunes w/Parent (12 & under): 1st - Kaya Linn Remmers; 2nd Izzy Martinez-Ybor; 4th Savannah Russo
Gals Under 25: 1st - Olivia Schroeder, 2nd Haley Richards
Gals Over 25: 1st - Carly Dye, 2nd Kristin Lovett, 3rd Nelly Daanslow; 4th Skylar Bieraugel; 5th Lisa Field; 6th Jessica Dumoulin

Stand Up Paddle SUP Guys (all ages): 1st Tony Stein; 2nd Ken Wilson; 3rd Mike Field; 4th Ollie & Bella (the dog) Richardson; 5th Randall Barna; 6th Peter Miller
Longboard Guys:
Menahunes w/Parent: 3rd Woodrow Mayer; 5th Wynslow Mayer; 6th Joey Swan
Gremmies (13-19): 1st Travis Cockcroft; 2nd Kevin Sennewald; 3rd David Klistoff; 4th Laird Tuel; 5th Brandon Cotte
Boys (20-29): 1st Ollie richardson; 2nd Patrick Mason; 3rd Mattie Starr; 4th Jedi Jonny Knape; 5th Louie Golar; 6th Jeff Guggenheim
Hot Shots (30-39): 1st Nathan Smith; 2nd John Bieraugel; 3rd Tor Rockness; 4th Travis Prince; 5th Larz Richardson; 6th Ken Wilson
Mid Life Cruisers (40-49): 1st Patrick Crotty; 2nd Rob Russo; 3rd Mike Tuel; 4th Nolan West; 5th Brad Miller; 6th Joe Stoops
Dukes (50-59): 1st Bill Bourdon, 2nd Phil Rovai; 3rd Ray Benner; 4th Tony Stein; 5th Spike Richardson; 6th Bill Delanty
Grand Dukes (60-69): 1st Danny Anderson; 2nd Nick Parry; 3rd Peter Miller; 4th Bix Weir; 5th Michael Harrington; 6th Fred Sickler

REMEMBER -- Buy your Stand up Paddle Surf gear from us at www.StandupPaddleBend.com Whether you're paddling the inland flat water, wind waves or getting in some ocean surf time, we have the SUP gear for you!!

Free Stand-up Paddle Board Clinic in Sunriver

Do you want to try SUP Stand up paddleboarding for FREE?! If your answer is, "Yes!" Sunriver, Oregon is where you want to be on Sept 13th. Surftech boards, including Laird boards will be provided first-come-first-served to anybody who wants to try standup surfing. Sunriver, Oregon is a beautiful place to paddle the flatwater of the Deschutes River. This section of the river is included on the Bend Paddle Trail Alliance map. Click here for info about how to buy a Bend Paddle Trail Alliance Map.

Here's what you need to know:
When: Saturday, Sept. 13th, 2008, 1 to 5 p.m
Where: Sunriver 
Who: all ages -- men, women, kids -- almost everyone can learn to SUP.
SUP activities are FREE!
Activities will Include:

• Paddle board demonstrations and lessons
• Fun races including a relay race
• 6 mile downstream paddle at 4 p.m.
  

This is a great time to call Randall Barna (541-389-4547) and ask him if a board that is right for you will be demoed at this event. Try out the board then buy a new board from Randall. Autumn is the best time to surf the Oregon Coast and any of the West Coast from Northern California through Tofino in British Columbia. Randall is also selling a Lopez SUP board that was very lightly demoed this season. Call him for details. So get your Standup Paddle gear from www.StandupPaddleFlatwater.com and we'll see you on the water.

Gorge Games Race: And the SUP Winners Were . . .

The 2008 Gorge Games Outrigger Canoe race was a big event. This July 18th, 19th and 20th the race included a Stand Up Paddle division. Read our earlier post with event details. Because this was the first year for Standups, and really an experiment for the Gorge Game organizers, events altered with the circumstances.

Randall Barna attended the race and sent back this report:
I had a blast paddling for three days in the glorious Gorge! All and all this is an event that can't be missed next year and in my opinion should be considered a Northwest Championship Standup Paddle Race!

The first day I teamed up with Michael Carpenter for the unofficial down-wind event. This isn't a race, but a gathering, where everyone arranges their own shuttle back and watches out for each other in case of emergency. I guess there's safety in numbers, and when you calculate all the risks in The Gorge you need to plan for anything: Wind, waves, current, barges, boats and obstacles. We went from Stevenson to Home Valley (about five miles). Winds were 20 mph and waves around waist high, what a blast! As first timers paddling in Gorge conditions we had no trouble, but definitely got schooled. The main thing I learned is how to judge the huge bends in the river. The one mile long bend around Wind Mountain is deceiving and kept pushing us to the northern shore. We had to paddle on the left side (without switching) for at least a half hour.

The next day (Saturday) Michael Carpenter, Al Paterson and I went out to test the race course and make sure we could handle the upwind legs. We had a great view of the 6 man outriggers racing and enjoyed the workout. We committed to do the race on Sunday.

Sunday, race day, was sunny and warmer with lighter winds in the 15mph range. It was exciting to line up at the start with all the outriggers and only seven Standups. We were doing one lap on the approximately three mile course and the outriggers were doing two. The two upwind legs (one at the start and one at the finish) seemed endless with a short break in between for the downwind. The fact that the current was going our way didn't seem to help much. This race is a true test of paddling technique and endurance. Also board design is a big factor in these conditions. The only Standup Paddler on a true race board was Dan Gavere and he finished in only 37:26 minutes a full sixteen minutes ahead of me! Everyone finished in less than an hour except for Michael Carpenter who had to drop out when his arms cramped.

The whole weekend was great for many reasons. The people are number one. The whole outrigger community is friendly and welcomed us standups with aloha! The venue at the Skamania Fairgrounds couldn't be better and the entry fee included free camping for the whole weekend. JD Davies ran the event, races and awards with skill and grace.

The 2008 Gorge Games Stand Up Paddle Race Winners:

Women: 1st Gold - Karen Wrenn (3rd overall! There were no other women.)














Men: 1st Dan Gavere; 2nd -Rick Graves; 3rd - Randall Barna;
4th - Al Paterson; 5th - Troy Butcher; dnf - Michael Carpenter
Dan Gavere, 1st Gold
Rick Graves, 2nd Silver
Randall Barna, 3rd Bronze

Thanks to Randall Barna for the photos and to the Gorge Games for the course map and event.

Buy your Gorge racing gear from Randall at www.StandupPaddleFlatwater.com