APP Launches Two New 'Virtual' Competition Formats for Pros & Amateurs

ERICEIRA, Portugal - The APP is excited to announce two all new 'virtual' competition formats for 2020 that will lead to two prestigious made for TV events to take place later this year for surfing and racing respectively.

The APP Ride of the Season (#apprideoftheseason) will provide SUP Surfers with an Instagram driven, submission based showdown for pros and weekend warriors alike (#unsponsored), all culminating in a prestigious and inclusive made for TV event to be held in October of 2020 (more info below and at appworldtour.com). The APP Fast Track (#appfasttrack) will also be an all inclusive and Instagram driven, submission based contest for pros and weekend warriors, culminating in an All Stars made for TV showdown to be held in November of 2020 (more info below and at appworldtour.com).

In the meantime, things remain on standby with regards to the 2020 APP World Tour Season, as the APP and its global partners continue to monitor the evolving situation and imposed travel restrictions that continue to hinder not only the safe implementation of events, but also athletes and team mobility. As a result, the next update will be issued on July 1st.

APP Fast Track

APP Fast Track provides a simple, global and all inclusive quest for speed in an all new 'virtual' competition format. | Photo Courtesy: APP World Tour

For all the SUP racers and enthusiasts all over the world, the APP is giving you the opportunity to join a global, virtual leader board with their brand-new Fast Track Challenge. This challenge is all about speed. This Instagram-based competition welcomes both professional and weekend warriors alike the opportunity to show off how fast you can really go.

COMPETITION OVERVIEW

To enter, you must paddle for fifty meters, aiming for the fastest possible top speed over the course. All entries should be on relatively flat water with no downwind or fast flowing river locations and you must start sitting down and stationary, and you cannot use foils.

TO ENTER

1. Entries to open July 1st.
2. You must film the run, whether it be on a phone, GoPro or other kind of camera.
3. Provide proof of your top speed to accompany the clip, (can be GPS, watch or phone).
4. Then, post both the video and a screenshot of the GPS or a GPS file which showcases your top speed within the fifty metres to your Instagram account with the #APPFastTrack (along with #Unsponsored if you are not a seeded athlete).

LEADERBOARD

Entries with fastest top speed will be placed into a dynamic online leader board. We will maintain one for sponsored athletes and another for unsponsored athletes, and if you get bumped down the leader board, not to worry- you can submit another entry to beat your last. It is a fight to the death to determine the fastest racers in the world.

THE PRIZE

1. The top three fastest times for both Pro men and women will be selected for the prestigious APP Fast Track Showdown, a speed-filled adventure to be held at a venue to be announced soon.
2. For the unsponsored division, the man and woman with the fastest top speeds will the join the top Pros on the Fast Track Showdown and for those who don't quite make the cut, there will be an array of product prizes.

APP Ride of the Season

APP Ride of the Season to push the boundaries of performance SUP Surfing, as athletes will battle it out, clip for clip. | Photo: APP World Tour

The APP is inviting both World Tour and amateur athletes alike the opportunity to submit videos of their best waves for this all new Instagram-based contest which opens on July 1st and closes on the 31st August. Whether you compete regularly around the world or are a weekend ripper, we want to see clips from everybody who is passionate about SUP surfing.

TO ENTER

1. Entries to open July 1st.
2. Each participant needs an active Instagram account.
3. Upload a clip of a single wave or maneuver to your own instagram account and #apprideoftheseason to enter.
4. Amateur Rider submissions will be reviewed in a separate category by using #Unsponsored along with the #apprideoftheseason.
5. There are no limits to the number of clips you can upload.

TO WIN

• The initial shortlist will be based off the number of likes your post receives on Instagram and absolutely anybody can vote for your clip just by liking, so get pestering your friends and relatives.
• Weekly reviews will establish a leader board of submitted rides and highlight stand-out performances.
• This 'likes-based' shortlist will then come before the APP World Tour’s Professional Judging Team at the end of August, headed by none other than APP Head Judge, David Noirrit.
• It does not matter whether it is a ten-foot ferocious barrel or a two-foot beach break, each athlete will be judged on their approach, style and commitment, regardless of the conditions. It is not about the size of the wave, but what you do with it…

THE PRIZE

The judging will have two categories, the professional athlete category and the #unsponsored amateur athlete category.

• For the professional category the top three men and top three women will be awarded a spot on the APP’s coveted Media Road Trip.
• For the amateur category the top man and top woman will join the top pros on the road trip. For those who do not quite make the top spots, there will be an array of product prizes.

For more on the APP Ride of the Season, please go to appworldtour.com and @appworldtour.

Photo: APP World Tour

About the APP World Tour & Waterman League International

The APP World Tour is the Professional World Championship Tour for the Sport of Paddlesurfing (also known as SUP / Stand Up Paddling / Paddleboarding), officially sanctioned by the IOC recognized Federation for Surfing Sports, the ISA (International Surfing Association). Re-branded in 2017 as the APP World Tour (previously known as the Stand Up World Tour and Series) the APP has been crowning the sport’s World Champions for both Men & Women across Racing and Surfing since 2010.