Battle of the Paddle is Not for the Faint of Heart

Today is the annual California Battle of the Paddle! ·There is no greater gathering in the sport of Stand Up Paddle and there will no doubt be extreme amounts of fun, excitement, carnage, incredible performances and perhaps a few unexpected surprises.

DOHENY BEACH, California - The Battle of the Paddle is not for the faint of heart! ·It is named the Battle of the Paddle for a reason and this year could be the most memorable event yet.  It is expected that there will be over 1000 paddlers duking it out throughout the weekend in a variety of races with a purse of $25,000 in cash prizes available.  

The event organizers are also shooting for two Guinness Book World Records for having the largest paddleboard race of all time and for having the most surfers riding a single wave.  There is certainly no shortage of excitement and "Wow Factor" in store for BOP 2012.

Along with trying to set some world records, the Battle of the Paddle Ocean Festival will also have the usual SUP Expo with just about every company in the industry being represented.  Product tents will be everywhere offering fun for the entire family with prizes to be won and knowledge to be gained.  It is an opportunity to have all of your SUP questions addressed in one central location.

However, it is the multiple lap main event Battle of the Paddle race that is the true focal point of the weekend.  The elite racers will participate in Saturday morning heats and an early Saturday afternoon final race where the King and Queen of SUP will once again be revealed.  In 2011 the top 10 women and men finishers in the main event were as follows:

Top 10 Women 2011 Battle of the Paddle Main Event:

1st Candice Appleby, 2nd Brandi Baksic, 3rd Annabel Anderson, 4th Jennifer Kalmbach, 5th Gillian Gibree, 6th Talia Gangini, 7th Heather Baus, 8th Gail Vento, 9th Krisztina Zur and 10th Morgan Hoesterey.

Top 10 Men 2011 Battle of the Paddle Main Event:

1st Conner Baxter, 2nd Jamie Mitchell, 3rd Danny Ching, 4th Georges Cronsteadt, 5th Kai Lenny, 6th Travis Grant, 7th Slater Trout, 8th Eric Terrien, 9th Beau O'Brian and 10th Kelly Margetts.

This year many of the same athletes will be competing but there are also some wild card paddlers who may very well deliver exceptional performances.  This is especially true of the women's race as there is a lot of depth and very good athletes joining this multiple lap racing style for the first time.  Another aspect of the race this year that is different from the norm is that the surf is expected to be bigger than in years past.  This fact alone will definitely add some excitement and carnage and could greatly benefit those who have a surfing background. (see surf report above)

Other events throughout the weekend include an open race (4 mile paddle) for anyone who wants to participate, the SUP distance race on Sunday (9.5 miles), 2 grom (kids) races, and yoga classes.  See the schedule below for any further details or visit the Battle of the Paddle Website.

SCHEDULE: Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle California, 2012

Friday September 28th  5:00pm – 9:00pm

Battle of the Paddle Welcoming Party at Hobie Surf Shop, 34174 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point, CA 92629

Saturday September 29th - Day 1

7:00am Event registration opens

8:00am National Anthem

8:45am Hawaiian Blessing

9:00am – 4:00pm SUP Expo & board demos open, DSBIA Kid’s Activities

9:00am Elite Race Qualifying Heat #1

10:00am Elite Race Qualifying Heat #2

11:30am Open Age-group Race – Guinness World Record Attempt (World’s largest SUP race).

1:00pm Indo Board SUP Yoga

2:00pm Elite Race Finals

4:00pm Awards ceremonies

Sunday September 30th - Day 2

 7:00am Event registration opens

9:00am – 4:00pm SUP Expo & board demos open, DSBIA Kid’s Activities

9:00am The Distance Race

11:00am Indo Board SUP Yoga

12:30pm Kid’s SUP Races

2:00pm Surf Sup Relays Final

3:00pm Guinness World Record Attempt (most surfers on a single wave)

4:00pm Awards ceremony

Will we see you at the Battle?

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