SUP Woman Of the Year Final Begins!

Nikki Gregg was the 2011 SupConnect SUP Woman of theYear.

SAN DIEGO, California -·The first phase of the 2012 SUP Woman of the Year Awards was a success thanks·to all of you who took the time to support and vote for them.··As indicated, the five athletes with the most votes have automatically moved on to the SUP Woman of the Year final and 5 more have·also received honorary advancements.

Let's share the results right away! The 5 women with the most votes from the open nominations who have automatically advanced to the final are:

1st - Alice Shih

2nd - Sarah Brenes

3rd - Erin Finn Macdonell

4th - Iballa Moreno

5th - Michelle Gierst

A huge congratulations to all of these women for being part of this elite group. ·Each one has been truly inspiring on the water but has also worked really hard to do well in this nomination process.

Along with the automatic advancements, five other women have received honorary positions in the final based on several criteria such as their performances, skill level, ambassadorship, grassroots involvement in stand up paddle, stoke and the effort they put forth in this contest. ·These women are Harmony Dawn, Jessica Rando, Ashley Clarkin, Karina Figl and Cindi Bonner. All the·women mentioned above will join 20 other pre-seeded women who will be contenders in the 2012 SUP Woman Final which just began yesterday!

The final will run from November 5, 2012 through November 30, 2012 and end at midnight pacific standard time. Voting will start at zero for every contender, however this time the winner will not be exclusively determined by vote count. ·The selection criteria is multi-faceted and will depend on the following:

Selection Criteria:

1. Ambassadorship: ·Conveying the cheerfulness and inclusiveness characteristic of the sport.

2. Involvement: ·Attending events and gatherings, having a finger on the pulse of the sport.

3. Performance: ·Showing proficiency in the sport, though top results are not a requirement.

4. Support: ·Having a following and votes to show you have some support to validate your credibility.

Good luck to all the Women. It will be fun to watch and see who becomes the 3rd annual 2012 Supconnect SUP Woman of the Year! ·See all the contenders and place your vote here: Sup Woman of the Year

2012 SUPCONNECT AWARDS SCHEDULE:

Sup Man of the Year:

Completed: 2012 Winner is Jamie Mitchell!

SUP Grom of the Year:

Completed: 2012 Winner to be announced this Weekend!

SUP Woman of the Year:

Open Nominations: September 1, 2012 to September 30, 2012·

Final: November 5, 2012 to November 30, 2012

SUP Photo of the Year:

November 15, 2012 to December 15, 2012

SUP Shaper of the Year:

resecheduled - details to come

Start Voting! Vote for the SUP Woman the the Year Here

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