Stand Up Paddleboard Profile - Michael Tavares

It wasn't until Michael moved to the mountains of Colorado that he was introduced to stand up paddleboarding. After 8 years of whitewater kayaking experience, he is making the transition into the world of whitewater SUP.

Read about Michael's H2O Overdrive Weber River SUP cross second place finish.

ENCINITAS, California - As the first member of the Boardworks whitewater SUP team, Michael Tavares draws from years of experience in rivers as a competitive whitewater freestyle kayaker. After being introduced to whitewater stand up paddling in 2003 at the Whitewater Park in Salida, Colorado, the sport has grown into a passion for Tavares.

Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Tavares describes his background, "I had a strong background in skateboarding and snowboarding so the first time I tried stand up paddling in the river it really opened my eyes to another way I could be on the river and experience things without being in my kayak."

Because of Michael's strong background and experience in whitewater kayaking, he is making a quick transition into the competitive world of whitewater SUP racing. With strong finishes in events this year, including a second place finish at the recent H20 Overdrive Weber River SUP Cross event sponsored by Boardworkss, Tavares is carving out a name for himself in the whitewater SUP field.

Commenting on the rapid growth of whitewater SUP, Tavares says, "There is tremendous opportunity to expose people to this sport that live away from the coast and I am very excited to be a part of this growth."

Look for Michael to continue pushing his passion for whitewater SUP as he takes river surfing, downriver paddling and river racing to the next level.

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