SUP Gladiator Announces Newest Team Rider - Joe Cerdas

SUP Gladiator's newest team rider, Joe Cerdas, at the BOP in 2013

GALVESTON, Texas - Today I am excited to announce the addition of our newest team rider, Joe Cerdas of Galveston Texas.  I don’t think anyone would argue that Joe is the best SUP Racer in Texas, but after seeing him in both BOPs last year, he clearly proved he belonged among the rest of the Elite Racers from all over the world.  I have personally raced against Joe a couple of times, and even I was surprised by how well he did.  I suspected he had it in him, but I thought it might take him a season to calibrate his training and racing to that level of competition.  Happily, he proved me wrong.  I am really stoked and excited he decided to join our team.  Some of that is because he is a great racer, and ambassador for our fins (in fact he approached us after racing on our fins for a while), but most of the reason we jumped on this opportunity is because of the person Joe is.  Simply put, Joe is a hero.  He is a lifeguard, a peace officer, and he has participated in multiple hurricane rescue missions.  That is the type of person we like associating ourselves with.  Joe is a SUP Gladiator through and through. 

 Joe's Words

My name is Joe Cerdas, and I am a SUP racer and also an Open Water Lifeguard Supervisor and Peace Officer with the Galveston Island Beach Patrol.  For the past several months I have been training, and racing with SUP Gladiator race fins (Elite, Pro, and Hybrid). I competed in The Battle of the Paddle in both California and Brazil using SUP Gladiator fins, and found them exceptional, despite very different water conditions. California had moderate winds around 10mph with waist high surf, so I used the Gladiator Pro and it performed great in the surf and cut right though the heavy kelp with no problem.  The Gladiator Pro fin gave me greater stability and tracking, and I was also able to keep my stroke rate @ 8 strokes per side.  At the BOP race in Brazil the conditions were much more challenging, 20mph side shore winds with 4-5ft chaotic surf. For this race, I opted to use the Gladiator Hybrid fin.  I felt like I was locked in when popping over waves and while surfing to the beach, but I was even more impressed during the 9-mile distance race with half the race facing a heavy cross-headwind. The Gladiator Hybrid fin gave me the ability to track and hold a better line while keeping a high stroke rate.

SUP Gladiator race fins are my fins of choice because I can put one in and not worry about what water conditions I may paddle into.   After using these fins myself and feeling the performance, I asked to be part of the SUP Gladiator Team and was recently added to the team!  I would like to personally thank Casey Gotcher and Larry Allison not only for great fins, but for a great opportunity to be part of the SUP Gladiator team! 

Bio 

Joseph M. Cerdas was born on December 26th, 1987 as a BOI (born on island) on Galveston Island Texas. His parents love for the sea, nature and sports inspired him to become a waterman. Growing up in a warm and secure family environment and surrounded by the sea he developed his interest for helping people.

He started at 16 years old as a lifeguard for Galveston Island Beach Patrol (GIBP) and after finishing high school he traveled to Costa Rica, his dad’s homeland, where he had the opportunity to continue his training as a lifeguard and to surf Salsa Brava a famous reef break. After he returned to Galveston in 2009, the Island was devastated by Hurricane Ike. Joe Cerdas, as a member of GIBP, helped families evacuate their homes and rescued many others. Hurricane Ike was a category 4 with winds up to 145 mph, the third costliest storm to hit the U.S.  Afterwards he received the Heroic Act Award from the United States Lifesaving Association in recognition of his commitment to safety of the residents and visitors of Galveston Island: specifically for heroism far and above the call of duty in the protection of life, limb and property during and immediately following the Hurricane.

That same year he left to train lifeguards in Boca del Rio, Veracruz, Mexico. Joe trained the lifeguards in proper rescue techniques, CPR, PWC Operator and then worked there as a lifeguard. While in Mexico, Joe and his lifeguard brothers helped rescue over 300 people from their homes during Hurricane Karl. Hurricane Karl was the most destructive Hurricane to strike the state of Veracruz on record as a Category 3. Shortly after, Joe returned to Galveston for a full time position as a lifeguard supervisor and peace officer. He also finished his training for Marine Safety Enforcement Officer, the American Red Cross CPR AED instructor, and Swift Water Rescue Technician at Texas A&M University. Joe continues to further his training as a Lifeguard and Waterman.  In 2011 Joe married his fiancée from Veracruz, Mexico. They now have two sons. Joseph Manik Cerdas and a short 14 months later their second son, Leon Kaban Cerdas joined the family. They are the second generation BOI of the Cerdas family. 

Notable Results 

6 Time Overall Champion Team Texas
6 Time Night Swim Champion
2 Time Surf Race Champion
2 Time Run-Swim-Run Champion
7 Time Board Race Champion
3 Time Surf ski Champion
4 Time International Ironman Champion
3rd Place Finisher American Ironman
3rd Place Finisher Beach Flags
6 Time 2 Kilometer Beach Run Champion
3rd place Finisher Surf Boat Race
6 Time Board Rescue Race Champion
4 Time Rescue Race Champion
7 Time Beach Relay Champion 

1st place in 3 mile race “1st ever SUP paddleboard race” in Kemah, TX 2010
1st place on a 3 mile race at the “Kayak Shack Paddle Race” also in Kemah, TX 2012
1st place in a 10K race at the “Paddle for Humanity” in Austin, TX 2012
1st Place in a 5K and 1st place in prone paddle at the “DFW SUP Race” in Grapevine, TX 2013
1st Place in a 5K Technical race at the “COLDorado Classic” Austin, TX 2013
1st Place in a 10 mile race at the “Colorado River Rumble” Austin, TX 2013
1st Place in a 3 mile race at the “G-Bay Island Paddle” Galveston, TX 2013
1st place in the sprint race at the “G-Bay Island Paddle” Galveston, TX 2013
1st Place in 4 mile down winder “Texas Ultimate SUP Classic” in Grapevine TX 2013
1st Place in 4 mile Diamond Course “Texas Ultimate SUP Classic” in Grapevine TX 2013
1st Place in 4×1 mile Relay Race, Teammates Mark Porreto, TK Mills and Gretchen Lammenan. At the “Texas Ultimate SUP Classic” in Grapevine, TX 2013
1st Place 12’6 Class and 2nd overall East Coast Paddleboard Championships Daytona Beach, FL
3rd Place in the SUP Surf Contest Longboard Division, East Coast Paddleboard Championships Daytona Beach, FL
1st Place Sprint Race at “The Sup Cup” Bastrop, TX 2013
1st Place in the 6 mile El Camino Real de SUP, 12’6 class “The Sup Cup” Bastrop, TX 2013
1st Place in the Skills Course at the “The Sup Cup” Bastrop, TX 2013
Overall Champion, “The Sup Cup” Bastrop, TX 2013
1st place overall in the Paddle for Humanity at Austin, TX 2013
36th place overall at the Rainbow Sandals Battle of the Paddle Elite race at Dana Point, CA 2013, 450 total competitors
27th place overall at the Rainbow Sandals Battle of the Paddle Elite 9 mile race at Dana Point, CA 2013
2nd place overall finisher Battle of the Paddle, Rio de Janeiro Brazil, Elite division 2013
3rd place overall Battle of the Paddle, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 9 mile Elite Distance Race 2013
2nd overall in the Battle of the Paddle, Rio de Janeiro Brazil Elite Team Relay 2013
Elite relay Team: Joseph Cerdas, Vinnicius Martins, Gabriel Corezzi, Mini Cunha Margareth Lagace
9th place finisher in the 12’6 class, 2014 Orange Bowl Paddle Championship – ELITE RACE

For more information, please check out the SUP Gladiator website.