The annual SUPIA Summit that began on Wednesday, October 3, sparked conversations surrounding the current state of the SUP racing scene and where the industry is headed.

After a six-month campaign that sees them sitting first and second on the world rankings leaderboard, Australia's Michael Booth (Boothy) and Lincoln Dews will fight for the first ever Paddle League Men's World Title at the season-ending showdown in Dana Point, California this weekend.

At the start of September, French rider Olivia Piana said farewell to her then sponsor 425 Pro, thanking the brand and giving them her well wishes. Her unexpected departure had many guessing as to what would ultimately be her next move.

San Francisco Bay welcomed paddlers for the 8th Annual Battle of the Bay over the weekend. The conditions were relatively calm, yet still made for a fun and competitive race for the international athletes. In the end, SIC Maui’s Seychelle and Starboard’s Michael Booth were too good, once again asserting their dominance in the distance.

What a show! Tuesday’s Sprints in Long Beach, NY are a perfect showcase to the power of the World Title athletes' sheer talent, focus and determination. Stormy conditions with thunder rumbling in the distance, created Tuesday’s race course with ample rain, whitewater conditions and wind.

On the 31st of August – 2nd September 2018 the Dragon World Championships, the world’s only team SUP racing event, arrived on the mystical mountain lined shores of Lake Fuschl, Austria. 36 teams representing 17 countries congregated at the event village Fuschlseebad to battle it out on their 22ft inflatable Dragon boards and claim the title of Dragon World Champion 2018.

Lady Liberty did not disappoint. The greatest stand up paddle athletes on the planet gathered to test the waters of the Hudson River in NYC over the weekend on Day #1 of the New York SUP Open, 2nd stop of the APP World Tour. Everybody said it was a bucket list item. Every paddler has a story to tell. It was one iconic event, not to be soon forgot. Here's the recap.

What an amazing weekend it was! We were fortunate to be greeted with a hefty breeze all weekend for the 8th Annual Columbia Gorge Paddle Challenge, creating epic downwind conditions and a very technical course race!

On Sunday September 30th 2018, the naval traffic of the famous Corinth Canal will be stopped by AEDIK, to allow for more than 300 stand up paddlers to compete in the "World’s Straightest SUP Race.”

In its 8th year the Battle of the Bay paddle board race will be returning to the heart of San Francisco in support of Ocean of Hope. New for 2018, the event location will see a new home at Aquatic Park Cove, a National Historic Landmark, located on San Francisco Bay.

In just a few short weeks the world’s best paddle racers and surfers will be headed to New York to compete in the highly anticipated New York SUP Open put on by the APP (Association of Paddleboard Professionals) World Tour. The week-long event will host everything from distance and sprint races to surf contests, charity paddles and more. Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming event.

With the 9th Annual Supconnect Awards wrapped up and the winners announced we here at Supconnect wanted to give you a bit of insight on the deciding factors that led to the choosing of this year’s winners.