Every endurance sport that we are aware of has a race series that brings organization to the sport and allows sponsors and industry types contact with the racers and rest of the industry. Domestic US cycling has the NRC race series. Triathlon has the Ironman race series. Competitive surfing has the ASP World Tour. As a new sport SUP lacks a defining series of races where professional racers can demonstrate their palmares and up-and-comers can test their skills against the best.

Recently a few heavy hitters entered the SUP competition arena. Their unique approach to SUP competition, their experience, and their vision for the sport may soon change SUP racing as we know it. Ian Cairns, Chuck Hendsch, and Dante Giuliani are the main players in the US SUP Tour . Recently we were able to pin Chuck down for an interview to discuss how their organization is different, what needs to change in the world of SUP competition, and the future of competitive SUP,

If you ever get a chance to speak with Chuck, you would never guess that his day job is COO of the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL). A former champion paintball competitor and avid surfer, Chuck grew up in the Santa Cruz area and now lives in Huntington Beach. He has been producing paintball events and the premier national professional series for over 20 -years. It is this event operations and tour management experience that Chuck brings to the US SUP Tour. His goals are to create an event positive experience for competitors, spectators, sponsors, vendors, media and the city where the event is held. Chuck’s focus is to manage all aspects of the US SUP Tour that relate to event setup, permits, marketing and sponsorship selection and activation.

Riding Bumps: What do you see as the biggest limiter in the growth of competitive SUP right now?

US SUP TOUR : Right now SUP competition is a series of small events and, with the exception of the Battle of the Paddle race, there are no events that define the sport. This creates a problem for race promoters because with so many races there are not enough racers or sponsors to produce a world championship caliber race. This creates a problem for professional racers because they are asked to race loads of races with very small purses. This also creates a problem for sponsors because they are asked to sponsor so many different races, it is difficult for them to determine where to focus their resources. The bottom line on all of this is that the race scene is fragmented and, in the long term, this will not benefit the sport.

Riding Bumps : So would it be safe to say that one of the goals of the US SUP TOUR is to consolidate and focus the race scene?

US SUP TOUR : Yes and no.

Our goal is to build a showcase race series where professional racers can earn a living, sponsors can be guaranteed a return on their investment, up and coming racers can strut their stuff and make a name for themselves, and make the sport accessible to the general public which will help grow the sport.

Right now, if you are a young racer it is pretty tough to make a name for yourself. We do not think the local races will go away. Actually, with the rise of a large, well organized, SUP Tour, the sport will grow and the smaller races will flourish as more racers become interested in the sport.

Riding Bumps: Looking at the race format for the San Onofre race it looks like you are taking the sport in a bit of a different direction from the out and back or loop races that are common.

US SUP TOUR: SUP racing needs to become more of a spectator sport. We need people on the beach ooing and aahing at the action. We need to create races where outsiders will take an interest. We need to be able to sell the races to the action sports world. At most races, all you see is a pack of people paddle away and then one, two, or a small group of  people paddle in to the finish. It is fun if you are racing but boring if you are watching.

Contrast that type of racing with the Battle of the Paddle. People are showing up to the race and watching online to see the carnage at the end. The Battle of the Paddle is an endurance race but it is also an exciting race of skill.

Our format takes that one step further. Truth be told, we see our race format positioned at the intersection of surfing and racing. At San O, we put one of the buoys inside the surf break. Basically, with our race format spectators can see all of the action and there is a good possibility of carnage with every lap.

This type of action also lends itself to live coverage. In the future we plan on having live webcasts at all of our events.

Riding Bumps: Sounds expensive to put on a race like that.

US SUP TOUR: You are telling me! What most racers do not realize is that it costs tens of thousands of dollars to put on an event. I have put on paintball events that cost 350K to produce. Between permits, live coverage, insurance, staff, advertising, management, and all the rest, it gets expensive very quickly. The SUP races we will soon be producing will easily cost 50-100K to produce.

Rinding Bumps: Holy cow. Race entries are not going to cover that are they?

US SUP TOUR : Not even close. We are also aware that our race entry is slightly higher than other races. If you think about it, however, SUP racing is extremely inexpensive for the racer. If you compare SUP racing to triathlon or marathon running where entry fees run from several hundred dollars to $1000 for the NYC ironman you quickly realize that it is expensive to put on a race and race promoters cannot put on a quality race for a $25.00 entry fee.

One reason for the slightly higher entry fees is that our goal is to put on races at showcase destinations where permits are expensive. Better destinations attract more racers. More racers attract bigger and more numerous sponsors,. Bigger sponsors means bigger purses and prizes. It all builds on itself and slightly higher entry fees are one of the aspects that are required for building a great race series and promote the future of the sport.

Riding Bumps: Any chance I can get you to comment on the recent controversy regarding board length regulations? Do you have any plans on guiding the industry with regard to board restrictions?

US SUP TOUR: We are newcomers so we are looking to the establishment for those types of changes. We are working closely with the WPA and will take our lead from them. All of that said, our race format favors smaller board sizes that are more stable.

Riding Bumps: Any chance I can get you to comment on the recent controversy regarding differential purses for men and women at your races?

US SUP TOUR: We are certainly aware of the situation and will be taking measures to, at a minimum, decrease the differential and, hopefully, eliminate it altogether. Right now, as we are building our races we are pressured by economics. There are more men in the races so it is what it is. That said, we see the SUP world as 50% women so we see loads of opportunities to increase the number of women racing  as well as other ways to decrease the differential. For example, we are targeting sponsors who will directly fund a womens winnings purse. We are also considering some of the options that were recently described on SUPconnect. Stick with us.  We hear the call for equality and we are going to get there one way or another.

Stay tuned to part two of our interview where we sit down with surfing legend Ian Cairns to discuss additional details of the US SUP Tour and the US SUP Team…more soon…