Shuri Araki

How born your passion for doing sports such as Stand Up Paddle and Foil?

I became 16years old last May. I was 6years old when my father took me in front of his SUP board and we tandem surf together in front of my house. For me, SUP wasn’t a sport, it has been more lifestyle since the beginning. I was throwing fishnet from SUP board and catching little reef fish. Our house is on the beach and there are lots of fish around. Now, 8years old my sister play fishnet and tandem surf with my father.

My home island is Okinawa, very south of Japan. It is warm and tropical whole year so there are a lot of downwind spots. I go more than 100 days of downwind paddling. I think downwind paddling helps my balance and agility, and it is always a lot of FUN. Some it is dangerous, but I can see the most beautiful ocean view whole time. I feel so alone when I go to the open ocean, but on the same time, I can feel who I really connected with my mind&soul. I can not be me without my family, and my ancestors. They are always besides me so I feel very comfortable when either by myself or racing with many people.

Laura Glantz

You are the youngest to finish the majes?c Molokai 2 Oahu, present in the App World Tour and other significant achievements. How are you living this great personal moment?

I was born at fishing family in Okinawa island of Japan. My house is just 30seconds walking to beach where we see no-one. We are surrounded by coral reef so I learn how to surf when I was 5, and past reef to go downwind paddle at 8. My father crossed Molokai-Oahu 35 times in his life on difierent crafts and he knows the ocean, he navigated me since day 1. We went downwind paddle when wind blows strong and we went surfing when there is big swells. When I was 12, I & my father raced Maui-Molokai on 14Z. SUP, and we challenged Molokai-Oahu on the SUP foil together when I was 13 (that was my first time that I beat my father!)

Tell us about Okinawa and SUP in this beautiful region of Japan.

Our family live very isolated fishing village and there are lots of ocean and mountains and vegetable field, but not many friends living near my home, so my 2 sisters and parents are my best friends. I just graduated junior high school last March and start online high school in last April. I have more free time so finally I start traveling to the other side of the planet. I’m very happy to see totally new diferent world.

And what does it feel like to paddle alongside the great SUP racers on the planet?

Kai, Casper, Conner, Travis, Michel, Zane, Titouan, Daniel, Bruno…They are all my he- roes. When I was 7, I went to watched APP world tour in Japan (Waterman league at that time). It became my dream to race with them, and it finally became real at APP/ Carolina cup last November in North Carolina. I respect my heroes so much. I wanted to be just like them whole my life. Right now, my biggest motivation is to be at the start line with all world top paddlers. There will be 2-3 more APP events in this winter and it seems to be rough condition so I’m really exciting!!

What sports training do you and how do you adapt it to your studies? In addition to SUP and foil….What other sports do you do and what hobbies do you have?

I have never train in the gym in my life (yet) All my sports are in the ocean or in the mountain. (dive, fishing in the summer, pig hunting in the winter) also I just love running so much. I’ve run everyday on the beach since I was little. Running is my most active sports maybe it is more than paddling. I also love to read. I feel very relax when I read. When I’m in the car or airplane, I always travel with some books. (for last 9years when I was in the mid school, I read over 2000 books.)

We have seen you at the World SUP Festival in Santa Pola. What did you think of this great event? Will we see you again soon in Spain?

It was my first visit to Europe in my life and it was so much fun. I was surprised to see so many serious & bigginers, and so many kids paddler in Spain. There are so many smiles...It was amazing. I went to Pacific Paddle Games when I was 9 years old, It was the great event but no loner exist…I think World SUP Festival is just like PPG, big, fun, and so many kids and parents on the beach. I think this is the best SUP event in the world now. I am going to go back next year again 100% for sure.

And of course, we cannot forget your amazing role in the ISA of Puerto Rico! Tell us what quiver you usually use in your competitions and adventures.

My father and I went to San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA from October 24 to November 7. There I participated and was able to win gold medals in both the medium distance technical race (5 km) and the long distance technical race (18 km). It is the first time in history that a man has won two races in the same event. And at 16 years old it is the youngest record in history. I was able to beat world champions Michael Booth and Tituan Puyo, whom I had never been able to beat before, and my best friend and biggest rival Noic Garioud (19 years old), who is called the fastest young paddler in the world. I’m very happy. (See here the complete note about his performance in Puerto Rico). I am not any brand rider, I use any boards that I feel it the best depends on the condition. For example, I love NSP Carolina for technical/ocean race (World SUP Festival, Carolina cup) and NSP Ninja for long/ flat distance race. I just won Japan national championship last weekend on my Ninja. I also feel very comfortable on Infinity Blackfish when I do sprint or surf race. When I go to M2O or the other big deep ocean crossing, I prefer pintail more than anything. I use Starboard Ace or travel with 2 piece Sunova Ocean Faast.

Sean Evans

Who are your idols in the world of SUP or who do you look to learn a little more every day?

It is definitely Noic Garioud. I met him and his father when I was 12. They were already champion in my eye. Very fast no matter what conditions, and smiling anytime anywhere. Great family support always. I started to paddle way more seriously than before since I met him and his young brother Vaic in the Hoodriver. They are my idols and I’m really looking forward to paddling with them in any races in the world.

You have many experiences ahead of you. How do you prepare yourself to achieve your future goals?

I just did my first time Japan national championship last weekend and won 14km flat water distance race. Now I’m really in focus for ISA world in Puerto Rico in next month. Hopefully SUP become Olympic sports one day and I am very happy to be part of it.

If M2O comes back next year, I’d like to be the youngest Molokai champion at the age of 17, even I can’t win the race, I’m still so happy just to cross big deep ocean.

Lastly, my family has been organizing downwind local event for the last 10 years and just started island to island crossing downwind race 2 years ago. (We had to cancel last year as big typhoon hit us.) It’s between Okinawa island to Yoron island/25km and ocean is just so clear and strong wind & currents. My dream is to make this event to be more international. Please visit our beautiful island and race with us one way!!

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More than 235 competitors offered a great show in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Esperanza Barreras, Fernando Pérez and Manuel Hoyuela were crowned as Spanish SUP Race Champions.

UNFORGETTABLE SPANISH CHAMPIONSHIP

SUP RACE . CABO DE PALOS

Up Suping Fesurfing. Up Suping

The 3rd edition of the SUP Challenge in Cabo de Palos will be remembered as one of the great Fesurfing SUP Race Championships in Spain, as well as scoring for the Mediterranean SUP Race Circuit. Because competitors from different places in Spain, gathered in Cabo de Palos, Murcia, in one of the most successful events in recent years.

A wonderful day that gave us magnificent sea and weather conditions so that all the participants could fully enjoy a sporting event with such a high level and expectations. From the youngest to the oldest, who always have their space in this type of Stand Up Paddle competition and even more so in a Spanish Championship.

From early in the morning, the different official categories of this sport were contested, with a great logistical commitment on the part of the organization, with safety both at sea and on land and excellent timing throughout the day. The children’s categories gave us great moments of action and emotion, seeing how the youngest of this sport continues to grow in our country; always thanks to the support of their clubs and families who encourage them in each SUP competition.

The Amateurs, SUB 14 and SUB 16 have also enjoyed a wonderful tour of the area of the Cabo de Palos lighthouse and all its wonderful coast, being one of the most visited places by divers from all over the world. These categories continue to grow in a number of participants, where we highlight the great results of Rubén Cantoral and Nuria Chiquero, SUB 14 champions, and Ainhoa Rivas and Iván Puente, SUB 16 champions.

The juniors were very strong in the 14 km. The competitors Joan García Valero and Sonia Caimari were proclaimed champions of SUB 18, without forgetting the great performance of the rest of the participants in this category.

The Elite category offered a great show in the waters of Cabo de Palos, where the competitor Esperanza Barreras continues to reap great results and once again proclaimed herself champion of Spain for the 3rd consecutive year, followed by the young Duna Gordillo and Alba Frey.

But the surprise would come with the men’s category, since Fernando Pérez and Manuel Hoyuela crossed the finish line together, matching their timing times, as well as in photos and videos captured during that moment. Finally, and thanks to the great work of the Fesurfing judges, both competitors were awarded the title of Spanish champion, being the first time that this has happened in an official championship. The third position would be taken by Antonio Morillo from Cádiz.

The competition day would culminate with the Adapted SUP category, where a good group of participants made a brief journey in front of the beach to the delight of the public, demonstrating their great ability on the board and being a category that continues to grow every year...

The event would close with the corresponding awards ceremony together with the local authorities, the SUP Committee of the Spanish Surfing Federation, and sponsors and collaborators of the SUP Challenge. Thank you again for the great work done by the judges and the organization of the event, who embroidered their performance to continue professionalizing this sport for the good of the competitors. In addition, this competition was part of the Juegos del Agua, which during these days hosted more than 19 sports competitions from 10 sports federations.

Grand premiere of the Spanish SUP Sprint Championship of 1,000 meters in the Mar Menor

BIG PREMIERE SPANISH CHAMPIONSHIP

SUP SPRINT . MAR MENOR

Up Suping Fesurfing

To culminate the great Water Games in the Murcia region, one of the official competitions has been the Mar Menor SUP Games, which hosted the new Spanish SUP Sprint Championship of 1,000 meters in the waters of San Pedro del Pinatar.

Endorsed by the Spanish Surfing Federation and being a new format within Stand Up Paddle, participants from different parts of our country met at La Puntica beach, where they had to do a speed course with technical areas of turns of buoys. The conditions were fantastic for doing this SUP modality, with totally flat water and a wonderful sunny day.

The competition took place in an orderly and showy manner for the entire public, where the corresponding sleeves for each category were held, with a qualifying round, play-offs and finals.

The little ones were the first to start, and the SUB 10s made a shorter route to adapt it to their category. Congratulations to Eric Pérez, Daniela Andreu and Rodrigo García for showing us their great potential in this type of speed race. Like the SUB 14s, with Nuria Chiquero and Álvaro Coscollano intractable today.

The SUB 16 category was the busiest and offered the most emotion, even in the final itself, with Alexia Soto and Unax Etxeberría winning in their corresponding categories. Elene Etxeberría and Sergio Cantoral had great races, both climbing to the top of the podium in the SUB 18 category. Highlighting the performance of Iván Abad in the final of this category, who completed the course after having broken the pole of his oar in the first seconds of the race.

Los Elites has shown us new faces in the Spanish Speed Championship. In the women’s category, it was Albar Frey who took first place ahead of Vicky Rhyzova and Sheila Sirvent, competitors who were always at the top in this speed format. And in the men’s category, Manuel Hoyuela led all his sleeves without problems to win in his category ahead of Rafael Sirvent and Roberto Cañedo, the latter making his debut in speed.

As always, we remember the Master and Kahuna categories, with great participation by Nicolás Barreiro and Daniel Parres, achieving the first positions in this Spanish Speed Championship. And of course to Fran Amat for his participation and his victory in the Amateur category.

A new speed format has been released during the Mar Menor SUP Games and under a great organization by Central de SUP, collaborators and local entities. Also thank all the athletes, clubs and families displaced to San Pedro del Pinatar. The next event will be the Fesurfing Beach Race SUP & Prone Spanish Championship, where sea sprints will also be held.