California Dreamin'

How would you feel about spending a week of SUP, sun and fun in California...for work? It seems like a crazy concept, but here at Knee Deep that's exactly how we kicked off the month of October!  

I know, I know...really?  For work?  Hard to believe, but yes, we actually went out to work.  Did we paddleboard?  Yes.  Did we goof off a lot? You know it.  Did we have the time of our life?  Hell yes!  But back to my point...this really was a work trip. 

Great question

There were three main reasons we headed out to California: 1) Attend the second annual SUPIA (Stand Up Paddle Industry Association) Summit  2) Meet up at the PaddleFit Coaches Event and 3) Compete in The Battle Of The Paddle. 

Day 1 started off with us flying out of Chicago Midway.  While flying is nothing new to me (especially from Chicago), traveling with my own paddle was.  

With Battle Of the Paddle looming, my own paddle was a must

After landing at LAX and making it to our condo in Dana Point, our first stop was to make a trip down to the beach.  With an impending huge swell coming in, we figured it was a must to check on the conditions

It was windy and choppy, but no huge waves...yet

Day 2 was when the "work" began at the SUPIA Summit.

Rough place to meet

After a day of learning industry insights, it was time for the Taco Tuesday Party!!! 

Goofin' off with Brent from Northern SUP
and Eric from SUP Oklahoma

Day 3 started off with a board meeting...

Wayner was a little nervous about heading out, since he had never paddled in the ocean before...but he rocked it!

The old man and the hippie

The best part about being in the paddleboard industry is the awesome people we get to meet and become friends with

Wayner, Mark & Kim from Downunder CT, 

some ugly dude and Tyler from FCS 

There was such a great collection of knowledge that was assembled at the SUPIA Summit.  People from all over the world and various segments of the industry gathered to share their insights. We definitely came back to Michigan wiser and excited to continue giving everyone the best possible experience on the water!

SUPIA Summit 

Day 4 was a treat...we got to sleep in since we really had nothing planned for the day.  We decided to drive down the coast to check a few things out in San Diego, but not before Wayner made a new friend in the condo.

"No, Wayner...we can't take him home"

Since we really had no timetable for the day, we decided to cruise along the coast.  If you've never driven down Pacific Coast Highway in California, we highly recommend putting it on your bucket list.  Not only are the views amazing, the surf towns south of L.A. are pretty awesome to check out.  Not to mention, you can find some pretty cool dives to eat in...

Our kind of place!

After cruising the coast for a few hours, we decided to visit our friends at the YOLO Board shop in San Diego.  

There's that old guy again

Since we were in the area, we decided to head a little further to Coronado and check out the PaddleFit headquarters where they teach certification classes.

Not a bad spot to launch from, eh?

It was getting late in the day, so we needed to get back to Dana Point to meet up with our friends, Lance and Peecoon, for drinks and dinner.  We had met them when we hosted PaddleFit Certification back in May in Grand Haven, Michigan and have stayed friends since.   While we expected a harmless dinner with friends, the night had other plans for us.  Some other friends decided to join us and long story short...there was a plank-off (don't ask) and we closed the place down.

The more the merrier!

Day 5 started off with us meeting fellow PaddleFit coaches at the Infinity Surf factory, where they custom make surfboards and standup paddleboards.  We got to hear and see firsthand how boards are made by the legendary Steve Boehne, who has been shaping boards since 1960.

Talking to us outside the factory

Pretty cool video clip of a board being shaped and cut...

Wayner talking shop with Dave Boehne (aka "The Brown Blur" on the racing circuit)

Right up his alley

Checking out how they hand shape and sand the boards

Pretty amazing what goes into making a quality board

Some of the finished products

Oooooohhh...pretty

After we left the factory, we grabbed a quick bite to eat before meeting the group for an afternoon paddle

View from the office

We even got to play around on a tandum paddleboard...and the S.S. Quadnundrum

The S.S. Quadnundrum

It's so great to be part of the PaddleFit family!

Leaders and best

The day ended just we way we love it--food and beer at a neat place called The Surfin Cowboy.  

Yee Haw

We couldn't get too carried away though...The Battle Of The Paddle loomed for me in the morning. And by loomed, I really mean doomed. While enjoying some beers at The Surfin Cowboy, my friend Eric from SUP Oklahoma showed me this picture of conditions at Salt Creek where the race was to be held...

Uh oh
   

Day 6: The Battle Of The Paddle.  Widely regarded at the Superbowl Of Standup Paddleboarding, The Battle Of The Paddle stands as the largest paddleboard race in the world.  Top racers from around the globe descend upon Dana Point this weekend hoping to be crowned Battle Of The Paddle Champion. 

Not only is known as "The Superbowl", but it's also considered one of the most intense races and has also earned the reputation for "NASCAR On Water" due to the number of crashes during the race.

To make it even more fun, event organizers changed locations this year to Salt Creek.  It's known in the area for it's wicked surf break...great for surfing, not so much for an inland paddler from Michigan.  With an impending huge swell forecasted to hit at race time, they highly recommended helmets for the race. I made sure to score one a day early...

First time paddling in a helmet

So, after a sleepless night of constantly tossing and turning due to "What the hell have I gotten myself into?" running through my brain, it was time to make our way to Salt Creek to check in for the race

Scene of the crime

After anxiously waiting in line, my registration was 100% official.  The idea had been bouncing around in my head all week to check out the conditions and then make a final decision. I decided to do it backwards...I made the decision and then checked conditions later. People even tried to talk me out of it, but there was nothing going to stop me from crossing that finish line.

Game time!

Saaaaay....it doesn't look that bad from up here....

It actually looked kinda fun!

Even the rest of Team SupLove seemed ready to rock it...

...except the dude in the green helmet. I seriously can't remember the last time I was this scared.  Sure, I love to play in the waves in Lake Michigan, but this was a different ballgame.

No brown marks=good sign

And off we went...

Hmmm...overhead waves

These few pictures pretty much sum up the race....

  

After 4 brutal miles, I finally crossed the finish line...

Greeted by Lance at the end

The best part about finishing...celebrating in the beer tent!

Cheers to surviving!

We might have had a few more beers and stuck around to watch the Elite Race finals, but it took all my energy to make it back home for the night.  That race was brutal...4 complete wipeouts, 3 boards taken to my head, 2 near misses and a paddle to the face sums it all up. Honestly, it was one of the toughest things I've had to endure.  While it wasn't the outcome in the standings I was hoping for, I was extremely thankful for coming back to shore alive. Thankfully that was true, because the next morning I had to board a plane back home for Tori and I's anniversary...

Thanks for letting me be an idiot

In all, it was an epic trip...we're already making plans for next year!  We learned so much at the SUPIA Summit and brought home so many experiences to share with everyone for next season.  Thanks for following our story and we look forward to sharing more fun adventures soon!

~Kunu