Paddling passion: Stand up and ride a wave in this fun, fast-growing sport
By Amy Donaldson , Deseret News
For Trent Hickman, there is no feeling like riding a wave.
It is a sport that seems to consume its admirers and athletes.
"I lived in Costa Rica half the year for five years and went surfing every day," said the Salt Lake native, who now lives in Park City. When he moved back to Utah full-time in 2008, he was immediately drawn to the emerging sport of stand up paddle surfing.
"It keeps my feet wet," said Hickman, who works as a trainer at the Golden Door at the Waldorf Astoria in Park City. "It's not full-on surfing but it's definitely a lot of fun. And with my background as a personal
trainer, I love the workout you get doing it."
Which is why he's begun incorporating the fast-growing sport into his offerings as a trainer.
"It offers a full spectrum of benefits," he said. "It improves balance, works abdominal, core, back, arms — it's just a great full-body workout. And it's so fun, you don't even realize you're working out until you're sore the next day."
Hickman finds people are both intimidated and intrigued by the idea of paddle surfing.
"A lot of people are willing to try it and excited about the challenge," he said. "It's really something anyone can do and have success with."
Hickman offers tours at Jordanelle through the Golden Door, which can be booked by phone at 435-647-5555. (More information is available at Parkcitywaldorfastoria.com)
Bekka Stone, Utahpaddlesurfing.com, has been introducing Utahns to stand up paddle surfing for the last few years. The Florida native offers rentals and clinics and workshops, as well as supporting races like this weekend's competition at Jordanelle. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and races start at 9 a.m. For some of the races, boards are provided; others require athletes to have their own. In the afternoon, there are clinics on safety, fitness and kettle bell workouts, yoga, white water and ding repair.
She has rental locations at the Great Salt Lake, Jordanelle and Utah Lake and will deliver them to other state parks. Her organization has been key in helping to grow the sport amongst people who have never surfed in the ocean.
Trainer Brad Behle, owner of Wasatch Adventure Bootcamp, will race in Saturday morning's competition, and then teach the SUP Fitness and Kettle Bell clinic at 2 p.m. He said it was summer of 2008 that he first saw people paddle surfing in Maui. When he came home, he bought a used windsurfing board off of KSL.com for $50.
"I didn't even have a real paddle," he said. "I used a boat oar."
He was immediately hooked.
Behle and Stone combined their resources and offered a "Full Moon" paddle in August, something they plan to do the next full moon. They also offered a fitness clinic using both stand up paddling and kettle bells last month.
"Everyone loved it," Behle said.
This summer, the sport became a refuge for him. His father was diagnosed with stage-four melanoma.
"He was told there was a 60 percent chance he'd die within the year and a 100 percent chance he'd die within five years," Behle said. "After three surgeries, they can't find the cancer. ... It's been an emotional roller-coaster."
So Behle turned to the water.
"I was so bummed out, three or four times per week, I'd go out and just paddle," he said. "It's how I cleared my head. It gave me serenity."
Both Hickman and Behle have taken up competition, in addition to teaching the fitness benefits of SUP.
Hickman's decision to race was not something he planned on doing.
"I got a call at 10:30 the night before the race at Jordanelle on July 31," he said. "A friend tracked down a race board that I could use."
On the day of the race, however, he found that the board had been promised to another competitor — one who'd come from out of state. So he climbed on another board and then employed what he now sees as "poor strategy."
"I let other people go ahead thinking I would just work my way through the pack," he said. "I learned that getting out in front is definitely an advantage. You don't have to deal with the churned up water from the other surfers."
Still, he ended up taking second place. The gentleman who used the board he'd hoped to ride that morning ended up winning.
"But I was totally hooked," he said. "The race community is such a cool community. You can walk up to professionals and they're so happy to talk to you about what they think a paddle stroke should be."
That's the story of how most SUP enthusiasts get hooked. They just give it a try.
Reid Inouye, publisher for Standup Paddle Magazine, said the sport isn't anywhere near its peak.
"We're really at the first level of growth," he said during the Utah Outdoor Retailer's Demo Days at Jordanelle last month. "The largest growth now is inland. People are just getting an awareness of the sport."
Inouye, a native of Hawaii, said some surfers use stand up paddling as a way to cross-train for surfing.
There is, however, still a conflict between traditional surfers and the growing numbers of stand up paddle surfers. Hickman said there doesn't have to be a conflict, but beginners need to understand the culture and etiquette of surfing if they want to share the ocean's waves.
"It takes a certain type of person to go out and tackle the ocean," said Hickman. "If you have an individual on a paddle board, it could be a problem. You need to show respect; you need to wait your turn. If you go out into a crowded surf and paddle up to a group of guys on short boards, you're not going to get a high-five. An inexperienced paddle surfer could create danger for other surfers."
Lifelong surfer and California native John Dubock isn't sure the growth in SUP is anything more than a fad for some folks. He sees three obstacles for most people — cost, storage and transportation. He started surfing in 1964 and said surfing isn't just a sport, it's a lifestyle.
But when his brother, Glenn, a photographer for Stand Up Journal, talked him into giving it a try off the coast of California, he reluctantly agreed.
"I'm reborn," he said of how it felt to be out on the ocean, riding waves again. "It's 1964 for me."
He paddled out and then he rode.
"I said, 'How fast can I buy one of these things?' " Dubock said. "I was absolutely hooked right away. It's like walking on water."
Some legendary surfers like Laird Hamilton and Mickey "The Mongoose" Munoz have also embraced stand up paddling. Hamilton has helped develop and grow the sport, while Munoz, who began surfing in 1947, said it's improved the quality of his life and allowed him to continue surfing at age 73.
He said when he saw Hamilton using a paddle to catch a wave, he was intrigued.
"In 50 years of surfing, I'd never seen anything like it," said Munoz, who said it's helped improve his balance and build muscle mass. "I was so impressed I got out, found a kayak paddle and cut it off."
He loves that SUP isn't limited to the ocean and that it allows anyone to surf.
"For me to go out and try to ride a short board, there is no way I'm going to get waves," he said. "Standing is easier on your body."
Hickman said there are moments in SUP when he is reminded of how it feels to ride the waves of the ocean.
"I enjoy the challenge of the waves," he said referring to the swells created by the wind. "I enjoy the challenge of the wind. Your body acts like a sail. And sometimes you catch little rides like five seconds. It's kind of a tease."
Despite the similarities, SUP is growing among people who've never felt the desire to chase the waves of the ocean.
"Paddling will probably evolve in a little bit different direction. I don't think you'll see 8-year-olds, their parents and grandparents out surfing together, but you will definitely see that in stand up paddle."
e-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com