May 22, 2013

May 22, 2013

by Hannah Greenstreet

It all started back in the 70s when Tom Gandt, long-time Tahoe local, chose to drop out of high school and join the US Coast Guard. Who knew that 10 years later, Gandt would begin to build his lifelong passion of watersports. The Coast Guard was Gandt’s first experience with being out on the water. As the 80s rolled around, so did Gandt’s love for the ocean. He started by sailing the water, but once he met windsurfing, it was love at first sight and he was hooked! Hear about his first unique and unbelievable surfing experience in this week’s podcast with Dreu Murin.

After moving to Tahoe, Gandt followed the waves to the flatwater and picked up outrigger canoeing, which Gandt believes is the “marriage of all water sports!” It combines surfing, windsurfing, sailing, SUP, and most importantly, teamwork! You will see Tom out in his outrigger canoe throughout the summer and at the upcoming Race the Lake of the Sky event on June 29-30.

Gandt is also a huge fan of South Tahoe Standup Paddle’s Wednesday Night SUP Series, where he’s always at the head of the pack or tandem racing with Tahoe Outrigger Team’s Coach, Mike Gabor. Gandt claims that the Wednesday Nights are the “most enjoyable racing, the best possible racing you can get for 20 minutes!”

After years in Tahoe, Gandt is soon moving back to the waves at the Hawaiian shoreline. Come race alongside Gandt on Wednesday Nights or at Race the Lake of the Sky to say aloha and mahalo! Check out this entertaining and informative podcast to hear from an incredible athlete who has been in and on the water for decades.

 

 

 

May 14, 2013

May 14, 2013

by Hannah Greenstreet

After years of competitive skiing, sailing, racquetball and a myriad of sports, Mike Day has turned to standup paddling as an outlet to athletic adventure. This journey has morphed into the sought-after board company, Flatwater Paddle Company. Why? Because FPC produces the fastest board on the planet! The infamous piercing bow design is now seen across numerous SUP board company’s lineups. Mike Day has led the way to efficient racing boards that are taking the sport to a new and competitive level.

In addition to spearheading the industry into the fast lane, Mike Day, in partnership with his wife Tracy Day, will be coaching the South Tahoe Standup Paddle Junior SUP Team this summer. In this week’s podcast with Dreu Murin, Mike explains how the Day team plans to highlight and grow the talent of young paddlers, perfecting their skills so that SUP continues to monopolize water sports throughout oceans, lakes, rivers, bays, you name it. As Day says, “if you don’t pay attention to the kids, then you have a really good chance of the sport crumbling because there’s no ‘up-and-comers’. The kids are the foundation.” And this summer, STSUP will build the sport starting with the youngsters. The potential is endless to reveal elite athletes here in the Tahoe Basin. And the potential for Flatwater Paddle Company is limitless. Hear from Mike Day above and contact chris@southtahoestanduppaddle.com if interested in hearing more or joining the STSUP Junior SUP Team 2013.

April 5, 2013

April 5, 2013

by Hannah Greenstreet

Standup Paddling is not only an adult sport. Thanks to Ocean Minded’s top athletes, Candice Appleby and Anthony Vela, youth are taking the spotlight this year at the first annual Youth SUP Fiesta on May 5. Moms and Dads will have to be cheerleaders from the shoreline because this event is strictly reserved to celebrate young paddlers and all their talent on the water. In this week’s podcast with Dreu Murin, Anthony Vela explains the myriad of benefits his service-based company, Performance Paddling, offers to SUPers. Not only do Appleby and Vela provide personal coaching and corporate team-building events, their main focus is working with youth. Performance Paddling organizes three kid’s camps to underprivileged young people around the world each year. It is where service meets SUP.

Beyond the glam of being a top athlete, Appleby and Vela have committed to giving kids the unique chance to explore the fun of standup paddling. They also are striving to highlight the young people who have joined the top rankings in the SUP world. The SUP Fiesta event in Huntington Beach, CA includes youth-only, ages 17 and under, SUP races and the first ever Junior-Pro (invite-only) race. It is the moment where youth get to shine and unveil the potential in the future generation of SUP. In addition to the festivities, the Fiesta SUP event is in partnership with Standup for the Cure in support of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. And even more, there’s $5,000 in cash prizes, making this event a top-hit to all ages. Check out the event Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/performancepaddling.

With this sport growing faster than the kiddos themselves, Vela explains in the podcast how they want to provide special opportunities to recognize young paddlers. This year’s Race the Lake of the Sky event on June 29-30 in South Lake Tahoe, CA will also provide a chance for youth to make their stroke seen in the water. Register for both events today!

March 17, 2013

Whether you do it as a hobby or as a sport, standup paddling is really about having fun. You can do it on the ocean; you can do it across lakes and rivers. But no matter where we paddle, we do it because it’s fun.

In this week’s podcast with Dreu Murin, we learn from 11 year-old, 4 foot-something, Joshua Brackett that the best part about paddling is “having fun”. Even from a star athlete who is sponsored by 404 and Riviera Paddlesurf, it comes down to the basics. As the youngest member of the 404 team, Joshua paddles because it is a more than a sport, it’s a whole lot of fun. And he gets to do it with his whole family, too!

Standup paddling brings us back in touch with our inner child, where we are driven by fun and seek out adventure. One amazing benefit of SUP is that we can constantly discover unwalked territory on our boards. In addition to adventure, SUP offers us a unique one-on-one connection with the outdoors.

Combined that with community and it’s a hit! When Joshua speaks of racing, he comments how
holding the trophy is not the most important part, but having fun. And if Joshua can paddle 22 miles across Lake Tahoe at 8 years old, I think we can do it too! Standup paddling balances challenge with the integration of non-stop fun. Even falling off is fun! So it’s time we all get out.

Join us for the Wednesday Night SUP series this summer, starting May 29th where the energy is high and the community is growing. We look forward to a wonderful season and look out for Joshua Brackett. And check out Joshua on Instagram @joshuabrackett for awesome photos of FUN!

P.S. “Thanks 404!” (Check out this podcast above!)