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About the author: Hiria Rolleston, BSR Sport, PGDip Public Health, Owner and Manager of Eastcoast Paddler Mount Maungaui.H O W T O : S U P

W i t h H i r i a R o l l e s t o n

1 . G e t a l e s s o n

3 . W h a t t y p e o f p a d d l i n g ?

2 . K n o w y o u r b u d g e t

4 . D o y o u r r e s e a r c h

No doubt by now you would have noticed the newest edition to the line up, the stand up paddler. Half an hour goes by and you have only managed to get 1 wave and yet the SUP paddler has caught at least 5. Stand up paddling definitely has its benefits out there in the surf being longer and more buoyant coupled with the power of a paddle they do catch waves easily. But there is more to SUP than just surfing. SUP is so versatile you can paddle rivers, lakes, pools anything with water there’s no limit. I’ve been stand up paddling for around 4 years now and love it! My whole family does it, husband, 15 year old son, and brother. Lot’s of local surfers remember me paddling at 9 months pregnant with my baby bump in the surf. It’s the best fitness activity I’ve ever come across as it doesn’t matter if your just cruising around or charging hard in a comp you are still getting a workout, right from your toes, to your nose! Rather than sit in the line up with ‘feelings’ why not give it a go! Here are a couple of pointers to get you started.

Now all you need to do is head on over and get a lesson. So what are you waiting for? At East Coast Paddler we run a number of events and also run Wahine on Water, a paddle workshop just for the ladies. Contact us to find out more. For more information check out our website www.eastcoastpaddler.co.nz or find us on facebook www.facebook.com/eastcoastpaddler to stay up to date with events.

E v e n t s c a l e n d a r

Get a lesson from a qualified SUP instructor. If you are new to SUP the best place to start would be getting a lesson. Standing is easy, but you need to make sure you get your paddle technique sorted so get a lesson and the instructor will be able to sort you out and give you tips that will fast track your SUPPING.

Have you heard the saying ‘you get what you paid for’. This is so true with SUP gear. There are so many boards on the market now that it is hard to choose and the prices seem to just as bad. Lemon cars, there are lemon SUP boards too. There are a few key things to ask when looking at performance of a board.• Pitch, this is the upward and downward movement of board on a wave• Roll, shape, size of rails for stability• Yaw, side to side, tracking of board in water.

3rd de ce m b e r Wahine on Water (Mount)Ja nu a ry (tb a) Wahine on Water17th de ce m b e r Waiapu River Expedition (East Coast) 4th-5th Fe b ru a ry James (Bhutty) Moore-Memorial (Mount) Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour | Trans Taupo Challenge (Taupo)The Harbour Challenge (Tauranga)12th Fe b ru a ry Maungatapu Dash (Tauranga)

Don’t rely on reviews online as many are biased. Try out a number of different boards

first and in similar conditions to what you would ride in your home town, area.

Decide on the type of paddling you want to do. Once you’ve had your lesson and got a bit of water time up your sleeve you should have

made up your mind on the kind of paddling you want to do. You need a board suitable for the type of paddling you want to do e.g. sup

surfing you are looking at anything from 8.6 up to 10’6 for a lady. If it’s flat water paddling and fitness you can get a longer board

for glide and something with a nice round nose and square tail for stability.

CURL 31 new font.indd 68 12/2/2011 9:36:54 AM