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Update: The nasty battle for stand-up paddleboarding’s misshapen soul!

"Hey, that's my garden."

And do you have any friends or close acquaintances, other that the World Surf League President of Content, Media, Studios and Olive Garden’s Bottomless Salad and Breadsticks Erik “ELo” Logan, who SUPs? Racking my brain, this fine southern California morning, I don’t think I do. I don’t think I have one friend or close acquaintance who uses a paddle whilst trying to “surf.”

Hmmmmm.

A curiosity, I suppose, but anyhow we’ve discussed the nasty battle for SUPing’s misshapen soul between the International Surfing Association and the International Canoe Federation. As a surfer, I don’t understand how/why the ISA wants to keep SUP. As someone who has seen The Wizard of Lies, though, it does make sense. Common sense would have suggested that this war would have been over by now seeing we’re under a year away from the Olympics where SUP will make its debut and let us turn to Yahoo! News for more:

The protracted dispute is expected to be settled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) before the championships scheduled to start on Oct. 24.

An ICF-backed SUP World Championship in Portugal was cancelled last year after the Portuguese CAS ruled the country’s surfing association held the rights to the discipline.

ISA President Fernando Aguerre says it should be an open and shut case in favour of his organisation’s rights to SUP events.

“It is 10 years we have been supporting and promoting the stand-up world championships yet they never organised anything. Not even one (event),” he told Reuters at the World Surfing Games in Miyazaki on Saturday.

Both sports claim historic ties to SUP, which requires athletes to stand upright on their board and use a paddle to move.

However, Aguerre is adamant the sport was invented by surfers and accuses the ICF of wanting to usurp the discipline once it became popular.

“It is inevitable when you have a nice garden with nice flowers and nice fruits hanging from the trees that your next door neighbour says ‘hey, that is my garden,'” said the Argentine.

“You never planted a tree, never mowed the lawn, you didn’t do anything. So I think the case is very obvious. It is a sport invented by surfers, it is a surfboard, you paddle in a surfing, standing position.”

“I understand their desire to take away something that they didn’t realise was cool, or existed even. They came up with a typical solution – let’s take it away.”

A couple things. Have you ever looked at a garden that you liked then said, “Hey, that is my garden.”? Has something like that ever happened in your neighborhood or to someone you know? I’m curious because if that’s a thing people do, I’m going garden shopping this afternoon.

Also, is SUP cool? Do you think the International Canoe Federation thinks, “Look at all those cool SUPs…” and then went to take it away?

Much to ponder.

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hcat

Actually, dark blue if I can get it.

hcat

Fortunately for you all, I can’t surf. I can paddle out behind surfers, sit down, pull a Natural American Spirit out of my Otter Box in my dry bag, and watch.

hcat

Chas, you’re a graduate of Biola in Linguistics but your language and vices are rather atypical of Biola, if I may say so.

hcat

All I care about is that life jackets are not imposed on SUPers – see Freesup.org for more information.

Sean Callahan

Hey you guys. When you’ve been surfing all these years and you’re finally so fucked up (broken back, neck, hip, dislocated knee, separated and broken ribs) that you can’t put on your socks without the wife’s help, remember, an SUP and an empty lineup will make you feel ok again. I can’t do a normal pop-up on my kitchen floor anymore, much less on a board. As for Sup’s, I don’t take mine out if there’s more than 4 or 5 people in the water. Shit I surf alone 150 days a year, more or less. A lot of times it’s dredgy beachbreak, (think Baja Malibu, but miles away. Same kinda waves) but I’m not taking my float-dinghy out in a crowd, ever. Can’t duck dive the fucking thing. But yeah, if you get shafted and are about to give up, give it one last blast. Got barreled 2 days ago. Not long or deep, but shit I’ll take what I can get. I was getting barreled behind the jacks at the Yacht Harbor in the 70’s with Harbor Bill and the boys. So I know barreled. Fuck it, I’m drunk. I’m gonna wake up tomorrow, eat a bunch of pain medicine, and surf.

channelbottom

You’re ok Sean.

Pete Peligroso

I might try knee-boarding first! I loved those George Greenough movies back in the day….

channelbottom

Top tip: don’t get bit by them.

(Boring fact: assassin bugs are ‘true bugs’ which feed with a piercing poky thing. They don’t ‘bite’ as such.)

channelbottom

He is clearly referencing thousands of years of human brutality in the wars of conquest to claim land and wealth.

Trying to make it fit into the context of 20-21st century First World suburban horticultural practices / real estate legal norms, is a curious display of personal psychology from Mr. Aguerre.

channelbottom

Assassin bugs are ok because they eat other bugs which might be attacking your plants.
#myenemy’senemyismyfriend

Hippy

Hey Chas, does Elo ever stop smiling like a dentist Ad? Is he ever down or less than ecstatic?

Dude is faker than fake.

Doobalachy

I might get the foil out and trim the garden

Chief Hot stuff

I’ve smoked a couple of gardens that weren’t mine.

Gino

The only thing worse out there are jet skis

channelbottom

Or those motorised surfboards.

Dung beetle

Have you seen one in the wild? I’ve been waiting but have yet to encounter…

channelbottom

Yes. Last time I went surfing (months ago).

He motored in and I shouted at him to fuck off. He left.

Preston

Didn’t ski do the same thing with snowboarding years back? When you dive in it’s kinda murky with all the back room jostling between a bunch of egotistical old guys trying to control this or that. I can’t understand why anyone would even want the headache, unless it’s actually a paying job perhaps. The SUP deal is funny because one small part of it is even wave-oriented. Mostly flat water racing and shit. Take it canoe guy.

Nick Carroll

Ah yes but! SUP racing is very International. Norwegians have won! I am pretty sure the ISA wants to have another Olympic thing if they can.

As for the Canoers, they probably just saw a paddle and assumed it was theirs.

Preston

It would seem Fernando’s point is a bit flat: anyone standing on anything that floats is “surfing “.

Good to see ya the other night!

Yomar

The ISA runs SUP with flat water and technical (in the surf) racing, surf SUP AND prone paddling in the same events (you know, like Jamie Mitchell?), the ICF Canoers are paddle orientated and don’t even know prone paddling. So from that perspective as well the ISA deserves it hands down!
And @disqus_nEmZsdyY0S:disqus my friend, apart from eLo, I know you know that the list of watermen surfers that paddle prone or standing is long! Jamie Mitchell, Dan Mann, JJF, Kai Lenny, Dave Kalama, Tom Carroll …

Paul Taublieb

I think you need to talk to Sam about this.

Frontwards Fin Frank

I’m sure he has some sick personal anecdote

Chas Smith

Is Sam a SUP fan?

Paul Taublieb

if you define “fan” as devotee. (full disclosure: in a very self-hating, self-loathing, shoulder/knee semi-delaptated fashion, i have, to my shame, given in and picked up the paddle in phases of rehab or ill-conceived laziness and egregious moral turpitude.).

Jimmy the Saint

We all know that SUP belongs to the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer)!

Phat-wan kerr

if I was Aguerre I would be throwing that shit over the fence and banging copper nails into the trunk of what ever tree was responsible for bearing stand up paddle fruit in the hope it withers and dies. let the neighbours have it.

Chas Smith

Me too! This is our chance to strike a fatal blow to SUP and we’re absolutely blowing it. I wonder how much SUP brings in to the pyramid scheme?

astro

ISA committee is loaded with SUP wankers.
Snouts at the trough of surfing. Fucken joke.

Otto

Just your garden variety of SUC/K.

ricmatic

I have a good friend who SUPs. I just change the subject whenever it comes up.
VAL PAL “Got some great waves on my SUP the other day!”
MOi “whats this red stuff on my hands?”


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