Die SUP Saison beginnt mit der Stand Up World Tour auf O’ahu, dort wo sie im Herbst mit der Stand Up World Series aufgehört hat. Zum 2. Mal dieses Jahr findet auch ein Frauen Event statt. Jedoch nicht an der bekannten Welle von Sun Set Beach sondern am Homespot von Turtle Bay. Das ganze wird live übertragen, verpasst also nicht den Saisonstart in Turtle Bay.
2014 promises to be the most exciting year yet for the Waterman League, the Stand Up World Tour (SUWT), and Stand Up World Series (SUWS). With new stops around the world, the return of Tahiti, and perrenial favorites such as Sunset Beach and Huntington Beach, there is much to look forward to over this exciting season.
It all starts next week with the Sunset Beach Pro and Turtle Bay Women’s Pro! The 9-day holding period will ensure that the contests will run in the best possible conditions.
You can find all contest information including schedule, live webcast, and more on watermanleague.com.
Sunset Beach Pro
With last year’s conditions seeing some of the biggest waves in tour history, the standards are high for this year’s contest. But with the ever-growing popularity of SUP surfing, the talent pool at the 2014 Sunset Beach Pro will be the most competitive field yet.
Kai Lenny, winner of last year’s Sunset Beach Pro and World Champion of both the SUWT and SUWS, is in top form and is always a contender. Every time Kai has won the Sunset Beach Pro, he has gone on to win the world title that year. Will this year set the stage once again?
One of many threats to unseating Lenny is Grant „Twiggy“ Baker, who just won the Maverick’s Invitational on the Big Wave Tour. If a big swell comes through, you can bet that Twiggy will be going after the biggest sets and charging hard.
Turtle Bay Women’s Pro
After a wildly successful inaugural year, the Women’s Stand Up World Tour returns with the world’s top female SUP surfers competing for the world title.
The women’s field has doubled this year, adding proof to the exponential rise in the sport’s popularity. With more sponsorship and fan attention than ever, the women are set to impress and inspire a worldwide audience.
Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore is the site of the first contest of the year, and promises to be an exciting two day event. The action takes place right next to the Hang Ten bar, also known as the „Pool Bar“ at Turtle Bay. There will be women flying in from as far as Brazil and France, and as close as Kauai to compete for the top spot at Turtle Bay.
OluKai Tribute to the Legends
This year will feature an exhibition between legendary Hawaiian watermen Brian Keaulana, Arche Kalepa, Mel Pu’u, and Titus Kinimaka in the OluKai „Tribute to the Legends“.
In addition to water sports, the legends will be featured in a special group Talk Story at Surfer, The Bar on Friday, Feb. 7 following the opening ceremony to the Sunset Beach Pro. On Saturday the legends will be on hand to teach the next generation of watermen at the Na Kama Kai youth clinic – see below for more information on that exciting event.
Na Kama Kai Youth Clinic and Challenge
Also at Turtle Bay this year is the Na Kama Kai youth clinic taking place on Saturday, Feb. 8 from 9-12.
The clinic will allow local youth to learn valuable skills from accomplished watermen. There will be clinics in stand up paddling, canoeing, traditional Hawaiian Alaia board shaping, and ancient Hawaiian storytelling.
Na Kama Kai will also co-host a youth (under 16) competition at Turtle Bay to coincide with the Women’s event. This is a free event and all youth are encouraged to participate.