SUP Junior Athlete Soryn Preston Interview

Soryn Preston is a young and shining athlete growing up at the beaches of Southern California. By looking at her race statistics, something is telling us that she in on a great path to become an outstanding SUP Racer. She finished the year 2023 on the 18th place in the SUP World Rankings in Londistance. Her race records since 2021 look amazing she pretty much makes podium at almost all races she enters.

This year she already has two first places and one second place on the scoreboard. It was about time that we gave her a shout out asking for an interview.

Aloha Soryn, thanks for your time talking to the Stand Up Magazin. We wold love to learn more about who you are and what motivates you to Stand Up Paddle. Can you introduce us to our readers?

Thank you yes I am Soryn Preston and I am 15 years old. I was born in Long Beach, California and raised in the SoCal beach lifestyle. I have been paddling for over half my life now, and am striving to become one of the greatest water women. My immediate family consists of my Dad and sister, Willow, also my stepdad and Mom. I enjoy balancing the challenging life of family, school, and athletics. 

How did you get into Stand Up Paddling and what made it attractive to you?

Surfing and paddling has been a family sport and something that I fell in love with early on. I started out by sitting between my dad’s legs on his stand up board, and gradually laying down at the nose of the board. This is where my passion began with stand up paddling. I loved the noises the ocean made and how the water sounded as it went around the paddle. As I got older, I learned to paddle confidently, to then kicking my dad off the board to race. We raced together for many years until I finally went to racing and being all on my own in the ocean. The water has always been such a meditative place for me and now my ambitions are to take this to the professional level. 

Eventually you started to compete in SUP Racing. Do you remember your first race? Tell us about it and how it made you feel.

My first race was a local race, called HanoHano. I do remember it vividly, being nervous and also so excited. It was a short race, only about 500 meters. Looking back on it now, I know how small that race was, but it felt so big. It was amazing to be racing others and seeing how many people loved the same thing I did. Funny enough, that day I also met Kai Lenny and Jerry Lopez and had no clue who they were. Little did I know that race started my addiction for life. I had manifested Super Soryn without even knowing. 

Looking at this years race season you already got to podiums under your belt: 1. Place Longdistance Lanakila Classic and a 2. Place at the Hanohano Ocean Challenge. Congratulations to a good start.

Now looking at your race records from 2023 you were mostly competing on the SUP West Coast where you are from. Are you looking to compete outside of the US anytime soon?

What are our competitive goals for 2024?

My main goal this year is to have fun and continue to enjoy this amazing sport with my community. Another goal this year is earning gold in the ISA junior technical in Denmark. I plan to at do my best at the ICF which is a format I have never competed in. I am really excited to try something new! This has been a big focus for me to do my best in representing my country. 

What kind of dreams and hopes do you have for the SUP Sport and with you in it?

I hope to have fun and make friends all over the world who love the same one ocean I do. Most importantly encouraging young athletes that they can push themselves beyond what they think is possible. I am fortune enough to have so many people in my life who teach and remind me of this daily. I would also like to help get SUP racing as a competitive sport in the Olympics. It is the fastest growing and becoming the most popular sport in the world. Whether or not I am competing in it, to me it does not matter. But to further push young athletes in the sport of SUP. 

Outside of SUP and Paddling, what other interests do you have?

Outside of paddling, I love surfing and skating. Ultimately living the SoCal life, as others would call it. I enjoy reading and just spending time with family at the beach. Being with my little sister, Willow, and teaching her the ways of the water has got to be one of my favorite things to do ever. We love tandem surfing at SanO and building sand castles together. 

Thank you very much Soryn for your time we are looking forward to follow you along this year.

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