The APP (Association of Professional Paddlers) has been radio silent for quite a while now. We’ve also been anticipating their annual SUP Surf Contest on the Canary Islands — but for some reason, it has been unusually quiet, even regarding this event. This has left the SUP community, surfers, and racers guessing: Is the APP done? Quite the opposite seems to be the case.
While everyone’s attention has been on SUP racing in Europe, the APP has quietly been working on a relaunch — and frankly, a general overhaul of how we think about SUP racing.
One of the most important elements of this overhaul is the board class. According to sources close to Stand Up Magazin, the APP is already collaborating with major industry partners to develop an airline-friendly, shorter SUP race board. From what we’ve heard, the board will be between 10′ and 11′ in length with a minimum width of 23″. Logistically, this means the APP could ship the boards to events, or athletes could bring their own much more easily than a 14′ board.
The new race formats will focus on technical beach racing, similar to the original SUP race formats — short, wave-based courses designed for exciting, spectator-friendly competitions and strong content creation. Rather than focusing on individual athletes, the new format will emphasize team competition. For example, if an athlete can’t make it to a tour stop, the team would be able to find a substitute.
According to our source, things are well underway, and locations have already been scouted. It’s just a matter of time before we hear an official announcement.
We at Stand Up Magazin would love to see an international SUP tour return — but we remain skeptical until key questions are answered. The biggest one: Does this stand on solid financial footing? Who will sponsor the venues and provide the athlete prize money?
Another major question concerns the athletes themselves: Will they support this new concept? The sport has undergone a process of “canoefication,” and it remains unclear whether the new generation of SUP/canoe paddlers will be motivated — or even prepared — to race in these kinds of conditions.
How soon we’ll see the official launch remains to be seen. All we can hope is that the APP gives us more notice than the ISA just did for their event.
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