I have a vision

By Stuart Murray


I shaped my first race fin today and I will race it this Sunday. You get plenty of time to think when you make a fin, its kind off meditative as you imagine water running over its surface and as if water your movements over the fin begin to flow and so does the mind.

It reminded me of why I first got into Stand Up Paddle. The joy of the ocean. The joy of sharing it. We are really never alone. Though sometimes we feel it.

I chose to be a specialist in Stand Up Paddle after years of surf education. I started the Sup lifestyle company, Suplove. I loved that the barriers to entry to Sup where low and that it is inclusive. I could bring the ocean experience to a whole new community. Some saw surfing as too hard but could see the idea of standing on the water looked a buzz.

That is what I loved about it. I loved it was not a surfing sport. Surfing was one of the things that you could choose to do. It's not canoeing it's not kayaking it's not outrigging it's not dragon boating its not short boarding it's not long boarding it's not surf ski it's not surfing and that's the buzz. Sup, it's unique and universal. It is stand up paddle.

I looked into the future and dared to dream. I looked 5 years then 10 then 20 then 50 then 100 then 200. I have a vision. This sport is stand up paddle and stands the test of time. It's not surfing it's not paddling it's not racing, it's not competition, it's not a land grab, it's the joy of sharing the ocean. Its sup it's unique and universal.

No offence to any club, association, organisation and whatever, I am not loyal to you. I am loyal to Stand up paddle. The pie is large, very large. In fact the pie is so large, resourceful and sustainable that It's bigger than you can imagine. Bigger than any club, association, organisation and you or I. For there will be people standing on a SUP for the first time in blissful ignorance of this prose I write and falling in love right there. Right then. It's out of our hands people. We are stand up paddle.

So two hundred years go by and the crazy has been crazy and the love is still love and the core of the sport, the heart of the sport still beats to the rhythm of the ocean. You do not own us, we are unownable.

We are stand up paddle. I have a vision.

Copyright Stuart Murray 2011


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