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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Geez didnt Martin Luther King already do that speech

We look forward to seeing how you go in Round 2 of the 2011 Summer Series on Sunday with your new Fin Stuart.

Great to have Suplove onboard as a major sponsor of the Summer Series.

Cheers,
Dez

ps: anyone who hasn't yet registered, please do get in ASAP and register now, don't leave it to late and end up paying the late entry fee on the day !!

http://SummerSeries.blastpaddlers.com/

Well said mate .... love the energy you put into everything you do .... it rubs off on us all.

What board are you trying the new fin out on? Hope it doesn't have a wee motor on it !

Look forward to catching up with you on Sunday.

Boylos

adolf said...

I love SUP but I don't love SUP

Read and answer the following little extract from the first Australian Paddle Surfer Magazine written by Casso and tell me your not in love :

"- Do you start to get a little edgy when you go for more than 12 hours without logging onto the Seabreeze SUP forum?
- Do you disregard doctor's orders to keep out of the water because there was a fun little glassy wave on the point with no one out?
- Do you see the wake of a boat and think to yourself - hmmm, I wonder if I could paddle onto that?
- Do you miss total conversations with family members because you are on a completely different planet - thinking about how to perfect that backhand kick turn?
- Do you mentally convert your income to the number of SUP boards earned in a month?
- Do you constantly think of employment opportunities or business ventures which will allow you to work in the industry or give you maximum water time?
- Do you think about shaping your own SUP board even though you're not that good at hanging a picture?
- Do you have a Seabreeze forum shortcut on your first level of internet favourites?
- Do you get a bit antsy when you can't find any good, new SUP video clips on YouTube?
- Do you have a dedicated SUP folder in your internet favourites?
- Do you sometimes mention to your family that you are just checking something on the computer and will be back in five minutes, only to apologetically return 1.5 hours later (there were some good new posts on Seabreeze, you see)?
- Do you go out of your way to drive to the best beach for SUPing even though there are actually great conditions for surfing/longboarding/kitesurfing/windsurfing at your home beach?
- Have you recently sold your old shortboard/longboard/kiteboard/windsurfer to fund a new SUP?
- Has every member of your family been for a paddle on your board in your desperate attempt to also get them hooked?

You've probably answered yes to some of these, right? Uh-oh, I think you might be in luuurve!

All that came from making a fin?!!!!!
Mate wear a respirator next time you play with resin

Suplove said...

I have a Vision fin !!! after Sundays race.

classic

Cool story Stu and the fin obviously was a success seeing as you won on Sunday at Rosebay.