Hi All,
My name is Olaus McLeod. I am the Chairman of the newly formed British Stand Up Paddle Association (BSUPA). Yes, Standup has finally reached our shores, and is being embraced by more people every day. A bunch of paddlers in the UK have got together to form this Association, which will serve as the focal point for the sport, in our part of the World; will organise SUP competitions around the UK; will provide a valuable source of online information for all things Standup; and will ultimately be the governing body for SUP Surfing in the UK.
BSUPA has already been offered the full endorsement of the British Surfing Association (BSA), through which BSUPA members will benefit from the BSA’s Worldwide Third Party Liability Insurance scheme.
I urge all SUP Surfers from the UK to contact me - either via this great forum, or via my (current) e-mail address: (until we get the BSUPA website up and running!) - to register their interest in joining what will be the central body in the UK, for the “World’s fastest growing watersport”.
On a larger scale, I receive a lot of enquiries from people, all over the World, asking if similar such Associations are being created in other countries. I certainly hope so! If you are in the process of setting up an SUP Club / Association in your country, please get in touch and let’s talk Standup! We need to build relationships with SUP Surfers and SUP Associations, all over the World - so that we can elevate this fantastic sport into a truly global phenomenon - with International competitions, ideally leading to a World Tour / Series.
My ultimate dream is to get SUP Surfing - or at least open water SUP Racing - accepted as a future Olympic sport. Speaking as a lifelong Surfer, I am convinced that Standup far transcends the wider sport of Surfing - from whence it came - as a sport for all. I regularly receive enquiries from Canoeists, Windsurfers, Fitness Freaks, Endurance Junkies and many others - as well as the usual Surf crowd that I would expect to hear from - all intrigued and stoked to have a go at this graceful, soulful, core fitness activity.
SUP Surfing has certainly reached its’ tipping point, around the World. What it now needs - to elevate it to the next level - is the co-ordination and co-operation of SUP Surfers from all over the World.
Please get in touch - let’s make this fantastic sport a lasting phenomenon, to be reckoned with!
Paddle on…