Thomas Maximus Shahinian, Slater Trout and Will Reichenstein Take Top Honors

NEW YORK, NY (Aug. 14, 2010) – After a grueling 28-mile race with unfavorable winds and tides, Thomas Maximus Shahinian won SEA Paddle NYC’s inaugural Elite Race on Friday, August 13.  Fifteen-year-old Slater Trout took second place and stand-up paddler Will Reichenstein finished third.

Shahinian circumvented the island of Manhattan in less than four hours, taking top honors and prize money sponsored by TKS Miami and Sundance Vacations.  A member of Team Ohana, Shahinian resides in San Clemente, Calif.  In addition to the August-13 Elite Race, he has competed and won numerous SUP, Dragon Boat and Outrigger Canoe races.

At 15 years old, Slater Trout, was SEA’s youngest Elite Race competitor.  Similarly, Trout was the youngest competitor invited to the 2009 Quicksilver Ku Ikaika Challenge and the only racer under the age of 18 invited to the Rainbow Sandal Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle, Elite Division.  His Surftech team riders Candice Appleby and Jamie Mitchell also competed in SEA’s Elite Race.  Third-place winner Will Reichenstein was also at The Battle of the Paddle and recently took first place in the Elite Race at the Newport Hovie SUP Festival.

SEA’s Elite Race began at 10:00 a.m. at Manhattan’s Pier 40.  Racing north up the Hudson River, paddlers made their way past notable New York City landmarks including the Intrepid Aircraft and the George Washington Bridge.  They then entered the Hudson River, paddling past the new Yankee Stadium before making their way to the East River via the legendary Hells Gate.  After passing Roosevelt Island, paddlers raced by the United Nations while avoiding sea planes landing on the water every few minutes.  Nearing the end of their journey, Elite Racers made their way under the Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, and finished at the north side of the South Street Seaport.

The 2010 Paddle and Elite Race were fundraisers for eight autism beneficiaries and Surfers’ Environmental Alliance.  Funds raised currently exceed $260,000.  To learn more about the Elite Race or SEA Paddle NYC, please visit www.seapaddlenyc.org.

In true Hawaiian style, Standup Paddle Magazine and Xcel pulled off the first ever Break for the Lake earlier this week at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Demo Day
(Lake Jordanelle, Utah).

With "Officer Joe K. Aloha" explaining the rules multiple times - and subsequently issuing multiple "citations" - four-man SUP relay teams of manufacturers and buyers gave chase as Standup Paddle Magazine's very own jailbird, Fox, tried to keep some very enthusiastic racers off her tail.

In the end, Team Hobie emerged victorious, (relatively) playing by the rules and with their win, raised $250 for the "Adopt the Gulf" charity fund.

The relay race began with Officer K. Aloha, trusty megaphone and handcuffs at the ready, making sure the rules were perfectly unclear to teams from throughout the SUP industry gathered at the Standup Paddle Magazine corral. Fox then broke for the middle of Lake Jordanelle, officially kicking off the race.

In addition to the actual relay competition, Break for the Lake proved an excellent opportunity for product demo, with plenty variety of SUP boards and paddles in the mix, as well as Xcel's UV Performance Gear race jerseys and Honolua Surf Co.'s hats as relay tags.

Mahalo to Standup Paddle Magazine, Honolua Surf Co., and all the participating manufacturers and buyers for coming out.

For more Break for the Lake photos, check out Xcel's photo gallery.

Photos: Top: All's fair in love and SUP. Bottom: Fox, Team Hobie, their winning check, and Officer Joe K. Aloha. Courtesy of Standup Paddle Magazine.

Photo on right: Women’s division race
Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. (July 21, 2010) – YOLO Board announces the results of the fourth 2010 YOLO Board Stand-Up Paddle Series race event on July 15^th at Western Lake at the WaterColor BoatHouse.  The Unbalanced and Laser Awesome teams repeated victory for the second race in a row winning the Women’s and Men’s Division respectively.  The Unbalanced team is composed of Jessica D’Aleo, Bernadette Leach, Amanda Martin and Gina Seton.  Team Laser Awesome consists of Jay Etheredge, Brian Martinez, Phillip McDonald and Shane Reynolds.  The SoWal Lifeguard YOLO team of Justin Cook, Sean Hughes and Gary Wise finished first in the Elite division race, marking their fourth consecutive victory in their division.  The 2010 series includes 14 Women’s teams, 11 Men’s teams and four Elite teams.

The Women’s Division 2^nd and 3^rd place finishers were the On the Coast Magazine and Drift teams while the Grayton Beach Fitness and YOLO Juniors teams rounded out the top three for the Men.  The Sunset Beach Services and GUSU teams finished 2^nd and 3^rd respectively in the Elite Division.  The final race event is scheduled for Thursday August 19^th at Western Lake at the WaterColor BoatHouse at 5:00pm.  The 29 teams will

compete in the final race to determine who receives the champion title “YOLO Board Cup Series” in each division.

The final YOLO Stand-Up Paddle Series Family Day race was held on Sunday, July 18^th at Western Lake at the WaterColor BoatHouse.  The lighthearted event offered children the opportunity to learn how to paddle and enjoy a little friendly competition out on the water.  Children participated in different types of
paddleboard races including parent/child races, relay style races and individual races.

The YOLO Board Stand-Up Paddle Series is made possible by the generous support of presenting sponsor The Destin Real Estate Company.  Co-sponsors include: Stand Up Paddle Magazine, The Thirty-A Review, Kialoa Paddles, Wells Fargo Advisors, Seaside Beach, Copy Systems, Bud & Alleys, Pizza Bar, Taco Bar, Destin Health & Fitness Club, Vitamin Water, Pizza by the Sea, Swantree Concierge, Modus Photography, I Will Design For Food, and M Public Relations.

For additional information regarding The YOLO Stand-Up Paddle Series, please visit www.yolorace.com.

Photos courtesy of: Chandler Williams of Modus Photography

Photo on Left: YOLO Board Co-Founder Jeff Archer teaching young Ethan D’Aleo to paddle

NEW YORK, NY (July 19, 2010) – Less than thirty days remain until stand-up paddlers from around the world converge on Manhattan’s waterways for the 4^th Annual SEA Paddle NYC.  As participants continue to register and train for the 28-mile charity paddle around Manhattan, organized by Surfers’ Environmental Alliance (SEA), key figures in the surf, stand-up paddle and entertainment industries have come on board in support of SEA and the paddle’s eight autism beneficiaries.

This year, avid waterman, extreme sports extraordinaire and environmental advocate Tom Jones is not only joining industry legends for the paddle around New York, but is in the process of making history leading up to SEA Paddle NYC.  Jones is currently traveling the 2,800-mile stretch between Key West and New York City via paddle board to advocate for a plastic-free ocean.  Now along the coast of the Carolinas, he should arrive in New York just in time for a celebration paddle around Manhattan with SEA’s 200-plus participants.  If successful, Jones will break his own previous World Record for paddling 1,200 miles along California’s coast.

In addition, Israel “Izzy” Paskowitz, founder of Surfers Healing, one of SEA’s charity beneficiaries, returns for a second time to paddle alongside surf legend Joel Tudor, actor David Chokachi and Extreme Suring World Champ Garrett McNamara.  One of Hawaii’s elite big-wave chargers, McNamara has paddled, been towed and stand-up paddled into some of the largest and deadliest waves on the planet.  From the “Jaws” of Maui to the Tahitian beasts at Teahupo as well as into the tsunami-generated waves of Alaska, “Gmac” has ridden it all.

Jamie Mitchell, one of the world’s premier ocean athletes has signed on for SEA’s first-ever Elite race around Manhattan. The Australian-born waterman, big-wave surfer and international swell-chaser is an eight-time Molokai-2-Oahu paddling champion.  Having won nearly every paddle race he has entered in the last eight years, Mitchell promises to bring his paddling prowess to the inaugural Elite race.

After the world-class watermen and industry greats complete their journey around Manhattan, they’ll join paddlers, family and friends for SEA’s Ultimate Beach Party at South Street Seaport’s Water Taxi Beach starting at 3:00 p.m.  The good times will continue on the third-floor viewing decks of the Seaport for SEA’s biggest party of the year, the White Water Evening.  Boasting the Brooklyn Bridge as the backdrop, White Water partygoers will celebrate the paddle and honor this year’s beneficiaries with silent auctions, a charity poker tournament, live music, an award ceremony and much more.

This year marks the first time SEA will host its renowned fundraising after-parties in Manhattan.  To learn more about SEA Paddle NYC, or to purchase tickets to the Ultimate Beach Party and White Water Evening, please visit www.seapaddlenyc.org.

About Surfers’ Environmental Alliance (SEA)

Surfers’ Environmental Alliance is committed to the preservation and protection of the environmental and cultural elements that are inherent to the sport of surfing. SEA’s goals are achieved through grassroots activism, community involvement, education and humanitarian efforts. The non-profit organization successfully engages in projects that strive to conserve the quality of marine environments; preserve or enhance surf breaks; protect beach-access rights; and safeguard the coastal surf zone from unnecessary development.  To learn more, please visit www.seapaddlenyc.org.