World Paddle Association announces Scholastic SUP Race Series

by World Paddle Association on 10 Apr 2015 The World Paddle Association proudly announces the formation of the Scholastic SUP race series. The WPA Scholastic SUP race series will consist of a series of races conducted in 2015 to help grow the youth SUP competition while providing national rankings at the high school, middle school and grade school levels. All scholastic SUP competitors will accumulate points at select WPA sanctioned SUP races (schedule TBA) with the first race in the series to be held in May 2015 in California.

The WPA Scholastic competitors will be awarded points at each of the designated races and then awarded quadruple points at the WPA Scholastic SUP Championships held in early fall. The WPA Scholastic SUP races will allow each competitor to participate in Varsity, JV, middle school or grade school divisions depending on each competitor's ability level. There will be two races offered at each event however, high school seniors would have to compete in the Varsity division of each WPA Scholastic SUP race.

The Scholastic SUP races will also offer age divisions so each competitor will earn points for rankings in their age group as well as in their school grade ranking. In addition, any middle or grade school competitor that competes in the Varsity race will receive a 'Division One' ranking for their grade level. Both boys and girls will compete on boards 12'6 and under at the selected WPA Scholastic races.

'The WPA is excited to offer the Scholastic SUP race series to those competitors that want to compete at their school level and earn points for scholastic rankings. This is important for the future growth of SUP and paddle sports, stated Byron Kurt, President of the WPA'. Kurt continues, 'I was lucky to be a part of the formation of competitive surfing as a High School sport in 1977 and the WPA views this as a way to grow the sport of SUP at the scholastic level.' Region One in Southern California will be the first to offer the WPA Scholastic SUP race series. The Scholastic SUP race series will be expanded to all WPA regions in 2016.

WPA partner Paddle Guru, who manages the race solution for all of the WPA sanctioned events, will be managing the scholastic rankings. All competitors will need to be a current WPA member by July 15, 2015 to have the points they earned from prior races included in their total ranking. A special WPA membership will be set up for the grade school, middle school and high school divisions that should be available May, 2015.

The WPA Scholastic SUP race series schedule will be announced in April, 2015.