Just got off the phone with Tristan Boxford. He recently completed his site visit for the New York stop on the APP World Tour in Rockaway, NY. Here’s the skinny on what to expect in September as New York welcomes the US Open of Standup Paddling to the East Coast!
The US Open of Standup Paddling comes to New York this September
For the first time in history, New York becomes a major stop on the standup paddling world tour. The APP World Tour, currently steaming towards its forth event in Germany next weekend, will make a landmark stop in Rockaway Beach, New York next September.
The event will hold a full week of competition for the inaugural US Open of Standup Paddling from September 16th- 24th, 2017. The Open, hosted by Hawaiian Airlines, will start off with a 4-5 day window for the World Tour Surfing event. Dates will be specified as the Tour approaches. These surfing events are to be scheduled in anticipation of the best swell action the East Coast can serve up during the five day time frame.
Sup Surf & Racing Competitions held in one week in NY
If you remember back, the Quicksilver Pro landed on the East Coast six years ago. For that event, the Surfing World Tour committee had done their research and found, historically, the best waves on the eastern seaboard landed during that same week in September. When I asked Tristan about this, he too assured me he’d looked at the weather maps and projections in order to plan the event during the best swell season here in New York. Game ON!
A “Na Kama Kai” clinic will be held at the Cove in Rockaway, NY on Friday 23rd, creating a safe arena for the kids to get out on the water, experience the fun of standup paddling and learn about becoming leaders and stewards of the environment in order to protect our precious planet. The Na Kama Kai clinic will also include a giant Beach Clean Up and include multiple demo opportunities throughout the event.
Sup Racing in Rockaway
The US Open of Standup Paddling will climax on the weekend of September 23rd-24th with a weekend of World Tour standup racing. This final weekend will bring thrills and chills as we will see the world’s elite compete in both the sprints and long distance races. Look for pro racers along the beachfront including Starboard’s Connor Baxter, Zane Schweitzer and Fiona Wylde. Also, vying for top spots will be Georgio Gomez and Bernd Roediger from Team Naish. Alongside of them will be a host and battlefield of other world title hopefuls from Fanatic, F-ONE, Surftech and other top name standup paddleboard brands. A full ensemble of elite sup racers and surfers will be in the house!
The New York event will ALSO hold divisions for World Qualifier, Team, Youth, Amateur, and Entry level Racing to provide something for all ages and levels. Everyone gets to participate!
Tristan Boxford:Â We are GROWING the sport of standup paddling
Tristan Boxford, CEO for this newly formatted APP World Tour series which is drawing rave reviews on a global scale, talks about his goals for the World Tour series.
“As we grow this, the goal is obviously for athletes to be able to live off a professional tour that provides them with a prize purse and with centralized and far-reaching exposure to both domestic and non-domestic media, as well as a pathway to a real sustainable career.”
Location, location, location on Long Island
The entire event will be complemented by a full activity schedule on land with high profile opening events, movie screenings and parties. It will be an action packed agenda in Rockaway Beach, New York.
Not only is the excitement at a fever pitch for this East Coast Tour stop because of its location – only 15 minutes away from JFK International Airport – but because the US Open of Standup Paddling will ALSO provide the largest cash purse in the sport of standup paddling and include multiple tiers of competition from pro level Elite, to World Qualifier (for those who want to compete on the Tour in 2018), Amateur and Entry Level Racing.
Tristan says, “ In addition to [the Pro Event], we are setting up team racing, amateur fun races and enthusiast racing at all levels. This will be accompanied by other water-based activities that suit each respective venue. In sum, we are creating festivals that have real scope for growth and significant scalability moving forward.”Â
Tristan and the APP World Tour committee are interested in both the sustainability and growth of the standup paddling as a competitive sport. This focused attention on the longevity of the sport is both heartening and appreciated in a time where so many people are anticipating the next phase of the standup paddle industry as a whole.
There will be so much going on and multiple ways to participate in New York. We are looking forward to the hosting of an incredible competition and gathering of the tribe on the shores of Long Island the week of September 16th – 24th, 2017. Get ready for an action packed week on the beach in Rockaway, folks!
