A water sport for everyone: Standup paddleboarding picks up steam
BRECKENRIDGE – Merrill Mann always had been intrigued when she saw people on stand-up paddleboards tooling around on area lakes, so when she found a coupon for a rental, she decided to give it a try.
Now she’s hooked.
“I loved it the first time I tried it,” said Mann, who rides on lakes near her home in Avon. “Anything with the outdoors, being on the water, it’s very serene yet you’re getting a workout. You’re exercising and out in the sun.”
Stand-up paddleboarding has exploded in popularity the past few years. A sort of combination between surfing and kayaking, it has become a hit on oceans, lakes and rivers across the United States and beyond.
According to a 2013 Outdoor Foundation recreation report, stand-up paddleboarding was the most popular outdoor activity for first-time participants, garnering 56 percent of the newbies among all outdoor activities last year.
The appeal is simple: It’s relatively easy, available to a wide range of ages and can be done just about anywhere there’s a body of water.
The recent rise in popularity started with surfers and carried on with tourists in beach towns who then took the idea back to where they live.
Now, stand-up paddleboarders can be found cruising along the shore on about every coast, across mountain lakes, racing down rivers and even participating in group yoga classes atop their boards.
Little more than modified surfboards only a few years ago, boards now are designed specifically for stand-up paddling, averaging 10 feet to 12 feet in length and contoured for easy balancing. Ocean boards are typically made of the same materials as surfboards, while boards used on lakes and rivers can be made of inflatable material used for river rafts or injected plastic like kayaks.
Optimal size for the paddle is 8 to 10 inches longer than the paddler, to give them leverage. The changes have added to the popularity.
Because the boards have become so sturdy, stand-up paddleboarding has become a sport nearly anyone can handle, not only surfers or swimmers.
Set up with the right size board and calm water conditions, most first-timers only need about 10 minutes to feel comfortable and start paddling away. It gets a bit more difficult when there are waves or a current.
Like any sport, stand-up paddleboarders have picked up the pace within the sport, pushing the boundaries to new, adrenaline-fueling levels.
Races have cropped up across the country. Paddlers also have joined surfers in hanging 10, using their paddles for added speed while riding the waves into shore.
But most riders do it just for the enjoyment of being out on the water and in the sun, enjoying the scenery while getting a decent upper-body and core workout.
“It’s not like you’re racing down the side of a mountain on a mountain bike and all the danger that goes along with that, so it’s a more low-key activity,” Mann said.
This Feb. 19, 2014 photo provided by Three Brothers Boards shows James Birney on a family outing using a durable wood paddle board during a paddling adventure in the Mobbly Bayou Preserve, Oldsmar, Fla. A sort of combination between surfing and kayaking, standup paddling has exploded in popularity the past few years. It’s relatively easy and can be done just about anywhere there’s water. (AP Photo/Three Brothers Boards, James Birney)
This Feb. 19, 2014 photo provided by Three Brothers Boards shows James Birney on a family outing using a durable wood paddle board during a paddling adventure in the Mobbly Bayou Preserve, Oldsmar, Fla. A sort of combination between surfing and kayaking, standup paddling has exploded in popularity the past few years. It’s relatively easy and can be done just about anywhere there’s water. (AP Photo/Three Brothers Boards, James Birney)
This March 22, 2011 photo provided by Three Brothers Boards shows Tour Guide Alex Page and tour customers across the street from the shop on a lesson/eco-tour on the Halifax River, Daytona Beach, Fla. A sort of combination between surfing and kayaking, standup paddling has exploded in popularity the past few years. It’s relatively easy and can be done just about anywhere there’s water. (AP Photo/Three Brothers Boards, Austin Marvin)
This March 22, 2011 photo provided by Three Brothers Boards shows Austin Marvin and tour customers passing the Jackie Robinson Memorial Ball Park on the Halifax River, Daytona Beach, Fla. A sort of combination between surfing and kayaking, standup paddling has exploded in popularity the past few years. It’s relatively easy and can be done just about anywhere there’s water. (AP Photo/Three Brothers Boards, Justin Murray)
This Oct. 25, 2013 photo provided by Three Brothers Boards shows Tonya Saylor and Gary Wilson on best wood paddle boards enjoying a leisure paddle on the Halifax River, in Port Orange, Fla. A sort of combination between surfing and kayaking, standup paddling has exploded in popularity the past few years. It’s relatively easy and can be done just about anywhere there’s water. (AP Photo/Three Brothers Boards, Claude Lamour)