Pacific Paddle Games at Doheny this weekend..question

[TallDude]

I got into sup racing for the 5K, 10K, or 20K personal grind, get healthy and push myself mindset. I used to run 10K's but my knees can't take it anymore. SUP racing opened that door to improving my health again. The pro only event approach is just ruining sup racing and probably the sport. What if the LA or Boston Marathons decided to make the entry fee's $10K, so that pretty much only the Nike or other sponsored pros could run it? The marathons would be no more.

[mastman]

I'm still working my way through the videos of the racing, but at one point they mentioned over a million viewers watching on-line.  That's a huge number isn't it?  I assume that doesn't even count me because I wasn't watching live.

Also, does anyone know why Kai Lenny wasn't racing?

OK, final thought: the top guys in the "Open" division are pretty much pros.  I'm not a fan of guys (and girls) who belong in the Elite division poaching trophies from the amateurs. 

[pdxmike]

I got into sup racing for the 5K, 10K, or 20K personal grind, get healthy and push myself mindset. I used to run 10K's but my knees can't take it anymore. SUP racing opened that door to improving my health again. The pro only event approach is just ruining sup racing and probably the sport. What if the LA or Boston Marathons decided to make the entry fee's $10K, so that pretty much only the Nike or other sponsored pros could run it? The marathons would be no more.

That's interesting thinking of standup compared to running.  I ran lots of races long ago.  There was a national Diet Pepsi 10K race series in the 70s that featured Frank Shorter running in each race nationwide.  My friend and I entered in Seattle in high school and ran our butts off the first quarter mile or so so we could run with him, then we died off and got separated from him and from each other.  Then I saw Shorter up ahead of me with a few hundred yards left going slow (he'd strained a muscle so was jogging in) so I sprinted and passed him, and so did my friend--we both realized if we could catch him, we could tell everyone for the rest of our lives that we beat Frank Shorter in a 10K (I don't always mention the pulled muscle).


Other than that, I can't recall any running race I ever did where there was a non-local star runner competing, or prize money.  Now it's more common, such as with the big marathons, but it's still a tiny percentage of running races that include stars.  And some, like the Portland Marathon, advertise that they DON'T offer prize money, or invite stars, because they want the focus to be on the average runner.

[805StandUp]

At least from watching online, the Carolina Cup seems to be as big as ever?  I do hope that the PPG gets its mojo back but it is vastly different from the BoP days or even last year from what I hear?  From a spectators perspective, we carpooled down and my whole car was disappointed that we left at 5:45am to get there only to find out that the morning races were cancelled and there was only 3 vendors at the demo area.  My two friends said they wouldn't go down again.

[SaMoSUP]

When the biggest star in the sport, Kai Lenny, skips the two biggest SUP races (M2O & PPG) for a big wave contest and a movie premiere, that pretty much says a lot. Maybe he promotes SUP from that angle. Who knows?

Looks like Kai is becoming a WSL star.

[robon]

When the biggest star in the sport, Kai Lenny, skips the two biggest SUP races (M2O & PPG) for a big wave contest and a movie premiere, that pretty much says a lot. Maybe he promotes SUP from that angle. Who knows?

Looks like Kai is becoming a WSL star.

It says where the real money is, and while Kai may be the biggest name, it's been quite awhile since he was consistently winning the big races. If you're not winning the major races, but can make a lot more money by devoting more time to the aspects of being a waterman that he really loves i.e. big wave surfing, which also equates to making bank with sponsors, then that makes a lot more sense. Stand up racing is not lucrative and there is only a few that actually make a living doing it, and it's largely sponsorship revenue that makes it possible.

[connector14]

I don't know....have pretty mixed emotions about this. What can be more pure than a run between athletes that have very similar board and paddles?  It's pretty pure.  I really can't believe there is that much difference between this board and that board and this paddle and that paddle. It comes down to the individual. It's heart and guts (along with training and experience). Maybe similar to boxing? (by the way,  I hate boxing,  but I love SUP).

[PonoBill]

Kai is probably making five or ten times the money that the racers winning purses make. Consider the recent thread on social marketing. SUP racers are effective for marketing to the miniscule SUP racing market. Kai, as a waterman, is effective for marketing to anyone who desires or admires his lifestyle--probably a market measured in the hundreds of millions. I don't know that he's doing an optimal job with social media, but he seems to be checking some of the boxes.

A racer in a single sport, pounding out training, traveling to every race that has a reasonable purse, making his sponsors happy with wins, isn't likely to have the time to optimize their marketing potential even if they could figure out how to broaden their appeal enough to make it worthwhile.

[peterp]

I'm still working my way through the videos of the racing, but at one point they mentioned over a million viewers watching on-line.  That's a huge number isn't it?  I assume that doesn't even count me because I wasn't watching live.

Not sure where the 1 million viewers come from - SUPthemag have about 7-800likes on their webcast and while watching it said 5-700 where watching with me.....Let's just face it - SUP racing is not the greatest spectator sport. It pains me because I love the sport and the workout it gives me but I do understand that unless you're really into the sport it doesn't have much spectator appeal.

[PonoBill]

PDX, I think Sup racing is more comparable to speed walking in terms of spectator interest.

I remember watching the Boston Marathon when I was a little kid. People lined the streets for the entire 28 miles. I haven't watched one since, but I understand the crown is many times bigger.

The biggest crowd I ever saw at a SUP race was the first BOP.

[yugi]

I just watched the online coverage. It's great to have such great coverage. Maybe there are less people on the beach but for those too far to go down to the beach we now see something.

[yugi]

Danny Ching just killed everyone else. He could have drank a beer waiting for the anyone to finish behind him.

Which board was Danny Ching using?

[safetyboy]

Does anybody have a link for watching?  All I can find on youtube is a few highlight clips...

- Thanks, Kevin

[TallDude]

Danny Ching just killed everyone else. He could have drank a beer waiting for the anyone to finish behind him.

Which board was Danny Ching using?

It looks more like the LTD, but with the nose volume thinned out.

 

[SUP CPA]

Another problem with the PPG is that everyone use to be excited about being in the open race. Now the open seems more like an after thought and a way for the games to make money. Not sure how to remedy that, but they should try to to put more fun back into the open races. The only ones that are going to go to an event are those that participate in the sport and the sponsors need to find a way to attract them by doing something special.

I feel that having both an open technical and an open distance race hinders entry numbers. If you race both it's easier to justify the entrance fees since they are discounted but if you can't do both the single entry fee seems hard to swallow. With each race being on a different day it excludes participants who aren't able to commit both Saturday and Sunday to racing. Maybe a single recreational race with lower entry fees would increase participation. As I recall from Econ 101 there should be a sweet spot on the graph where price and volume meet.