Costa Rica Sets the Stage for The Progression Project

A Movie Reflecting paddle-Enhanced At its Highest Level

- Erik Antonson

People say fate happens in California. I never believed it—until I experienced it. It was early fall 2015, and I was in Huntington Beach for the Standup World Tour. I’d traveled there from my home in Costa Rica so I could meet some of the premiere sup athletes I’d hosted on the PaddleWoo.com podcasts.

I don’t use the word athlete loosely. The guys I’m talking about—Mo Freitas, Kieran Grant, Giorgio Gomez, for example— are young and strong and cut some of the sharpest lines you’ll ever see coming out of the tip of the spear.

On the podcast, we talk a lot about how various sup maneuvers are facilitated by the type of board and paddle used. We speak of the misconception many people have of standup paddle surfing: that it’s long boarding with a paddle. And we talk about how quickly sup is evolving as a dynamic, progressive sport.

“To many people, paddle surfing represents a slow, old-timer’s sport with giant boards and funny paddles. It’s time to change that perception.”

All of this is not news to us. We’re the ones who are already addicted to the sport, who need to be in the water every morning, every day. But I’ve realized that to many people, paddle surfing represents something much different: a slow, old-timer’s sport with giant boards and funny paddles. It’s time to change that perception. And the athletes who competed in the Standup World Tour that day were doing their part, whether they knew it or not.