The 2006/2007 season has drawn to a close
with the ARB Surf Ski World Cup in Durban and Oscar Chalupsky is the 2006/2007 Surfski.info
World Champion.
So what now and what of the future of the
"Surfski.info World Rankings"?
Why are we doing this & who do we
think we are to take this on?
Right now the whole idea of the
"Surfski.info World Rankings" is just like calling any of the races a "world
cup" or calling Molokai the "world championship". It only means as much
as we choose to make it mean!
But at least it's a start and if nothing
else we feel our World Rankings at least give paddlers something new to put in
their CVs. In fact, there have already
been some tangible benefits to the Rankings log - the Dubai Shamaal organizers
used it to choose the paddlers for their "Cash to Compete" promo and some
paddlers have used their surfski.info rankings in their applications for
sponsorship to go to Malaysia.
But the thing is, the more we pump this,
the more real it will become. And we're going to go after sponsors big
time this year and our intention is that by this time next year, the guys on
the Rankings table (and the sport as a whole) are going to see real
benefits.
The ICF
How will this fit in with the ICF? I
have no idea. It was a great achievement to have the ARB Surf Ski World
Cup sanctioned by the ICF but I'm pretty sure that it's going to take a mighty
long time for the ICF initiative to become universal, considering the wide
variation in organizing bodies in the countries around the world. We'll
deal with that problem when we get to it. In the meantime, let's leverage
whatever we can get from the existing races for the sport and the paddlers!
Constructor's Championship
We're going to do a Constructor's
Championship too - just like F1 Racing. I'm busy with it now & shortly we'll
declare a winner of the "Surfski.info 2006/2007 Constructor's
Championship"! We hope that what this will do is encourage the
manufacturers to take sponsorships more seriously - and, for example, to take
chances and sponsor young, upcoming paddlers with equipment too.
Plus, eventually, it'll allow us to encourage manufacturers not to do the
copying thing - copies won't be welcome in the constructor's championship.
What races to choose?
At this stage, for me, the choice of races
is academic. We chose the existing list on the basis (very loosely) of
prize money and international representation. When we get Red Bull or
whoever to sponsor a million dollars for the series, no doubt they'll come up
with some requirements of their own. But for now, it's all bluff anyway
and we simply need:
To encourage organisers to
provide enough prize money and sponsorship to attract the top competitors and
make it possible, financially, for them to participate.
Picturesque and exciting race
routes that make for awesome photos, videos, etc that are attractive to
sponsors & TV channels
Waves and a downwind
component. The sea and the wind are the
factors that make Surf Ski paddling different from K1. We don't want flat water sprint conditions if
we can avoid it. (Obviously it will
sometimes happen because no one controls the ocean - but ideally each race
should be planned to avoid flat conditions).
Weighting
We want to encourage international
participation and in the past the races with the highest prize money have
attracted the largest international fields.
So we've given the races with the biggest prize money extra points. Molokai is the holy grail of surf ski
paddling - so we've given it extra points too
Where does Surfski.info fit in?
Simply - we've got the audience and the
channel for exposure. We're going to be going all out to provide
more and
better coverage at every race. We learned from Molokai that live
coverage
works via the Internet and we confirmed this with the ARB World
Cup. We've learned that video too is hugely attractive (and easy
to supply) and in the upcoming
races we're going to make sure that we plaster video clips all over the
site,
using facilities like YouTube.
And at Dubai, we want to use GPS/GSM units
that will give us the ability to display racer's positions in real time - we'll
have our live commentary, the live positions and near-live video
coverage. Ultimately we'll want cameras on the boats as well...
What does Surfski.info get out of it?
I have no idea - but I hope it'll encourage
even more eyeballs on the site and, of course, we hope to make some dollars out
it. Not sure how yet, but we're going after advertising and we may
introduce a subscription model. We're not there yet, but Alain & I
love the sport and love working on the site and if we can find a way of doing
it full time, that would be our ideal..
The
Surfski.info World Rankings 2007/2008
Here are the rules that we're going to use
for new season.
The Races
The races that will count are:
2007 US
Championships (USA): 29 September 2007
2007 Dubai
Shamaal (UAE): 29/30 November 2007
2007 Perth (Aus):
8/9 December 2007
2008 King of the
Harbor (NZ): Mar 2008
2008 Molokai
(Hawaii, USA): May 2008
2008 Durban (SA):
June 2008
Races to count
Each individual's
best results will count from half the races plus one i.e. if there are 6 or 7
races, 4 will count; 8 or 9 races, 5 will count.
Points
At Molokai points will be
awarded to 15th position: the winner gets 15 points, 2nd
place gets 14, down to 15th place which gets 1 point.
For any race where the
first prize is $10,000 or more, the winner gets 15 points, 2nd place
gets 14, down to 15th place which gets 1 point. The races that currently fall into this
category are the Dubai Shamaal and the SA World Cup.
Points at all other races
will be awarded to 10th position: the winner gets 10 points, 2nd
place gets 9, down to 10th place which gets 1 point.
In the case of a tie, the paddlers'
total points from all races will count.
More Races?
There are a couple of other races which may be considered for addition
to the list:
Hong Kong - rumored to be planned for November 2007
Tahiti
2007
Cape Point Challenge (SA)
World Rankings Poll
This year we wanted to include the Cape
Point Challenge. This is one of the
"classic" races, held in spectacular surroundings. It's long (56km) and always has a combination
of headwind, downwind, massive ocean swells, vicious chop and it's one of the
most challenging races in the calendar.
However:
No other nation hosts more than one race in
the series
It comes just after a grueling schedule of
other races: Hong Kong (probable); Dubai
and Perth (and the usual date of 16 Dec for CPC would exacerbate this problem).
The race has never had more than a handful
of international paddlers participate.
So we thought we'd have a poll to let paddlers decide on whether to
include CPC in the series.
"World Cup"?
We've had a couple of questions about the term "world cup" and why
there are multiple world cups. Well, there is a precedent for
this - in sprint canoing, there are multiple world cups and there's one
world championship. They call the winner of the world
championship the "world champion".
We suggest that there should not be a world championship for surf ski -
each race is different because of the ever-changing conditions on the
ocean. The reason sprint canoing can have a single world
championship race is because the course is exactly reproducible - it's
a straight line of a predetermined length.
The world champion of surf ski should be the paddler who wins the
greatest number of races - in effect showing his/her mastery of all the
various paddling conditions presented during the series.
Brilliant !!!!!! written by Christo Tromp,
July 13, 2007
Brilliant ,Brilliant ,Brilliant. You are the guys that rock,when it comes to info on surfsking, why not be the ones initiating this World Rankings list. I believe all paddlers can see the benifit of this, and that they can use it to procure sponserships to go to these races.
Good going guys,and good luck on your ventures. I commend you.
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Are we excited or what . . . written by Ian Kingon,
July 13, 2007
What an exciting time to be involved in Surfskiing! And what great people to take this forward. Oscar, Dawid and all the other quality paddlers and surski.info! A killer combination . . . and let's see what the Shamaal can pull out of the bag to attract the biggest international field ever?
Things can only go from strength to strength and this WILL grow into something that BIG sponsors will want to clamber on board with . . . before they miss out!
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World Series Hooray! written by DawidM,
July 15, 2007
Well, this is what I've been shooting for for the last 3 years, and it looks like it is here. Bring on 2007/2008.
See you in San Fran.
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The CPC should be in! written by DawidM,
July 15, 2007
The Cape Point Challenge is THE ONLY RACE that will give you every single ocean condition out there. It is an epic race, and if the organisers can get the sponsorship for it and Internationals are willing to come and do it, then it should definitely be counted. If Molokai is in, then Cape Point should be in. Also, with Molo included, the USA has 2 races.
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Not even one bit similar to Molokai !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! written by O Chalupsky,
July 16, 2007
Having done this more times than I care to remember, I think I can put the true perseoctive on this race. Have a look at the race results over the last 20 years, when the race was actally done like it is supposed to be run. Had to change the race 3 times that I can remember. Dawid you weren't born when I did my 1st Cape Piont. Molokai average time 3hrs 45min, CP over 5 hours!!!
Molokai: 2 of the last 20 races, flat, those flat races still shorter in time than the CP
What is the normal wind for these race? Molokai, trades 20 to 30knots, then 99% down wind, especially with new finish. CP SE winds 30 to 40knots, then 65% headwind, 10% side on, then the rest downwind!!! yes
Molokai has a good race date. CP is 14 days after Perth World Cup which is a 1 hour 45 minute race. Dawid you didn't manage to go from Durban World Cup to S2B and feel good " I have raced too much"
Not one international competitive paddler have ever even done the CP. Molokai, has had internationals every year since the 1st race.
Races that aren't fun are dieing. Take the Berg River marathon, Cape Town, South Africa. In a growing sport, that race has dropped from 300 entrances to 99. In the same period the Fish River Marathon, Eastern Cape, South Africa has gone from 50 to 2000!!!!! The winter surf ski series in, Durban, South Africa has gone form 50 to 500. Thanks Billy
Having said all the above and I have a "little" experience in both Molokai and CP, both are great race but one is fun and the other is a head bash for 75% and then fun for the last 25%.
Oscar Chalupsky fun ocean paddler
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who can afford to go to all of these races? written by Horatio,
July 16, 2007
There must be one race each year that is the World Championship race. This would allow paddlers who dont have the money to go to all the other races to become world champion. The Worlds can be held at different places around the world. Your idea is ok Rob, but only a few paddlers would ever have the chance to become your so called world champion.
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Single "world championship" cannot work written by Rob Mousley,
July 16, 2007
The whole point is to get sufficient sponsorship so that the top guys can get to all the races. The paddlers want a World Series, not a single world championship.
By paddling in different parts of the world, the paddlers are tested by the different conditions and the guy who comes out top does so because he's the best overall.
A single race would only test the paddlers under the conditions that happened to be on that day and it would be meaningless if, for example, it turned out to be flat calm. We want to know who the best is overall including downwind, rough and flat conditions - which you'll get over the course of a series.
And of course, right now, the guys who have their own sponsorship and can afford to travel are more likely to be at the top of the points log. But all we're doing is making a start. It's not perfect, but it's a start - and a good selection of the top paddlers (for example Dean Gardiner, Ash Nesbit, Oscar, Dawid Mocke, Daryl Bartho, Dave Kissane) are in favor of it.
As time goes on, more sponsorship WILL become available - look at the Dubai Shamaal race where the top 3 of the other big races are being sponsored to come to Dubai. Guys were sponsored to come to Durban too - it can and will happen.
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Consider spectators and local paddling community size written by Nico de Wet,
July 16, 2007
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the spectators, nor the size of the local surfski community, as a selection criterion. Lets consider the spectators first, I'm not sure how many of you have watched the Cape Point Challenge from the high cliffs close to the Point (see http://www.capepoint.co.za/), I have and I tell you its spectacular. Even watched Dawid coming in first last year (miles ahead of the competition) and then the last paddler coming in (he had my paddle). You can watch most of the Cape Point Challenge from the land, just like a Hout Bay to Granger Bay race, which is another plus.
When it comes to the local paddling community, I would guess that Cape Town has the second largest surfski community in the world, that alone should make Cape Town a contender. Having a world series race in Cape Town would only help the sport as it would spurt further growth in the local community. Whether the race is a Cape Point Challenge or not, Cape Town should be included.
Personally I believe surfskiing is already too much of an elitist sport, not only in terms of the type of people that take part, but also in terms of making big races accessible to ordinary folk. Yes Molokai clips are nice to watch, but seriously for most of us it's not going to happen. Why should the big races only cater for the top paddlers? That is what makes road running races like the comrades great, they are also about the tail enders, not just the winner.
All of the above being said, sure, sponsorship for the top paddlers is essential, but there are other factors to consider.
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The Paddlers want a world series, not a world championship? written by Horatio,
July 17, 2007
Rob, I am a paddler and I think a World Series cumlminating with a world championship is a better fit. Because you cant just cater for sponsored paddlers. I agree a worthy winner has to be good in all conditions, but everyone has the same chance in all conditions. And the best athlete on the day, in 99% of races will win.
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Let's mix it up written by backline2,
July 17, 2007
It's worth noting that CPC is a biannual event so the world series would not be able to include it every year. This is not necessarily a bad thing as it allows a bit of flexibility to the races included in the series. I agree with Nico's comments that it is a great race from a spectator perspective and for that reason alone deserves consideration. Big O also makes a point about the tough headwinds - perhaps a revised, shorter course with more downwind conditions could be run at another time of year eg. Jan/Feb in addition to CPC and this new race included instead. I think this was the intention of the "original" world cup organisers who unfortunately had to use their alternative route from HB to Granger Bay due to adverse weather.
I also notice the absence of any European races. I think the Med is crying out for decent race that will help growth the sport in that continent.
Rob and Al - well done done and keep up the debate. It can only help to grow the sport.
cheers K
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Cape Point Challenge is an annual race written by Rob Mousley,
July 17, 2007
As of this year, the CPC is an annual race, not bi-annual.
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CP Challenge written by Mark Sandvold,
July 17, 2007
Oscar makes a good point as to prepare for the CP race one would have to adjust training for the much longer distance. For most of us the World Cup distance of 2 hours or less in primarily downwind works and is attainable to still have a life and raise a family.
The longer races will still hold the prominece and history and should rightly so. As for me I made the trip years ago and grinded out a 6 hour "nigthmare" in mostly if not all flat and as much as I loved Cape town I am not to excited about racing it again...
Make it shorter and mostly downwind and I will buy my tickets tomorrow....
Also regarding the Molokai and people not happy with it being called the World Championships... Trust me this did not come from Hawaiians or the race organizers but instead from the the many international ski paddlers who have "Heard" about the great downhill race and want to race it at least once in their life. Much like our North Shore is to the surfing world as most pro surfers would trade several other non Hawaiian wins for at least one win at Pipe Sunset or Waimea.
Going forward it looks as if the right races for now have been selected and its a step in the right direction to actually having a tour and now we can work on sponsors to recognize our growing sport. With that said we also have to recognize and design the races around the top guys so as to get max participation from internation paddlers...
Aloha, Mark
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CPC written by oceana,
July 17, 2007
With due respect to the other races there is probably no other race that offers the variety of conditions that CPC does. Dubai is a straight flat water race, and Molokai is classic downwind. Durban will also be mostly a classic downwind. I don't know enough about US Champs, KoH, or Perth to comment on them. You really do need a race that offers both headwind and downwind and also potentially very big and rough swells. I would also contend that you need a longer than usual race to offer those paddlers that focus on endurance a shot at a big title as well. It is further without doubt one of the most spectacular visual races in the world. Further it has an incredible history behind it and has been in existence far longer that any of the above races. Agree that it is not ideally placed calendar wise, and perhaps this needs to be looked. Prior to the surge in popularity of surfski over the last few years it was, after Molokai, the most prestigous race to win. It should be included.
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CPC dieing ... written by oceana,
July 17, 2007
Just a last comment on CPC and in response to Oscar's comment re longer races dieing. This certainly isn't the case with CPC. The last race had a record entry, and the organisers were under more pressure to try and limit the entry field than to try and boost it. Because of all the reasons mentioned above it is tremendously popular and will remain so. Cheers
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Slogger written by Alain Jaques,
July 17, 2007
Nico has a good point,
Personally I believe surfskiing is already too much of an elitist sport, not only in terms of the type of people that take part, but also in terms of making big races accessible to ordinary folk. Yes Molokai clips are nice to watch, but seriously for most of us it's not going to happen. Why should the big races only cater for the top paddlers? That is what makes road running races like the comrades great, they are also about the tail enders, not just the winner.
Surfskiing is an elitist sport and highly competative. In a running race I come somewhere near the middle of the field, in a river race I'm three quarters down and in surfski I am a tail ender. I don't think my ability or my fitness changes but running and river racing just seem to have a larger range of less talented athletes. This is where the growth potential in the sport is, besides it will make my placing look better. I think the Shamaal organisers have got it right with the Anchorman competition where your ordinary slogger can be treated like an elite paddler for the event.
Oscar too has a point, comparing the Fish River marathon to the Berg River Marathon. Everybody who finishes the Fish wants to come back, the race is Big and Exciting but it is not a major endurace event, also the whole weekend vibe in the middle of nowhere is so amazing.
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CPC written by Barry,
July 17, 2007
Doods, ask Dawid right now what too much racing and too much distance can do to you, it's not cool burning out, losing form or racing tired. Been there and it's not fun! Cape Point is a classic and will always be a classic, it's one of the most awesome races I have ever done but it does not fit this tour. Its just too long and at a time of the year where there is too much other racing for the top guys. I won't do Cape Point even if it is included and its in my home country, you can't expect a massive international field after such intense racing in Dubai and Ausi. The events that have been picked work, the top guys can get to them all in one year! I will be at all 6!
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Another Slogger - see? we're growing in number written by Ken Moore,
July 17, 2007
Surfski fields will increase as publicity and support grows- Even the Molokai, with it's high costs and low purse (read: the race could be run from the new interisland 900 passenger catamarans), and as more and more of us older guys 'n gals turn to surfski racing - because our knees won't support us running anymore. The pure fun (as the O says) in doing the Molokai will keep me coming back, working to be better and better each time. If there is only one big race a year in your wallet, I would vote for the Molokai - but then I live here!
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... written by Jasper Mocke,
July 18, 2007
The authors are pushing the image of surski in an "extreme sport" direction with which i fully agree. Surski padlling is an extreme sport without any doubt. We must be careful to not associate extreme with big as in wave and wind conditions only. The distance of the race is a big factor in whether the race is extreme or not, ie a flat long race can still be extreme ie molokai 2007. However i dont think that the world series/circuit must have the exclusivity of "extreme only" hanging over it but rather one of "diversity". This then would include races like dubai and possibly hong kong of which both would be hard to rival durban wc and cpc in "extremity". It is an excellent idea to have races all over the world and i hope we can get them in as many possible. I think we should include cpc in the world rankings. It is the toughest one day surfski race in the world in terms of time and conditions and one of the oldest and to leave it out would be a shame to the rankings and possibly also be the beginning of the end for the race. If the calendar is set and paddlers have an idea of what lies ahead they can plan for the season and decide which races are more important than others for themselves. The points scheme that excludes the paddlers worst few races will fit neatly into this. In terms of money and accesibility it is better to have more world cup races. That for example would enable a south african guy, who is not serious to be world champ, to take part in the two SA wc's. Serious, profesional paddlers will find or ideally be offered sponsorships to travel to international races.
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WC Criteria & Race Selection Committee written by Dave K,
July 18, 2007
Clearly, criteria needs to agreed to by key stakeholders on what qualifies as a World Cup event. First you need to identify who the stakeholders are: the elite paddlers? sponsors? the mass ocean paddling fraternity? Once this is done, these stakeholders should be represented and WC events approved. Until this is done, debate will rage and the WC label will be abused. If the CPC is to be considered, why not include Australia's most famous race - the "20 Beaches"? I think the obvious answer is that no international paddlers do it and there are already enough races.
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We could look at it in a slightly different way written by TomBJ,
July 18, 2007
Instead of a traditional 'World Cup', consider adopting a format such as they use in international golf. Firstly, there is no 'World Cup' (well, there is that 2-man event that hardly got off the ground). Instead they have the Majors. Also, there is more than 1 tour (European, PGA, Sunshine Tour, etc.) Now instead of debating about which event gets WC status, we start a poll to decide which are our Majors. We already have 'tours' in the making in SA and Oz - we just formalise this. We could start an Asian and US tour as well (eventually even a European tour). Then races in each tour get points status, with the most prestigious races such as 20 Beaches and CPC receiving more points than other smaller races. The Majors get big points. Molokai, being the 'Augusta' of surfski, gets huge points. We'll see paddlers going after the grand slam, etc. So all races around the world are now Included instead of the current situation where races are being Excluded. The debate about what must be considered a WC event will end because all races count (some much more than others). Each race that is given 'points status' must then conform to certain internationally accepted criteria. If they don't conform they lose their points status (and therefore sponsorship potential), which will keep up standards. We will have leaderboards for the SA tour, the Oz tour, etc. The top 4 on each tour are then invited to each of the Majors where they are hosted all-expenses-paid. This will give the Majors much more punch because all the top guys will be there.
Most importantly: if we have various regional tours with many races counting for points, we now have the opportunity for all paddlers to be included because we can all participate. We can ALL earn points. We ALL have a chance to get a world ranking. In other words, instead of the top 10 we now have the top 500! This will kill the 'eliteist' tag that the WC will adopt.
We must be more inclusive, not exclusive. This will grow the sport much more.
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TomBJ Great idea! written by Horatio,
July 18, 2007
Tom, Great thinking. Now all you have to do is convince Rob. Not an easy thing to do.
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Let's just get started...! written by Rob Mousley,
July 18, 2007
There are some great ideas being thrown out here and I'm sure that eventually we will have Asian, US, Australian, European and SA tours.
But we have to start somewhere and one of the goals for the immediate future is to keep it simple.
By arbitrarily declaring the "Surfski.info World Rankings" we hope to stimulate interest and discussion within the paddling community (and clearly we're succeeding there!) AND we hope to raise the profile of paddling so as to help event organisers to increase sponsorship.
Increased sponsorship improves events for everyone - not just the elite competitors who are in line to win big prize money. The ARB Surf Ski World Cup was the biggest, best organised race yet - and because of that the experience was great for ALL the paddlers, not just the top guys. (Just ask the youngster who won a V10Ultra in one of THREE ski giveaways - both Red7 and Custom Kayaks gave away skis in lucky draws as well!) The Dubai Shamaal race is going to be wrapped in a whole tourist experience - it's going to be a holiday, not just a race.
So the argument that the World Rankings benefit only the elite paddlers is not true.
My thinking was (and is): - Select a set of races for the Rankings - Interest the top paddlers in the process to give the Rankings some credibility - Race organisers now have another selling point to pitch to the sponsors - Increased sponsorship means bigger races, more elite paddlers and (as important) more non-elite paddlers. MORE FUN FOR EVERYONE!
As I said before - right now exactly which races are included doesn't really matter.
We have a set of races that meet the approval of a fair selection of international paddlers. That's enough. CPC is a great race, there's a debate on whether it should be included - fair enough.
But let's work on making the current Rankings work and then take it from there. Next year the list can grow and if there are credible races in Europe or Asia or wherever, of course they can be added to the list. If we get a big sponsor on board and they want to create a surfing style world series, of course, no problem.
But right now, we need a simple formula to get paddlers and sponsors interested.
It may not be perfect but it's a start.
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CPC written by PARKSY,
July 18, 2007
Believe me I echo Oscar's sentiments about the difficulty of the CPC. Having completed 11 of the 13 they have had, I can tell you that I rate it as the most difficult race on the local calendar. I rate it even harder than the PE2EL. Some years ago Tony Scott told me that these CPCs were the hardest races he had ever done in the world. This race, if done on the traditional course, is a real challenge not a race and I believe that it should NOT be included on the World Cup calendar.
Finally I would just like to appeal to the organisers of the CPC to do everything possible for the race to be completed on the traditional route.
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World Champs written by tim,
July 18, 2007
Great debate. After the all the work that went into ensuring that surfski paddling was recognised by the ICF - will the ICF will be the body ratifying the WOrld Championship and WOrld Cup Status as they do with the other disciplines?
I note that ICF rules (as I understand currently in draft form) regulate the above fixtures and other things such as boat weight (I may be incorrect but a number 13kg minimum limit seems to ring a bell) - when will organisers be bound by these rules?
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Hi Parksy written by GD,
July 18, 2007
Always like your comments - and glad you have stopped writing in CAPITAL letters.
Can you tell me how the CPC is harder that the PE/EL. I have done the PE/EL (Double), am doing it single in 2008 - but never wanted to do the CPC. You have my interest now. The only comments I have had are about a v hard race - done in freezing water. The guys last time did not even do the traditional course - and did not rave about it at all. Why is it so tough...I may now have to do it!
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Change format each year written by Tom B,
July 18, 2007
On the weekend I was assistant time keeper in some of the winter marathon rces here in NSW the thing that I notice most was not only the amount of surf skis participating but the amount of different skis the were on display by different outlets. The point being this sport is taking off anf needs something like a world championship.
So why not have the 6 races in each country, which gives the paddlers from that country a home advantage, but change the venue biannually say Durban one year Cape Town the next, then everyone gets a chance.
Tom B
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Parksy's capital letters... written by Rob Mousley,
July 18, 2007
Hey GD
>> Always like your comments - and glad you have stopped writing in CAPITAL letters.
Errr... the original comment WAS in caps - some cunning undercover moderation happened...!
>> Why is it so tough...I may now have to do it!
In a Southeaster:
First half into the wind - and usually on the Atlantic side of Cape Point i.e. into big waves. Also the last 4km before the point has breakers that pop up anywhere - the "southwestern reefs". Also the last 4km is incredibly choppy from the reflected waves bouncing off Cape Point. Guys often get seasick at this point.
Awesome runs down to Buffels. Then the beginning of the next section as far as Smits is extremely choppy - again waves reflected off the cliffs. Finally the runs start getting better and better and it turns into the regular Millers Run.
In a northwester:
Nice runs down to the Point - then a head-bashing crawl along the coast, tucked right into shore to take what shelter is available.
For me it's the ultimate test of ski paddling - it's rough water all the way, you go into wind, across the chop and you have a major downwind component. I fully intend to do Molokai one day, but Cape Point is the "other" big race in my calendar (and since it's local, it's easy for me to do)! (PE2EL is an ultra-marathon and the kind of thing I might attempt once in my life - Cape Point I intend to do every year.)
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ICF involvement written by Chris Chorley,
July 18, 2007
This is such an exciting time to be involved in this sport! I am glad Tim mentioned the ICF as I see this as a real issue potentially. Whilst there was much happiness about the Durban World Cup gaining ICF recognition I have to wonder why. Don't get me wrong, I fully support the ICF as it is but we need to ask what it will do for our sport. It is largely effective as a body for dealing with Olympic disciplines and the issue of drugs. Surfski is not about to become an olympic discipline. The ICF promotes canoeing still as an entirely amateur sport. The real pros are funded by national governing bodies in their bid for OLYMPIC glory. There is absolutely no prize money in slalom and sprinting. There is absolutely no prize money on the world cup circuits of wildwater and marathon racing. The ICF loves regulation.There are great restrictions on who can enter the sprint, slalom, wildwater and marathon world cup series, both in terms of competitor numbers and boat spec. Look at the current world cup series for the non-olympic wildwater and marathon. In marathon there are only 2 world cups all year. They are generally held in Europe. This year ther were less than 20 mens K1 entries and power nations like AUS, RSA and Portugal didn't send any athletes. Are these really the best marathon events in the world? No. The Sella, Liffey, Avon, Ardeche, Fish , Devises to Westminster etc do far more to promote the sport:they have sponsorship, prize money, TV coverage and mass participation. None of them are ICF events. Fantastic site guys.
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World Tour Events written by Boyan Zlatarev,
July 19, 2007
Hi everyone, I haven't had the chance to enter any of the big challenges around the world and can't really comment CPC. One thing that I really appreciated was when in 2006 I lined up with some of the best ski paddlers in the world during Dubai Shamaal. I had paddled for 6 years and finally had the opportunity to see where I stand in comparison with the big guys. It was an exciting race for me although some will say that it was flat water and not much of a challenge.
I think that the world tour should include as many different destinations as possible and not have more than one race per country so people like me get the chance to line up with the best without having to spend a lot and travel too far. I realize that SA has the biggest paddling crowd in the world and also that it is impossible to have events everywhere but I also don't think that you want to call yourselves world champions if you are the only ones competing. If we have more destinations around the world, there is a better chance to find talent outside of SA and Australia to make the sport more interesting.
Another thing is that sponsored paddlers shouldn't just take part in the events, get the cash and go for the next race. I believe that it is their responsibility to become ambassadors of the sport and give some of their time to motivate paddlers from the local community by participating in clinics and demo events that would benefit sponsors and Surfski Paddling as a sport. This should probably be reinforced by the organizers of each event but in any case this is how the sport will spread to parts of the world different from SA, Australia and USA.
There are many things to be considered but here I have to agree with Rob Mousley that we should keep it simple in the beginning and get things going and make changes as the tour develops rather than try to anticipate every single aspect in advance. I don't think that anyone has a doubt that races like Molokai, PE to EL and Cape Point Challenge are unique and difficult to compete in. If I win CPC I wouldn't care if I got no points for World Tour because the Challenge on its own has enough credibility and it doesn't need to be included in any list to prove that. Challenges of this caliber are above the world cup and of course open for a great number of participants.
World tour list of events is not there to show which most popular or most difficult races are, it is a way to popularize the sport and give a chance to everyone to compete with the best. It is also the way to find out who the best of the best is. Fair enough only the top guys and girls will get to travel to all of the events but this is exactly the idea, the set up cannot cater for all paddlers in the world to move from continent to continent every month.
Thanks for reading.
I hope to see you all in Dubai for some flat water heat exhausting monotonous dusty town sun burning paddling?I will enjoy every second of it!!! Cheers
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Boyan Zlatarev written by GD,
July 19, 2007
Fair to say Boyan is the fastest man on the water in the UAE (with some serious heat just behind him from guys like Haydon Holmes, Rob Klok, Pete O Higgins) and is putting a lot into the sport here through the excellent Dubai paddleing school, and is a great natural talent. It is our great hope here that one day he & a few of our other Dubai operators pull a surprise move on the seeded internationals - and we get some poduim action. One day! DSKC will keep ensuring we send paddlers to 'run with the big dog's' from time to time - just not repeat of the 2007 Molo, please.
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No Video, No TV, No way. written by Michael Knight,
August 06, 2007
It won't matter what anyone does, until we get this exciting sport onto televisions it will never happen in a big way, and especially won't attract major corporate sponsors. The recent Duban race is a classic example, everybody raving about the conditions and how amazing it was, I havent seen one bit of fair dinkum footage. Have the races wherever you like, the avergae punter won't care, just make sure there is one in each of the major participating countries. Its no different to Ironman Triathlon, have enough races in enough countries and the people will come, some will go to them all, some to a few and most only to that race in their country. There has to be a major race, and it would seem Molokai is it. Maybe one day, you'll have to qualify to compete at Molkai just like Ironman Hawaii.
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... written by Rob Fishbeck,
August 12, 2007
If I can make a suggestion. To look at the way cycling is run. An international sport that has great races around the world, it still has a single "World Championship" Race. It does not lower the achievement off any other winner, but it open the door for a race winner that is not "cashed up". As surf skiing is headed towards more and more sponsored paddlers, it seems logical to me that you could have a "professional" series and a world champ race. The winner of ther series that you speak off could be know as the World Series Champion, and you could have the winner of the big M as the World Champ. Neither would be less of an achievement, but it would enable young and old paddlers to be able to achieve fame and possably sponsorship by winning or doing well in the World Champ race. The two could feed off each other. Hopefully you could even find a naming sponsor for the series??? Just a mug paddlers idea. I know one thing I want to do in my life is the Molkai, but I will never have the resorces to do the series! Keep up the great sight. Rob
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... written by Rob Mousley,
September 06, 2007
Poll closed... Question Should the Cape Point Challenge be included in the Surfski.info World Rankings?
Results Yes: 127 votes No: 120 votes
So - the Cape Point Challenge WILL be included in the 2007/2008 World Rankings.
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Good going guys,and good luck on your ventures. I commend you.