A Deep Dive into 2025 with SIC Maui Team Rider Seychelle

SIC Global Team Rider, Seychelle is a renowned world champion stand-up paddling athlete from Melbourne, Florida, celebrated for her exceptional racing performance and dedication to the sport. Over her remarkable career, she has competed at the highest levels, epitomizing resilience and passion. Beyond her athletic achievements, Seychelle is also a coach inspiring paddlers worldwide through her leadership, retreats, and coaching initiatives. Her commitment to growth—personally, professionally, and within the paddling community—mirrors her love for water and her unwavering drive to elevate stand-up paddling. Her 2025 year is one of perseverance, community, and inspiring others to find their stoke on the water!

Hi Seychelle! Welcome back to TotalSUP! We’re so stoked to talk to you about all things 2025! Can you share highlights and memorable moments from your 2025 season?

Hi Maddi. Thanks so much to you and Total SUP for taking the time to chat with me today. I like to go deep and share the real story because I believe that is what truly relates, inspires, and uplifts our paddling community. I’d say the highlights and memorable moments of 2025 were both in racing and in coaching.

Hosting my first Women’s SUP & Surf Retreat with you this spring Maddi was certainly up there! It was an incredible challenge for me, a huge learning experience, (as all of our biggest challenges are) and a great success. 18 women from around the world joined us for a week in Costa Rica. It was one of the hardest and most rewarding and memorable weeks of my life. I believe it was for you as well.

I also hosted a Spring Training Camp which was an absolutely amazing week of learning and training with an incredible group of paddlers in North Carolina. This one was a 10/10 and probably the highlight of my coaching career thus far.

As far as racing goes, the highlights definitely have to be both the USA SUP National Championships. The Team USA selection event in Oceanside California in June had big surf. The tech race was gnarly.  I was looking out at the sets before the start wishing I didn’t have to do it. So then running across the finish line in first place felt pretty amazing and super badass!  Only two women actually finished the race, myself and my fellow SIC Maui team rider Soryn Preston.

After that I’d say it was my performance in the distance race at the USA SUP Nationals Belle Isle race. That was probably the strongest I’ve felt all year and such a fun course to paddle! I also really enjoyed Seychelle SUP being one of the main sponsors for USA SUP and the National Championship event. That felt like a big growth step for my coaching brand evolution this year. Other super fun events that I was a part of and raced in this year were the Charles Island SUP CUP and the Lowcountry Paddlefest. Definitely ones to add to your race calendar for 2026!

That sounds like quite a jam packed year so far, but filled with so many good things! What were the biggest challenges you faced during this season, and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenges I faced this year we’re not related to racing. They were personal, familial, and not things I will share about, but I will say that 2025 continues to be one of the hardest years of my career trying to balance a lot. However there are a couple of pieces that I will share. One is that my biggest goal for 2025 was not to win any SUP races or titles, but actually my biggest goal was to be pregnant and to grow my family. I envisioned 2025 being pregnant, doing more coaching and less racing, and that obviously was not the case.

I actually trained a lot less this year than ever before for events and competitions. I was always hoping next month would be the month. Fertility challenges can be one of the most stressful things a family can go through. In addition to that, being the sole financial provider for my family with my SUP coaching business, I felt the effects of the economic shifts, as did many in the industry. Running a business that thrives on recreational money spending was also quite stressful at times.

Thank you for sharing such a personal struggle as I’m sure that was not easy to face this year. How did your training evolve in 2025 compared to previous years?

As I said this year I actually scaled my training back quite a bit to focus on family and business. I am really grateful for my coach Larry Cain, who I’ve been training with for 8 years now. We share a close coach/athlete relationship and together we always seem to be able to create a plan that delivers on race day no matter what the circumstances. I can rely heavily on my 10+ years of training and racing experience to get in really good quality work with much less quantity than I previously would have. I am also really grateful for SUP racing as it is definitely what kept me going this year. Training and racing felt like a constant that I could rely on. A much needed consistency in the midst of chaos and unknowns.

That’s fantastic! I can definitely relate to training and racing being a positive thing to look forward to and rely on. How has riding for SIC influenced your performance and overall approach to racing?

I love being a part of a global team of athletes. SIC does a really great job of getting boards to events where myself and other team riders need them. I love being a part of the R&D in testing and sharing feedback on new board designs. It’s a very thorough process that the team goes through before a board makes it to production. I am really proud of the RST. It’s my go-to board for almost all racing disciplines now, and I still paddle and love my RS as much as I always have. Some athletes might like to always be riding something new and flashy, but I love that I have boards that are tried and true. I feel so dialed in. SIC Maui is reliable and consistent. The boards are also super durable. I use my equipment hard and put a lot of miles on my boards and they remain in incredible condition and hold their value.

Incredible! What makes SIC Maui stand out as a brand and a team in the world of stand-up paddling?

I love riding for SIC. I have been with this brand for 9 years now and they never let me down. As I just stated I rely heavily on consistency and loyalty. The reliable knowns in this world of unknowns. SIC has always supported my career, supported women in SUP, supported me becoming a mother and will continue to do so.  SIC Maui was one of the original premier SUP brands and through a lot of upheaval in our industry has always managed to stay innovative, supportive of the sport, and on top. One of the things I love just as much as how SIC supports me is how they have supported the SUP industry. I’ve been through and watched many pivots and changes in this brand to continue to deliver top quality gear and customer service across the globe. I feel really proud to be part of the team.

We’re so happy to hear about your incredible partnership with SIC! Can you describe your relationship with the SIC team and how they support your goals?

I love doing my SIC Maui Talk stories on the SIC Facebook channel where I get to connect with the paddle community across the globe. SIC has helped support my racing and athletic career as well as my coaching career in SUP. It’s a very symbiotic relationship that we share, both of us giving credibility and clients to the other. I am so grateful to be a part of the SIC Ohana and to live by their motto #boundbywater.

Looking ahead, what are your goals and aspirations for the next racing season?

Right now I am focused on finishing up 2025 by competing in the ICF SUP World Championships at the end of October in Abu Dhabi. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to attend so I’m really grateful to be going to represent my country and my team.

Some things I am really looking forward to in 2026 are my Women’s SUP & Surf Retreat in Costa Rica well as my Florida SUP Training Camp, both of which are already sold out.  If you’d like to join the waiting list or for more information about any of my SUP Coaching events and opportunities, you can join my mailing list by visiting my website www.SeychelleSUP.com. I am hoping to share some updates and more announcements on 2026 very soon. You can also always reach me at coach@seychellesup.com

It sounds like you have lots of great adventures coming up for 2026! It’s amazing! Speaking of the future, how do you see the sport of stand-up paddling evolving in the coming years?

Well I hope to continue to see the growth of the sport. It’s definitely increasing slowly in the US. I can primarily only speak to the evolution in the USA. We need more organizations, clubs, and youth development especially so that we can grow more top level athletes.  I love seeing the return and growth of shop and club supported race leagues and training groups. Supporting associations like USA SUP can help as well as supporting your local events and SUP shops. Our sport thrives when the industry thrives. More growth will follow more small businesses and brands making money in SUP. If you are investing in your personal SUP evolution this year, consider where that money is going. Are you supporting the business and brands that are supporting the growth of this sport, because that is what is needed.

We couldn’t agree with you more… when the industry thrives our sport survives! Last question before we let you go today, what advice would you give to aspiring paddlers who want to follow in your footsteps?

Get a coach. Gain racing experience. Be patient.

I think the hardest part for a young athlete in this country/in this sport is the financial support required to train, travel, race, and stay healthy. It’s probably the main reason we don’t have many new young athletes in the US. Sponsorships only cover so much (it’s not much) and it’s often required to have put in significant time, effort, and results before you can gain a sponsorship in the first place. So I guess my advice for someone who truly wanted to “follow in my footsteps” would be to find a way to make a living that also supports your SUP career. Get creative and surround yourself with people who support you in various ways.

I’ll finish with these thoughts that are coming through for any athlete trying to “make it.”

SUP for the love of SUP.

SUP because it’s what makes you feel alive.

SUP because it’s your calling.

SUP because it’s who and what you are meant to be and do in this world.

SUP for a reason greater than a result

Fall in love with the process and not the results.

This depth of passion is what is needed to get you through the years of work required to get where I have been.

My love of SUP and my WHY in this sport has evolved many times over the years. It has always been greater than me, greater than the next event, greater than any and all titles combined. A lot of it’s been about YOU, the paddle community. Connecting and sharing with, teaching, helping, and inspiring you to greater growth. Becoming better versions of ourselves through this sport.

Two of my greatest gifts in life are being an athlete and being a teacher. The highest and best version of myself that I can be is doing exactly what I am doing right now. That’s what keeps me going. Giving back my best. Because the world deserves the best version of me, the best version of us all.

Thank you so much Seychelle for taking the time to share your thoughts, and reflections about your 2025 year of racing, growing the paddling community, and riding for SIC with us! We wish you nothing but the best of luck in Abu Dhabi and for the rest of the year! Keep being awesome!

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