2018 was a stand out season for Infinity rider Shae Foudy, it was a season where she came of age ready to take down the best of the best on the APP World Championship Tour. The Californian based paddler demonstrated expert skills and determination in the London SUP open race which gave her a second place finish. Then in the sprints and long distance races along London’s Royal Docks, Shae’s out paddled a stacked field of seasoned competitors. The New York SUP open she took 3rd place, meaning that only 1000 points separated her and team mate Candice Appleby. A strong performance in the Sprints and a 3rd place win in the distance at Paris meant that Shae lifted the 2018 APP Tour title. Currently injured, but raring to go, and aiming to retain her title, Shae takes time to recap the year with TotalSUP.
Hi Shae, How did it feel to take the victory?
Winning my first APP World title was one of the most amazing feelings ever! It didn’t really sink in until I got home and went for my first paddle at home. I remember I sat down after doing a hard piece and just started crying. It was that moment when I realized how big of a deal it was to me that I won this title. I had been dreaming of winning a world title since I first stepped on a paddle board!
What three words would you use to describe the victory?
I would say the three words would be “grateful, hard work, and positivity”. I would say grateful because without all of my sponsors, especially Infinity SUP, without them I would not have been able to even compete in the first race of this tour. I am also extremely grateful to have the support I did along the way and the physical ability to race! Hard work is what I had to put in day in and day out. 5 am workouts before school to going out even when I really wasn’t feeling it. It took hard work and dedication to win the Tour. And finally I used the word positivity because there was a lot of times where I was scared about doing some of the races but a positive mindset is what allowed me to keep my eye on my end goals!
What was your favourite race on the tour and why?
Hands down my favorite race on the tour was the one at France, the Paris SUP Open. I had a blast exploring Paris and the race on the Seine was incredible. I was able to see Paris from a completely different perspectives and of course it was monumental because it was the deciding race for the World Title.
Photo: Rand Photos
What Infinity board did you use to win your title?
Funny story about my board- I was originally planning on travelling with my custom 12’6 Infinity Blackfish but when I got to the airport and was checking all of my bags in the Airline refused to take my board. As you can imagine I was a nervous wreck but Dave Boehne was able to find me another board immediately after I told him the news. So I ended up using a production Infinity SUP Whiplash 12’6 and it ended up being the perfect board for the occasion! The Whiplash and Blackfish are two completely different boards but both can handle conditions extremely well. The Whiplash was perfect for the Race in the Pool because it is very responsive when you have to make quick, sharp turns. And it held up well in the rough conditions on the 9 mile Seine river race!
The Infinity family has a growing reputation. How does it help being part of this family?
I can’t say enough positive things about being a part of the Infinity Family. I am beyond grateful to be a team rider for them! Dave is so smart when it comes to shaping race boards and getting them just right for every different occasion of racing. He does it all over at Infinity- he is the team manager, runs the show on the SUP side and is constantly thinking of innovative ways to switch up all aspects of SUP with his boards and style. And I of course love all of my team mates! It is so fun to travel with all of them.
What are you goals for Season 2019?
Well my season this year has been off to a pretty rough start. I had to pull out of the first few races so far. I tore my lower abdomen early February and it is still healing. I have luckily been back on the water the past 2 weeks and slowly getting back into it. Injuries are never fun but they never fail to teach me valuable lessons about myself and patience! My goal is to perform really well for the last part of my season and realistically come in top 3 on the APP World Tour.
