Channel Islands grit and the Infinity SUP dream: Interview with Jacques Thomas

This could be a breakthrough year for Jacques Thomas. Stepping up from the kids division into juniors and recently named a GBSUP Junior Ambassador, the 14-year-old from the Channel Islands is entering a new chapter.

He’s built a reputation for doing the hardest thing in sport: consistently showing up. In all conditions, on every start line, Jacques has been claiming podiums across the UK – with a growing appetite for the international race scene, following in the footsteps of his mum, Verity Thomas, an accomplished elite racer.

Raised and largely self-coached in the Channel Islands, Jacques – a seven-time GBSUP Junior winner who placed 8th in the Kids category at the 2025 ICF World SUP Championships – is steadily building momentum as his race calendar fills up.

Inspired by the Infinity SUP Speed Freak squad, he’s already riding the gear – and dreaming of earning his place among them one day. We sat down with the up-and-coming paddler to talk about SUP community, inspiring other young paddlers to step into the competitive side of the sport and his plans for 2026.

Photo by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

Hi Jacques, welcome to TotalSUP! You’ve shown incredible consistency and achieved a lot at a young age. What’s your secret to staying focused and motivated, especially living somewhere as isolated as the Channel Islands?

Staying motivated comes from enjoying the process. Training is important, of course, but having fun is what keeps you going. Here in the Channel Islands, we get plenty of different conditions from the occasional flat day to, windy days, to surf, so depending on what conditions there are, and how I’m feeling I can choose where to paddle and what session to do.

My biggest tip is simple: enjoy the training you’re doing and mix it up. If you’re not having fun, it becomes much harder to stay committed and focused.

What do you think would help grow the SUP community in the Channel Islands?

I think involving more organisations, like having GBSUP come over, would help the sport grow. It would give people the chance to see racing first-hand and understand how many paddlers there are across the UK and beyond, who enjoy this sport. Getting people inspired to try the sport is important. Once they try it, and enjoy it, they will stick with it. It would be good to get the clubs over here, all promoting each other too.

How do you balance training and competition with school and other commitments?

Training in the winter time can be challenging because it’s dark before and after school so I can’t paddle very much. In the summer time, it’s easier. I try and finish my homework knowing that once I’ve done that, I can head to the beach. Balancing everything can be tough at times, but if you really love the sport, you find the motivation to make it work.

This year, and next, I have two hard years at school with my exams, which are super important. I’m having to miss out on a lot of races in Europe because of this, but my teachers have been really good with letting me take a few days off to attend GB races. I have a laptop which I have to take away with me, so I can do work online whilst I’m travelling.

Congratulations on becoming the GBSUP Junior Ambassador! What does this role mean to you, and how do you plan to represent the community?

It’s a real honour, and I’m so excited to represent the SUP Junior community this season. My plan is to attend as many GBSUP events as possible, making myself available to chat to other young paddlers and give them tips.

I will be fitting this around other commitments back home in the Channel Islands. I want to make the most of the opportunity to show off my skills, and inspire other young paddlers to join in.

Photo by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

How do you hope to inspire other young paddlers through your ambassador role?

I hope that by sharing my training and racing on social media, other young people will feel encouraged to try the sport. If they see how fun it looks, they might give it a go and once they try it, I think they will keep coming back. That’s how the sport grows. I want people to see the enjoyment in it through my social media posts and reels.

Photo by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

You’re a big fan of Infinity SUP and the Speed Freak squad. What makes them your favourite boards for racing?

I’m a huge fan of Infinity SUP. Their boards perform well in so many conditions, even beyond what they’re designed for. Recently, I surfed their flat-water board, the Whiplash. Dave Boehne and the whole Speed Freak team are great people and big inspirations to me.

They’re the paddlers I look up to. I’d like to become an official Speed Freak one day, as they’re all really nice people and they are all just super cool.

Photo by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

What’s your favourite part of being involved in the SUP community?

The community is incredibly supportive. Everyone is friendly and willing to help. When you travel to races, you meet so many new people, and you build a network of friends across the different countries, all with the same love of the sport.

Even if you don’t know anyone at first, you always end up connecting with someone and chatting to them. That sense of community makes the sport really, really special.

Who are your biggest inspirations in the SUP world?

I have too many…. Firstly, I have to say my mum! She introduced me to the sport, supports me at races, and also races herself. She’s played a huge part in my SUP journey so far.

Racers include the whole Speed Freak team. They are all so nice and always talk to me at events. They not only train and race hard, but they also have so much fun as a group!

Another person is Christian Andersen. He has also been a big influence. He’s known me since I was young and watching him race at such a high level has been inspiring.

In the UK, Blue Ewer, Will Keetley and Hector Jessel were the first paddlers I looked up to. They’ve always been really kind to me.

Dave Boehne as the ‘main man’ for Infinity SUP is also someone I admire. He’s just so ‘cool’.

Jacques with his mum, Verity Thomas | Photo by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

What are your goals for this season and beyond?

As the GBSUP Junior Ambassador, my focus in 2026 is the GBSUP racing series. I’m aiming to win the under 18 category this season. If I qualify for the ICF World Championships, that will become my main goal, especially now that I’ll be competing in the “Junior” division, and no longer in the “Kids”.

I normally focus on sprint and technical racing, but for this season I’m doing some distance races too. To help with this, Duncan at Oscar Propulsion has given me the opportunity to use his paddle for the longer races, so I can race harder and faster, without the muscle fatigue. I’d like to say a massive thank you to him for supporting me.

Whilst racing in the GBSUP series, is a primary focus of mine for 2026, I also want to improve in sup surfing. I think it’s an important skill to have alongside the racing. You never know when you’re going to have to race in surf.
Looking beyond that, I want to keep training hard, perform well at any races I attend, and continue progressing.

Thank you for your time Jacques and see you on the UK’s SUP race circuit!

To find out more about Infinity SUP, visit infinity-sup.com

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*Photos courtesy of Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography and Verity Thomas