PRESS RELEASE / SAN CLEMENTE, California – SIC is proud to announce the official SIC Maui Global Team for 2020! Our global team is comprised of familiar and new faces, and we are so stoked to be along the journey with them as we gear up for the 2020 race season. Without further ado, we introduce our 2020 team

LINCOLN DEWS- AUSTRALIA 

Lincoln Dews is joining the SIC in 2020 and we couldn’t be more excited to have him onboard! Dews is a professional waterman- he paddles, surfs, foils, sails, fishes and so much more.

“I believe my greatest challenges still lay out there; I’m not entirely sure where they are yet, but when my Everest comes I’ll be ready.” – Dews

Dews grew up in Maroochydore, Australia, and comes from a family of grassroots watermen. Dews raced his first Molokai2Oahu at the age of 14, after watching his dad and cousins compete in it over the years. Some of Dews SUP accomplishments include: 2x SUP world champion, 3x Australian SUP Champion, SUP World Cup winner, ISA Silver Medalist, ISA World Sup & Paddleboard world camp, & 2018 Paddle League World Tour Champion.

Outside of the water, Dews is in the process of studying to get his Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science, while also working at the Ocean Performance Centre, a facility dedicated to developing youth waterman and women.

Dews has a lot of exciting things coming up in 2020 and we can’t wait to see the amazing things he accomplishes this year.

JADE HOWSON- USA

Born in Laguna Beach California, Jade Howson started her paddling life at age 7 with her dad, exploring the local coves and learning the ways of the ocean with her family. She entered her first event at age 9, winning her age division at the Battle of the Paddle. Jade was hooked, not just on racing, but the lifestyle that the sea provided. Coaching, travel, and new friends soon followed. Jade consistently trains 3 to 4 days a week with on the water and cross trains 2 days a week on land, all while attending Laguna Beach High School finishing up her senior year. Ukulele, guitar and surfing on the Laguna Beach High School surf team fills up the rest of her time. In 2019 traveling took Jade to Dominican Republic, North Carolina, Maui, Hood River Oregon, Osaka Japan and El Salvador. The experiences of new cultures and different racing conditions has been a top priority. Jade had a strong end to the 2019 season, finishing as the Jr World Champion and Women’s Sprint World Champion at ISA in El Salvador, along with various other top finishes at other races. Jade’s goal is to have a blast, become a solid athlete, waterwoman, and professional paddler, to travel as much as possible, learn all that she can, and respect the ocean that is her playground.

MARTIN VITRY- FRANCE

Martin Vitry is from Luc-Sur-Mer, Normandy, France and started paddling at the age of 10, after watching his father try it. Martin takes advantage of the water conditions and along with paddling, loves to surf, windsurf and foil. Being in the water makes him the happiest man in the world. Martin has put a lot of work into his SUP racing the past two years and it has paid off! Martin finished 4th overall on the APP World Tour, and in the top 9 overall on the 2019 Euro Tour.

RAI TAGUCHI- JAPAN

At 16 years old, Rai Taguchi is the youngest member of the global team, and was moved up from the Youth Development team for the 2020 season. Rai lives on Okinawa Island, Japan, which is the perfect location to train for downwind and surf all year round. Rai became hooked on SUP at the age of 12 after winning 1st place in a local race, and has been training hard with his father ever since. Rai dominated the majority of race events in Japan this past year, was crowned the U18 ICF Champion, placed 2nd in the U18 Technical Race at ISA, and was in the Top 10 Male racers overall at ISA. Rai is looking forward to competing in the World Tour this year, and we’re looking forward to following along!

SEYCHELLE – USA

Seychelle couldn’t have dreamed of a better end to her 2019 season as she became the 2019 APP Sup overall World Champion, winning both distance and sprint titles. Seychelle was born and raised in the Florida keys and from a very young age was inspired with a deep love of ocean and travel thanks to her parents who were both sailors. In 2015, Seychelle earned the Guinness World Record for the longest distance paddled in 24 hours- a title she still holds today. Seychelle is a 3x SUP 11 City Tour Champion and a 3x Sea Paddle NYC Champion. When not training for competition, Seychelle is a SUP coach, certified personal trainer, nutrition coach and hosts clinics and training programs all over the world to help other paddlers reach their goals and dreams. We can’t wait to see what the 2020 season brings for Seychelle!

SLATER FLECK- USA

We are so stoked to have Slater on our Global team after being on the Youth Development the past couple of years. He has embraced ocean and water sports from a very young age, and is a professional waterman. His talents range from Stand Up Paddle Surfing, Stand Up Paddle Racing, Swimming, Cross Country, Track, and Surfing. Growing up on the island of Maui has instilled Slater with many positive values. Learning to exemplify the Aloha spirit has truly shaped him into the person he is today. Slater truly cherishes his home and feels privileged to live on such a beautiful island. His love for the ocean has remained relentless and the ocean will always be part of his life, and a part of his happy place. Slater started competing in SUP events when he was 12 years old and it immediately became an important part of his life. He has been training very hard in order to accomplish his goals in 2020. Not only has Slater been an ocean man competing in regular surfing and Stand Up Paddling events but he has been a very competitive swimmer since he was 8 years old winning many state titles. Slater is excited to continue his journey with stand up paddling (including Longboard and Foiling) and all the other ocean and pool sports. We are excited to see what 2020 has in store for Slater!

Good luck to Team SIC in 2020 ! For more information, visit:
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> www.sicmaui.com/