Polish young gun Wojtek Tadla on racing Uone Viper iSUP and progressing the sport in his home country

Wojtek and Stasiu Tadla, the Polish brother SUP duo, have been (literally!) shredding apart nearly every SUP competition in the country bringing fresh energy, style and bold ambition to the table. The 2022 ICF World SUP Championships held in Gdynia this year were both a big test for the budding pro SUP scene in Poland and a historic milestone.

The Tadla Brothers: From left, Wojtek and Stasiu Tadla. Photo by: Artur Palka

TotalSUP caught up with Wojtek Tadla to chat about his view on the development of the sport in his country and racing Viper 14″ x 27″, the new high-performance iSUP from Uone, a premium Polish stand-up paddleboarding and watersport brand specialising exclusively in inflatable boards.

‘The new Uone Viper is a fresh take on the 2019 model. Every year we’re developing new features and the 2022 Viper board comes with an even more aggressive design and a completely new nose cone made with a lighter and more flexible material to cut through the water and improve tracking. It also comes equipped with a third layer of PVC enhancing its rigidity and three additional ‘mysterious’ holders on the deck allowing to mount a special carbon fixture to make the whole construction even more rigid (still during test). Watch this space!” said Hubert Tobis, Founder of Uone. “We’re pumped at Uone to see the next generation of paddlers in Poland choosing this board to compete!”

Photo by: Artur Palka

Hi Wojtek, welcome to TotalSUP! How did you get into the sport of stand-up paddleboarding?

My SUP adventure started during a canoe competition in Malta, Poznan when my Coach Iza Dylewska told me to get on a board and try it out before entering the SUP division race on the day. Of course there was no one to teach me proper technique and but I was supposed to race five minutes later! When I finally started handling the board and did my first pivot turn I thought to myself, let’s do it.

Right after that I got a message about a SUP racing event on River Warta in Poznan and I thought again – Why not? At the beginning I was not treating the sport seriously and I was slacking a little bit until I completed a SUP Instructor Course and saw my brother, Stasiu Tadla, going as part of the Polish National Team to the 2021 ICF SUP World Championships in Hungary. I thought, I gotta level up as there’s been a two-year gap in training between my brother and I. Staszek kept pushing all the way when at the time I was going through a physio-therapy due to an injury.

From left: Wojtek Tadla with the Polish Junior Team at the 2022 ICF World SUP Championships in Gdynia, Poland – Wojtek Tomaszewski, Stasiu Tadla, Piotr Gólski, Mateusz Trojanowski and Iza Dylewska

How is the sport of stand-up paddleboarding developing in Poland, especially after the COVID pandemic?

During COVID pandemic the only thing that really limited us was being stuck at home but it still did not stop Staszek nor me to train. Uone brand was also not standing still and developing new features throughout the pandemic. The most challenging thing was communicating with other people to train, but then again, if you want to progress you’ll do it regardless. There are no barriers to it really.

You have entered the competitive side of SUP relatively fast… What’s the key to your success?

My key to success is actually enjoying what I’m doing. I did enter the SUP world quite fast and if I hadn’t enjoyed it or had been forced to do it, I would not have achieved what I have so far. Competitions are a process of completing a part of a training programme and demonstrating how prepared I am. Without that fun aspect, I would’ve dropped the whole thing a while back.

Photo by: Artur Palka

Let’s talk Uone boards…You competed on the brand’s latest Viper racing model at the ICF World SUP Championships in Gdynia…

It all started with Hubert Tobis, Founder of Uone, and he’s the one to blame 😉 as he provides me with boards… Yeah, I had the Uone Viper at the ICF Worlds in Gdynia… It’s very stable and for choppy, even stormy conditions as it’s a fairly heavy board compared to others. I have noticed that during the long distance (it’s my favourite race format) in the sea and on the lake – technical while sprints are not my thing.

Photo by: Artur Palka

But this board is not only for performance paddling and can be used by all paddlers. I was instructing at one of Uone events and one paddler truly progressed from the Uone Versatile SUP board – the widest and most stable board in Uone quiver – to Wanderer 13’2″ x 29.5″ and then to Viper and even started doing pivot turns.

You have tested many Uone boards? What are the benefits for recreational paddlers?

Obviously all boards come with pros and cons when it comes to users’ preferences. I think that some of the most recreational-friendly Uone boards are Wanderer, Traveller and the SUPer line. Why the Wanderer? Because it’s narrow but you can’t really feel this width during paddling. It’s been even tested and proven by first-time paddlers who chose Uone Wanderer as the most ‘pleasant’ board.

What are your thoughts after the first ICF World SUP Championships held in Poland?

I think that we’re still a bit behind when it comes to the development of the sport as an individual discipline in Poland. We could clearly see it during junior heats how we stack up against the top ten ranked riders. There’s still plenty to work through and train to catch up and paddle as fast as leading athletes.

What is still needed for SUP to continue to develop as a professional watersport discipline in Poland?

What’s missing the most in Poland are SUP schools where you can learn both recreational and competitive paddleboarding. We’re also short of solid competition on the junior levelto make it a little bit harder for Staszek during the next Polish SUP Championships 😊.

What are your SUP plans?

My SUP plans? I would like to get among the top 10 ranked athletes at the World Championships and to drive the sport in Poland.

The Tadla Brothers in racing mode: Stasiu and Wojtek Tadla. Photo by: Artur Palka

Thank you for your time and good luck with our pro SUP plans! We’ll be checking in on your progress!

Uone Viper – Technical specification

• Design: Double layer / ULT (Uone Light Technology)
• Length: 14″ (427 cm)
• Width: 27” (69 cm)
• Height: 6” (15 cm)
• Volume: 337 litres
• Weight: 12 kg (est)
• Fin box: Standard single US fin box
• Max rider weight: 170 kg
• Warranty: 5 years
• Accessories: The board comes with a large backpack, double chamber air pump, repair kit, leash and a paddle

To find out more about Uone, visit www.u1.net.pl and follow the brand on Instagram and Facebook.  

Follow Wojtek Tadla on Instagram

*All images courtesy of Hubert Tobis / Uone