Light Board Corp’s Selwyn Pritchard, 14, emerges as a breakout talent to watch at the GBSUP National SUP Championships

We love a good shake-up in the SUP world – and the GBSUP National Paddle Racing Series Championships held at the beginning of June, serving as the qualifier for the World Championships, didn’t disappoint. The spotlight definitely shone on 14-year-old Selwyn Pritchard from Makkum, the Netherlands.

Selwyn, the U12 Dutch SUP Champion 2022 (Tech, Sprints and Long Distance), recently moved up a division and has just claimed a new title – the U17 British SUP Champion (all disciplines). A true scene-stealer, Selwyn convinced the organisers to let him paddle alongside the UK’s top riders, including the 8x British Champion Blue Ewer, and finished 4th in the gruelling long distance race.

TotalSUP caught up with Selwyn in the aftermath of his big spotlight moment to chat about his racing highlights, riding for Light Board Corp, and to get a sense of the noticeably growing hunger within the junior SUP scene.

Hi Selwyn, welcome to TotalSUP! This was (probably) your first time racing in the GBSUP National Paddle Racing Series – what inspired you to take the leap and compete in the UK scene? Do you have a personal connection to the UK SUP community, or was it more about testing yourself on new waters?

Hi, thank you for having me. Yes indeed, it was my first time racing in the GBSUP National Paddle Racing Series. My personal connection is that I was in born in England, my dad is British and I really wanted to test myself, try something new, have a new racing scene and try to qualify for team GB and Team UK so I decided to go race in the UK.

Photo by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

You’ve been training and building your name in the Netherlands – how does it feel to now be lining up with some of the top paddlers in the UK and beyond? Can you take us through your competitive SUP journey? How did it all start?

It feels great to line up with some great paddlers. I was seven when I started stand-up paddleboarding and it was my Coach Jörg Bossack who first encouraged me to try racing. I really liked it and so I competed in the Dutch Championships and this first time I got 4th, close to the podium so that motivated me to do more. After that, I joined the Bossack family on several trips to Germany to take part in races there. Now there are so many races in the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the rest of Europe that I can choose which ones I like to do.

Photo by Andy Klotz

Could you tell us more about your home club, SUP Kids Makkum? What are the biggest benefits of being part of that community – both in terms of team spirit and the competitive edge it gives you?

SUP Kids Makkum is a team and some of the biggest benefits of the team is that we train with some good paddlers, test ourselves and push each other. We all love to win and therefore we need to get better. But we also have fun, so training is never boring. Our Coach Jörg Bossack focuses on our technique before anything else and I believe that is the reason why now I can go faster every season.

Your performance at GBSUP National SUP Championships event definitely turned heads, marking you as one of this season’s breakthrough athletes. What was going through your mind while racing in those tough conditions? Did anything surprise you, or was it just head-down, focus mode?

Yeah, I definitely turned some heads with the long distance. In was only supposed to do a shorter race but I convinced the race leader to let me paddle with the adults. It surprised a lot of people but I knew I could do it in these pretty tough conditions and it showed – I became 4th in the long distance.

The only thing that really surprised me that weekend was finishing 3rd in the men’s Sprint, I thought I had a slight chance but I managed to pull it off. And yes as always – in focus mode. Every race is always about getting past the paddler in front of me.

Photo by Amanda Roberts, P3T Photography

We’ve noticed more juniors choosing to switch divisions and compete in the open class category. Why do you think that trend is happening?

Because they want to challenge themselves and see how they would do against the adults. Since I have started racing I know who my junior competitors are and although it is great to measure against them, it gets a bit boring to do that every weekend and every race. We also know that a lot of us, juniors are faster than many adults, so why not try to compete with them. It’s gives a great rush if I can beat fast adults instead of settling for a race in which I already know my spot on the podium.

Could you tell us more about your collaboration with Light Board Corp? What’s your current race setup, and why does it work so well for your style and the conditions you race in?

This is my first season and It’s been great so far. I am now racing on a 14×21 PARADOXA that is very good. It works great because I usually race on flat water where it’s really fast, it makes good turns and it is a steady board.

Are there any SUP legends you’d love to line up against this season – whether to learn from them, challenge yourself, or just share the water?

I would love to paddle with anyone that can challenge me and make me better.

Again, congratulations Selwyn and we can’t wait to cross our SUP paths with you!

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To find out more about the GBSUP National Race Series, visit gbsup.co.uk

Follow GBSUP on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube

To find out more about LIGHTBOARDCORP® designs, visit lightboardcorp.com  and check out our full interview with Gerd Weisner

Follow Light Board Corp on Facebook and Instagram  

Follow Selwyn Pritchard on Instagram 

*Images courtesy of Selwyn Pritchard 

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GBSUP 2025 Calendar:

6 July, Beadnell Bay, Northumberland

19 July, Liverpool Docks; Including AquaPaddle

23 August, Big Dippa, Whitley Bay; Including AquaPaddle

18 October, SUP the Creek, Salcombe; Including AquaPaddle