In 2007, Jay SUP Manning put together the very first Santa SUP parade in the south of England. Nine years on and the Christmas get-together has become an iconic event and SUP Santas have spread all over the world. Jay tells TotalSUP how it all started!
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In 2007, there were only four of us. We thought it would be cool to get a bit festive and with SUP being such new sport, what a great way to promote it and to throw some jingle festivities in. With social media on its early days it was a super great idea … and it worked plenty! The social media response was huge and ever since I have pushed it harder every christmas.
The build up around the Chrismas parades have worked so well, now tens 0f paddlers want to join and the Santa SUP tour gets merrier. In the last 3 years I have been using Canterbury, England as the event location with iconic waterways and many historic buildings and landmarks in the back drop.
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This year, it has gone beyond what I was expecting in numbers, with more than 50 riders joining from all over the country as well as local paddlers. Also, being in the middle of a big city means plenty of audience to work with, which means even more fun!
I believe my Santa SUP has given other clubs around the UK some grounds to promote SUP while giving out a Christmas vibe to it. I also think next year we will need to move to a bigger location. I will be working on it and would like to get a charity involved too.
Using a GPS device to track our Stand Up Paddling activity is second nature for many paddlers and there are many different ways to do this. One of the most popular and well-regarded apps for SUP, and many other water sports is Paddle Logger. This app was designed from the ground up for paddlers and […]
Paddle Logger is an award winning GPS tracking app for your iPhone or Apple watch that helps you keep track of all of your paddling activities. The app is free to use with a subscription option for Pro features and has been designed to help you get the most from your time on the water. […]
At the ICF world championships in Gdynia SUP race fans might have noticed an unfamiliar name at the sharp end of the Elite men’s field, Blue Ewer. If you had also followed the European Championships in Denmark then it would be less of a surprise to see the young man from Team England pushing more […]
The APP World Tour is back in Canary Wharf for the 2022 London SUP Open from September 14th to 18th and is offering hundreds of free stand up paddle sessions to visitors! Visitors will be able to watch the pros in action as they battle it out in stop #2 of the World Tour and […]
SUP Active Yorkshire proves SUP Active Yorkshire proves that disability is no limit when it comes to SUP. In this article, Danny Godridge, owner of SUP Active Yorkshire, tells TotalSUP how SUP breaks down barriers and provides freedom for all paddlers regardless of ability. Hello Danny, first of all could you tell where exactly SUP […]
Dorset-based paddler and owner of The SUP Store in Christchurch, Saviour Aquilina has recently reviewed the latest Red Paddle Co 10’6 Ride board. Here he tells TotalSUP why the board is a real crowd-pleaser, the best places to paddle in Dorset and why Stand Up Paddle is the sport that everyone should be doing. You […]
Vegan ice cream brand trials sustainable summer vehicle on Leeds canal ahead of summer celebrations Paddleboard enthusiasts from Leeds, Jamie Crowther and Zoe Dawson, proved they’ve got paddleboarding licked when they took to the water today to try out the world’s first paddleboard ice cream parlour, created by urban ice cream brand, Northern Bloc. Celebrating […]
Outrigger Canoe (OC) paddling has seen a meteoric rise in the past 3 years! Clearly the boom of SUP paddling has benefitted the OC scene with more and more SUP racers looking for cross-training sports or leisure paddlers attracted by the deeper Polynesian roots of Stand Up Paddling. On stretches of water all over Europe, […]