The 2013 Great Lakes SUP Classic…what a great event! Let me start by saying that this is a very
well organized race from beginning to end.
The Outpost did a fantastic job of making sure everything went off
without a hitch.
Jim Terrell...dishing the knowledge |
Side not on paddle fit…Jim Terrell was fitting paddles by taking you height in inches and multiplying by 1.12. This should be a starting point and can then be slightly adjusted from there based on your specific needs (race, surf, other). 6’ tall… 72 x 1.12 = 80.64 or an 81” paddle.
Saturday
morning started off on the chilly side with temps in the high 30’s. Although the wind and waves on Lake Michigan had calmed down
from the previous day (15mph and 4-6’), the water temp had dipped from the mid
60’s to the low 50’s. When I arrived at
Holland State Park, I realized that I had left my race info (number, lunch
voucher) on my kitchen table (doh!), but race volunteers were quick to take
care of everything for me without an issue.
The volunteers do a great job with pulling off an event of this size.
3 Mile Race Start |
The
course was changed this year and I must say that it was AWESOME! Instead of a down and back style or a
triangle, there were several buoy turns and all of the action was much easier
to watch both from the beach as well as the pier. The two near shore buoys in particular were a
great change. Even though the waves were
small at the beach (1-1.5’), they were breaking right at the buoys where people
were trying to turn. This location made
for some great action…people falling (I fell three times…brrr), traffic jams,
and great buoy turns. The tough part was
on the long stretch from the farthest north buoy to the pier. I’m not sure how it was for the elite race
(9:15 start), but for the rec race (my race, 11:15 start) the wind had picked
up out of the south and the waves our past the pier were probably 3-5’. Not that this was that bad, but it was definitely
enough to make you glad when you made the turn at the pier. Elite racers had 4 laps and rec racers did 2,
which was plenty for me.
Buoy Turn Carnage |
The elite race was won by Larry
Cain from Canada, followed by Jim Terrell and Team Outpost rider Tony
Paul (Tony also took the Midwest SUP Championship Series overall title). Joe Baker continued his winning
ways by taking the 12’6 class. On the
women’s side, Mary Radtke stood atop the podium, followed by Rachel ? and Renee
Miller with a strong 3rd place finish. An abbreviated list of winners is below,
check out the GLSC
Results page for a complete list.
- 6 Mile Elite – 14’ M Larry Cain
- 6 Mile Elite – 12’6 M Joel Baker
- 6 Mile Elite – 12’6 W Mary Radtke
- 3 Mile Rec – 12’6 M Jeffrey Hunter
- 3 Mile Rec – 12’6 W Melanie Lefeve
- 3 Mile Rec – Surf M Kevin Clark
- 3 Mile Rec – Surf W Antje Mueller
- Kids Race Camden Misiewicz
Following the main races, there were the kid’s race and a
relay race. It’s great to see all of the
kids out there participating…building the stoke for the future of our
sport. Although I didn’t to the relay
race, from what I could see, it looked like everyone that raced had a huge
smile on their face.
Before I forget, I wanted to give a shout out to Matt Balmer (6 Mile elite racer) for providing lunch for everyone from his restaurant, Everyday People Café. It was by far the best event lunch I have ever had (great soup/chowder, bread bowls, fruit, cookies, etc.). If you happen to be in the Douglas area, check it out.
Before I forget, I wanted to give a shout out to Matt Balmer (6 Mile elite racer) for providing lunch for everyone from his restaurant, Everyday People Café. It was by far the best event lunch I have ever had (great soup/chowder, bread bowls, fruit, cookies, etc.). If you happen to be in the Douglas area, check it out.
Rich, thanking Jim and his family |
In addition to everything described above, one of the highlights of the event for me was to just hang out with a bunch of friends that all have the passion for our great sport. The Great Lakes SUP Classic was an event that you don’t want to miss next year so make sure to get it on your calendar for 2014…you won’t regret it!