Sayulita JR SUP Team - Pacific Paddle Games 2018 - Part 2

Before sunrise another team dad and I took the kids down to the beach for check-in for the event.  The kids love this part since it is a lot like Christmas with a all the SUP related swag they get.  T-shirts, jersey's, bags, stickers, energy drinks etc.  We were early which made for a short wait in line and a little less stress leading up to the morning's race.  Once checked-in and the kids were able to just chill out and focus on the long distance race just a little bit later.

Pre race briefing. Photo by SUP The Mag.

The race, just like last year, would be a water start and be 6 miles long. No surprises like last year when we were supposed to race only 3 miles and the organizers doubled the distance for the youth competitors at the very last minute.  We were thankful for having accurate information this year.  The professionals and more experienced racers would head out first with the youth competitors heading out last.  The surf continued to be strong as the swell grew waves pounded the beach.  Fortunately for some of the racers they only needed to contend with the surf one time when they were on the way in to the finish line.

With the pros already started, the Open class waits to begin while the youth sit waiting.

From the jetty behind the next wave of racers. Photo by SUP The Mag.

 Just like last year the kids received their pre race briefing, grabbed their boards, paddles, water and headed out to the starting line beyond the surf break.  Thankfully there was a pause in the wave action and our racers were able to get out for their race without dealing with waves and burning up precious energy.

All the kids headed off into the water confident of what to expect this year.  The coaches and parents assumed their position on the beach and waited.  The racers would paddle 1.5 miles out to a turn buoy and come back to complete one lap.  They would do this twice completing the 6 mile distance so they would be out of range to keep track of for about half an hour, be visible again at the half way point and at the finish. The race began and so did the waves once again.  The race followed the coast line so the ocean swell was coming in sideways to their race direction.  It was big enough that the racers actually disappeared between swells and some racers with less ocean experience even opted to paddle on their knees.

As the kids approached the half way point they had to make a turn in front of our location on the beach.  With our handy binoculars we were able to identify and point out each kid as they made the turn to the coaches and other parents.  The idea was for the kids to stay grouped together drafting to conserve energy but the conditions immediately spread the kids out and they made their way the best they could individually.

SUP Parents.

Close to an hour passed by and we could begin to see the colored jerseys our kids were wearing approaching the final turn buoy and hopefully find a wave to ride all the way to the beach.  We picked out Trace from the crowd and he grabbed a wave but was a little toward the tail of his board and went down.  He recovered quickly and surfed to the beach like a pro and after briefly getting tangled in his leash he sped to the finish line to finish 3rd in his group.

Trace surfs to the beach during the PPG2018 long distance race.

Just a half minute behind him was Alex.  She too caught a wave early but was able ride it to the beach without falling in.  This has always been a weak point in Alex' racing but she was totally solid this day and finished 2nd in her class.

All the kids finished the race battling the tough conditions and everyone was happy about the results.  Our ocean kids adapted really well to the waves and it showed.  Once all the competitors were off the water it was awards time.  We were so happy to see the kids on the podium receiving their medals.  They both had goals and worked hard this year and to see them come home with something for the effort was pretty special.  Trace was determined to podium and was super happy to share the stage with his best friend and teammate, Kolbi.  Alex has almost always finished behind her other girl teammates and would come home after practice frustrated that she was not getting credit for her hard work from some other girls on the team.  In the last year she has grown physically and improved so much on the water it was fantastic for her to go out and finally earn respect for her skills from her team and other competitors.  She was fired up and determined for this weekend's races and it was awesome to see.  Super proud of both of our racers.

Trace with buddy, Kolbi, center.

 The day concluded with some preliminary races for the next day's events so the team got off the beach early and planned to meet up at the house we rented for dinner.  Again, the kids get along really well and they were all happy to hang out at dinner, playing on the Wii computer game console and watching a movie.  To bed early for everyone and off to the beach the next day for the technical race.  The first day was a success and everyone knew the team from Sayulita was in the mix this year!

The kids playing tennis on the Wii.

Team dinner.