Mate Against Mate, State Against State: Country-by-country predictions for the biggest race of the year

Seeing how the Battle of the Paddle is going to be so tough to predict this year, I figured we should have some fun and look at the top contenders in each of the major countries and regions, rather than just the overall front runners. I’ll still be releasing my predictions for the Top 10 on Friday morning, however with conditions looking epic (for the spectators at least) it’s going to be VERY tough to get it right.

So I guess this is my way of throwing out as many names as possible and hopefully catching every contender in the net…   → READ MORE

The countdown to the biggest race of the year is in full swing. Less than four days ’til Show Time. Four days til we find out who takes the glory and bragging rights for the next 12 months. Four days til we find out if 12’6 race boards can physically handle the waves at Salt Creek. Four days til the stand up paddling world stops for 48 hours…

There’s nothing quite like the Battle of the Paddle. And now, thanks to Starboard, SUPracer.com is the home of the BOP. All this week we’ll be previewing the big dance, leading up to our 48-hour LIVE BLOG on race weekend, which will include real-time, play-by-play commentary of the racing.   → READ MORE

“Is the Battle of the Paddle gonna be streamed live this year?” “Will the BOP have a webcast?” “Where can we watch the race?” “Where’s the webcast?” “Webcast?” “Webcast?!?”

Every year I get this type of question from hundreds of fans around the world. The Battle of the Paddle is the biggest race on earth and SUP die-hards across the globe wanna see it go down as it happens. However in recent years they’ve been frustratingly cut out.    → READ MORE

Five days until the Battle of the Paddle, which means just five days until we get to see if Salt Creek lives up to the hype: Will we get the waves we’ve been hearing about for months? Will there be all-time carnage? Chaos? Flying paddles? Broken boards? We, the spectators, can only hope…

Though Salt Creek will have to really turn it on if it’s going to beat Doheny’s storied history of chaos and carnage. Each year we need to look no further than the infamous “Hammer Buoy” – the first inside turn on the Elite Race course – for an endless highlights reel of dings and destruction. And last year’s BOP gave us perhaps the most insane Hammer Buoy carnage sequence of all time…   → READ MORE

Seven days until the Battle of the Paddle. That’s one whole week, which means a good chunk of the notoriously-tardy elite paddlers probably haven’t even registered yet. But while there’s still plenty of time left to sign up, I say it’s never too early to start looking at the form guide.

So with that in mind, here’s your first look at the Battle of the Paddle Elite Race heat draws.   → READ MORE

We stirred up a lot of debate a few months ago by revealing the course maps for Battle of the Paddle Salt Creek. Well forget whatever your opinion was, because every single course (Open, Elite and Distance races) has been totally changed.

Here are the NEW Battle of the Paddle course maps. Though with some decent surf expected to hit Salt Creek on the eve of the event, we could see some additional, last minute changes to these courses, depending on the size and direction of the swell.   → READ MORE

The Battle of the Paddle. The BOP. The Super Bowl of SUP. It’s the biggest stand up paddle race on earth. And it’s only one week away…

The Battle is a unique and very special event: It almost single-handedly gave rise to professional SUP racing as we know it. The Battle of the Paddle is the one race where virtually every single elite paddler in the world shows up to throw down. It’s the one event that virtually every stand up paddling fan gets excited about.

And this year’s Battle – complete with new location at the wave crashing Salt Creek – could be the most exciting year ever.   → READ MORE

So it looks like the Battle of the Paddle crew updated the official event website a couple of days ago. Finally. That old design had been around for years aaaages and was getting very stale… The new BattleOfThePaddle.com design looks fresh, clean and makes the event way easier to navigate. But even if you’re not a design snob like me, today’s news isn’t totally irrelevant: With the updated site design comes a lot of new info about this year’s race, including a first look at the 2014 BOP course maps.

As we announced a few months back, the 2014 Battle of the Paddle is at Salt Creek, moving a few miles up the coast and away from its traditional home at Doheny. The new location has generated plenty of debate, with a focus on how organisers would deal with Salt Creek’s heavier surf.

The new venue of Salt Creek isn’t the only major change though, with radically redesigned Elite Race, Open Race and Distance Race courses on offer. Let’s take a closer look at what we can expect on the first weekend in October…   → READ MORE

After months of rumours, whispers and behind the scenes negotiating, it’s now official: The 2014 Battle of the Paddle will not be at its traditional home of Doheny State Beach, but instead will move five minutes north to Salt Creek.

The Battle of the Paddle California, which for the past six years has been the biggest race of the season and the only race that’s been able to attract virtually all of the world’s best, will also be on a new weekend this year: October 4th & 5th, one week later than its usual last-weekend-in-September time slot.   → READ MORE

Remember the big fuss about drug testing at the Battle of the Paddle this year? It caused quite a debate when the news was announced a few months back, but since the event finished we haven’t heard a whole lot about how it went and, more interestingly, what the actual test results were…

And while there’s been no formal announcement, we’ve learned that the official results are in and can confirm NO athletes tested positive. Every athlete passed. That’s obviously very good news for the BOP event and the sport of SUP racing in general – the last thing a sport this young needs is a drug scandal.   → READ MORE

This is a public service announcement for all die-hard Stand Up Paddlers… Put a hold on your bookings for Dana Point in September 2014: Next year’s Battle of the Paddle California has not yet set its exact dates and may actually be moving away from the traditional “last weekend in September” time-slot.

In a sport that has more event changes, postponements and cancellations than a nervous bride, the Battle of the Paddle California is generally one race that locks in its date more than twelve months ahead. That’s not the case right now though, as the organisers are still working (or rather, battling) with the local authorities to get the right weekend set in stone.

The event is definitely happening, no question, it’s just a matter of which weekend. For the past few years it’s been held the last weekend in September, which has given paddlers a rock to anchor their entire season around. But next year it might have to move…   → READ MORE