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SUPJUNKIE REPORTING :
PADDLERS – ARE YOU READY ?
Questions : Sarah Thornely Answers : Adrian Soper Photos : Supjunkie and John Baldry
From the very start of the National Race Series , all of those involved have invested their time and ideas into growing what has become a credible series of great races over the years , despite having had a few interruptions lately ! Being a volunteer and stepping up to the plate is not only a wonderful thing to do , but it ’ s also time-consuming and can take over your life – but it pays off in bucket loads ! There have been some major changes to GBSUP over the last six months , and I managed to catch up with one of those volunteers and now a director , Adrian Soper , to check on all the latest news , of which there is plenty .
I asked Adrian about the races series in general and what changes have been made : We have worked hard on the back of the 2021 series , and a couple of changes we have already made to the series are that distance means distance , be that on a river / lake or the ocean . Similarly , the same will be true of the technical series . In the future , we will not differentiate the water type – as we move things forward , we could introduce other options to make it more exciting and enhance participation .
We visit some of the best places in the UK from south to north , east to west . We start the year in Cardiff before heading up to Beadnell Bay in Northumberland and then back down to Bournemouth , London and Cornwall . In September , we bring you the British National Championships in Nottingham before wrapping up the year in Norfolk .
Adrian , for those who don ’ t know , can you explain who the race series is for ? Our goal for 2022 is to bring a welcoming , exciting and fun racing series for all . It doesn ’ t matter if you are just taking your first racing steps or are coming back once more to compete . Our categories make it very accessible no matter what board you ride with options for 14 ’ and 12 ’ 6 ” fleet racing , N1SCO One Design , Prone and Juniors . We also have our Challenge Tour , which brings a fun , non-competitive option across shorter distances .
I know you originally volunteered to help with the website Adrian – can you let us know the developments made to that recently ? As we continue to redevelop GBSUP under the new executive board , one area we identified for attention was our existing website . Whilst the previous site had
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