“ The 12 ’ 6 and 14 ’ debate is always an interesting and tricky one , especially now as more paddlers take up the sport and get into competitive paddling . While it might be a personal goal for many , we have to consider options to promote longevity in the sport . The last thing we want is to scare newcomers away with an intimidating startline and category list . We also have to find a balance for our competitive paddlers pushing for podiums and top placings ; so much goes into every category discussion .
“ One significant headache recently has been the explosion of SUP , which is truly impressive on the one hand , but from a race organiser ’ s POV , it ’ s an absolute nightmare . How can you accommodate the variety of boards in quite open historical categories of surf shapes under 12 ’ 6 , 12 ’ 6 and 14 ’? Now , of course , if paddlers want to be competitive at the sharper end , then the simple answer is to buy a narrow 14 ’ board , and away you go . But for many , it is not a viable option with many factors included and too many to start listing here .
So how do you convince paddlers on the range of boards now to stick with it ? “ Suppose you just think about the variety of boards on a startline in today ’ s events . In that case , you see the challenge of accommodating and supporting everyone . You could have 12 ’ 6 touring boards , 13 ’ 2 ” touring boards , 12 ’ 6 Hybrids , 11 ’ hybrids , 11 ’ touring shapes , 11 ’ 6 , 11 ’ 2 , 12 ’ 2 , and 10 ’ 6 lengths . iSUPs , hardboards , race boards , and that ’ s just style and lengths , never mind the considerable differences in widths you see now .
“ It ’ s just not feasible to expect paddlers on such a variety of boards to feel they are achieving something ( as a whole speaking here ) and stick with racing . In some cases , you can have the leading paddlers finished , changed and fully packed away up to an hour ahead before the newcomers have even finished .
“ We are fully behind and support one possible answer : moving to a divisional system where the board length and style are removed from the equation . In divisions , the paddlers are categorised against their time over a given distance regardless of what board they paddle . This means that whilst competitive paddlers at the front of the fleet are always there , the remaining 95 % of paddlers on the startline have something achievable to aim for . No
longer are they finishing an hour behind the leader ; they are now competing for a podium in their division .
“ Suppose they change boards and perhaps upgrade to a faster or even a race board . In that case , they change divisions if they fit that time bracket , are again competitive with similar level paddlers , and have realistic and achievable aims . Back to the 12 ’ 6 v 14 ’ debate and division structure puts these paddlers on the same startline , whereas today ’ s board categories keep them separate . If we want to see competitive paddling develop at a regional and national level , pushing all our paddlers to improve , then perhaps Divisions is the way to go . After all , 99 % of the market comprises recreational and enthusiast paddlers .”
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