to teaching as many people as possible. We
have found the quality of the experience we
offer is the key factor in our clients going
forward to take up the sport and
encouraging their friends into SUP.
We are fortunate enough to teach in one of
the best locations in London on some of the
best equipment available including using
carbon hybrid paddles which really helps our
students to achieve. We have 10 qualified
SUP instructors within the club and the
school runs on Saturdays with a maximum
ratio of three students to one instructor,
(often it’s 2-1) or by special arrangements for
private lessons. As you can see, we don’t
teach in volume, we prefer a more laid-back
relaxed approach with our school and the
results speak for themselves.
seeing the game at the Starboard Costa
Brava SUP Conference for the first time, I
managed to persuade the Swiss inventor to
send over a couple of SUPolo paddles from
Switzerland, I swiftly made some more so
we could have two teams. That winter we
started to play SUPolo in the Guildford Lido
with makeshift goals. I tried out several
styles of goals and eventually had two
made to my specification along with a
score board. Chip Raiders’ won the National
Championships the first two years but lost
last year to ‘The SUP North Buccaneers’
who are the current national champions.
SUPolo has really taken off and later this
year the Blue Chip Raiders are going down
to Waterborn in Devon to take part in their
local tournament.
SUPolo has proved to be very popular with
our members so in 2016 I decided to
organize a National SUPolo tournament
based on the Six Nations Rugby
tournament but played in one day. The first
six clubs from around the UK to enter play
each other to find the champions. The 'Blue I can see SUPolo increasing in popularity
within clubs around the UK, I know that
SUP North, Waterborn in Devon, Bath SUP
and Bartley SUP are doing a great job of
spreading the word. Given that it would not
be practical to have more than a six-team
tournament due to time constraints. I
envisage that there will be local
tournaments and leagues culminating in
six area champions going forward to the Six
National Club Tournament to find the
national champions every October. Our
2019 SUPolo ‘Six National Club
Tournament’ in October is already fully
booked so watch this space.
What other activities do you do
at the club?
Apart from our popular social/adventure
paddles on Wednesday evenings in and
around Surrey, we also have our away-day
paddles in Sussex, our white water paddles in
Devon and the Wye Valley plus our further
afield adventures like a three-day trip
paddling around the canals in Amsterdam
(including the Red Light district), our seven-
day trip paddling down the River Tagus in
Portugal and on to the coast at Baleal in
Peniche and our last venture to the west
coast of France. We also play SUPolo on
Saturdays during the winter, this is great fun.
Not forgetting our legendary Paddleween
paddle where we were once checked out by
the police no less.
Who holds the fort when you
are out and about teaching?
Being one of the longest running family
windsurfing, surfing, SUP stores and repair
workshops in the UK, my stand in for the
store is my long-suffering wife Angie. Angie
looks after the store while I am out playing,
no scratch that, while I am out working.
Angie plays a vital part in the business
keeping my ideas for my projects grounded
and realistic. In other words, she keeps me
under control by pointing out the
shortcomings of most of my ideas. Yes,
there are still loads of my projects that
have never seen the light of day.
SUPolo – tell us all about how
that came about and your part
in it?
Blue Chip SUPer Club pioneered SUPolo in
the UK in the winter of 2014 when after
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Where do you see SUPolo going
in the future?
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