Passion,
commitment
and drive
Jo Hamilton-Vale
Interview: Sup Mag UK
Lead photo: Tomas Januska
Other pics: Jo Hamilton-Vale & Dave White
Te l l u s h o w y o u g o t i n t o s t a n d u p
paddling. What appealed to you
about the sport?
Almost three years ago I was in Melbourne and was struggling
to find something to do. I saw an advertisement for SUP
lessons, so I took one. Once I got home I bought a board and
paddled a few times but I got bored of leisurely paddling. At
the end of 2012 I was introduced to racing – and then I was
hooked.
We know you enjoy a good race but
do you participate in other areas
of the sport?
When I am on my board it is only to race or train. I am a
naturally competitive person and have always struggled with
doing a sport for leisure. Every sport I have taken up, it has
been to compete.
What are your personal SUP goals
for 2015?
In 2015 I hope to compete at more international races. I did
three international races in 2014 and would have loved to have
done more but I struggled with transporting the board.
How did you become involved with
UK SUP Clubs?
At the end of my first year of racing in 2013 I was really
disillusioned with the lack of structure in the UK races. Race
dates were very rarely publicised, race starts were frequently
late by hours and there was no standard set of rules and
regulations. I came from a sailing background where the
structure and rules were set in stone and I struggled with
haphazard races. As a result, I pitched my idea to a few key
individuals in the UK and within six weeks we hatched a plan
and had ten races in the series
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