A huge thank you to all participants, sponsors and volunteers that made the first Blue Ridge SUP Splash a huge success!
Wow, what a great event we had right here in Blue Ridge! Paddlers from California, New York, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee made the trip to Blue Ridge for the first annual event. The Friday night pre-race party featured great food and music at the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant. We were graced with several acclaimed singer/song writers from Nashville to provide a moonlit night of original tunes. Race day greeted us with a cool foggy lake setting that quickly burned away as 75 paddlers prepared for racing. SUP Radio Diva, Leslie Kolovich, woke up the morning with her great voice and music. The three categories consisting of Recreational. Open and Elite began staggered starts out onto beautiful, calm lake conditions. The Rec group paddled out and back for two miles and open covered 2 miles out and then back. Elite paddlers toured 8 miles of the mountain rimmed lake.
Post race, awards were given out to top 3 places in each event. Elite and Open prizes were hand crafted steins and plates by Betty Wasserman, Fishbone Studio, of Blue Ridge. Race results appear in another post. Following awards, the Suplove and Imagine board raffle winners were drawn, along with numerous giveaways from Suplove, Bomber Sunglasses, and Outside World. A well attended free SUP clinic was provided by Elite 14' and SUP Splash total points leader, Wes Stolp.
Further thanks to the National Forest Service for allowing us to use Morganton Point for this event and Grilling Gangsters for the delicious BBQ! Without the following sponsors this event wouldn't have happened: Surf Blue Ridge, Southern Comfort Cabin Rentals, Suplove, Imagine Surf, Toccoa Riverside Restaurant, Fishbone Studio, Blue Ridge Business
Association, the Petrillo Group,
Higher Ground Massage and Bodyworks, Blue Ridge Brewery, Whistle Stop Bar and Grill, Surfrider Foundation-Atlanta Chapter, Dr. Bobby Lee- Chiropractor, United Community Bank and Blue Ridge Scenic Railway.
