Australians dominate Hennessey’s/WPA World Paddleboarding Championships
Former Hermosa Beach Junior Lifeguard Slater Trout, a Florida native now living in Hawaii, finishes second in the SUP 14-foot division on Saturday at the Hennesseys/WPA World Paddleboarding Championships. Photo
Australian paddlers upset local favorites to dominate the Hennessey’s/World Paddling Association World Championships Saturday morning in Hermosa Beach.
The $15,000 purse, seven mile race attracted over 150 competitors and thousands of spectators, who packed the Hermosa pier.
In the most anticipated match-up, Australian lifeguard Jamie Mitchell narrowly defeated Los Angeles County Lifeguard and Lanakila Outrigger paddler Danny Ching, ofRedondo Beach, to win the stock stand-up paddle division. Mitchell finished in 1:21:25, just 28 seconds ahead of Ching.
In recent years, Ching has been a dominant competitor in outrigger and stand-up paddle competitions. Mitchell is better known as a traditional (prone and knees) paddleboarder. But after winning the Molokai Paddleboard Race in July on a traditional paddleboard, for the 10th consecutive year, Mitchell announced he plans to focus on the fast growing, more lucrative stand-up paddleboarding.
Mitchell and Ching are now 2 and 1 in head to head, stand-up competitions. Ching will have an opportunity to even the score at Doheny State Beach on October 3 during the Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle.
Saturday’s fastest time was recorded by professional surfer and high school teacher Joel Mason of Copacabana, Australia. Mason raced a traditional, unlimited paddleboard and finished in 1:06:24, nearly three minutes ahead of second place finisher Brad Thomas ofRedondo Beach, winner of last month’s Catalina Classic.
Mason’s time was eight minutes ahead of the first place, unlimited stand-up paddler, Brian Stockdale, who finished in 1:14:49. Dialy Ndiaye, ofSenegal, who now lives in Marina Del Rey, was second in the unlimited stand-up division, in 1:16:14.
Stand-up paddlers are generally faster than traditional paddlers, but were at a disadvantage Saturday because of a headwind and cross chop on the second leg of the triangle course, which ran to a buoy one mile out from theHermosa Beach pier. The spectator-friendly, three-lap course started and finished on the beach, on the south side of the pie
The women’s traditional paddleboarding division was won by another Australian, Jo Ambrosi. ThePerthfirefighter finished in 1:31:19. Kathy DeWet-Oleson, ofVentura, was second in 1:58.
Race director Tim Ritter explains the course to Ron Witter of Newport Beach. Photo
Race director Tim Ritter, in presenting Ambrosi with the women’s Inspiration Award from SUP magazine, noted that she is an honorary South Bayan. She has spent the past several summers teaching surfing inRedondo Beach and competing in local races. Ambrosi was the first women’s finisher in last month’s Catalina Classic.
The stand-up women’s division was won by Candice Appleby, aSan Clementenative now living inHawaii, in 1:27:30. Annabel Anderson, ofNew Zealand, was a close second in 1:28:32.
Applbeby, in accepting her $1,000 first prize, thanked Ritter and sponsor Paul Hennessey for including stand-up paddleboarding in the World Championships. This was the first year in the 17-year history of the race that it has partnered with the World Paddleboarding Association.
World Paddleboarding Association founder Byron Kurt, also thanked Ritter and Hennessey by presenting them with wooden SUP paddles made by master woodworker and stand-up paddleboarder “EJ” Ernie Johnson.
Perth firefighter and honorary South Bayan Jo Ambrosi wins the women's traditional paddleboard division. Photo
Brothers and Los AngelesCountylifeguards Brian and Mike Murphy, of Redondo Beach, placed first and third in the stock paddleboard division, with times of 1:20:26 and 1:21:59. Jack Bark, of Palos Verdes, was second in the tightly contested race, in 1:20:47. Bark was also the recipient of the SUP magazine men’s Inspiration Award.
Jay Scheckman, of San Diego, won the 14-foot paddleboard division, in 1:16:18, followed by Larry Felix, of Coronado, in 1:27:18.
The stand-up paddleboard 14-foot division was won by Water Monkey founder Chase Kosterblizt, of Tampa Bay Florida, in 1:15:29, followed by fellow Floridian, and former Hermosa Beach Junior Lifeguard Slater Trout in 1:16:21.
Gene Smith, who won the 50 and over, stock stand-up division, hosted a pre-race party at his Tarsan SUP shop in Hermosa Friday evening, and Hennessey’s hosted an awards luau Saturday following the race. Smith and local paddleboard builder Joe Bark also supplied many of the visiting paddlers with race boards.