Brad “Shoulder Doc” Thomas wins Hennesey’s Paddleboard Championships
Sea lions on the R10 Buoy urge on Brad Thomas in the 2011 Hennessey's U.S. Paddleboard Championships. Photo by Ciley Carrington Brad Thomas, an orthopedic surgeon known among local watermen/women as the “Shoulder Doc,” proved to be his own best salesman Saturday with a convincing win in the Hennessey’s U.S. Paddleboard Championship in Redondo Beach Saturday. [Hennessey’s U.S. Paddleboard Championships] “The best thing is I beat the stand-up paddlers,” the traditional paddleboard racer joked after the race. A friendly rivalry exists between paddlers of traditional boards and the increasingly popular stand-up paddleboards, which made up nearly half of the 173 entries. Stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) are generally faster. But a slight headwind on the first leg of the course, from Avenue I in Redondo to the R10 Buoy off of Palos Verdes, handicapped the SUP paddlers. By the turn back to the beach, Thomas and second place finisher Adam Buckley, who was also on a traditional board, had built too much of a lead for the SUPs to close the gap, despite a following wind and small swell. Thomas, 43, of Redondo Beach, covered the 8.5 mile course in 1:23:48. Buckley, 33, of Hermosa Beach, winner of…
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