Rainbow Sandals Battle of the Paddle Cancelled!
In a statement addressed to the ‘Stand Up Paddling Community” yesterday, Jay “Sparky” Longley expressed his thanks to those who have contributed to the event in past years.
“After nine amazing Battle of the Paddle events in California and Hawaii we are saddened to announce that the Rainbow Sandals will not be hosting the event for 2015. The BOP has enjoyed incredible growth since it’s inception, however, the economics of producing the event have become overwhelming and unsustainable for Rainbow Sandals, Inc.”
Without Sparky and the team from Rainbow Sandals Inc, the Battle of the Paddle simply won’t continue. It’s not a case of having another sponsor show up and take over, these guys were the be-all-end-all of the Battle of the Paddle. They started it, in fact they started the ‘BOP’ style of paddling in general! Go to any beach in the world and chances are the local SUP club are hosting a BOP event at some time in the near future, and ask any passer-by what the sport of stand up paddle racing looks like, and you’ll be met with a response of “Paddlers going in and out through the surf, running around a marker and finishing on the sand.”
What now for elite paddlers who were planning on attending the event? Nobody has stepped up and announced a major league event in the same time-slot, but you can bet your best leggy someone’s thinking about it!
Stay tuned to see what event pops up in place of the Rainbow Sandals Battle of the Paddle for 2015. They’re some big sandals to fill...
Toronto, NSW
