You've gotta hand it to the guys at the Watermans League, not only have they (finally) secured the dates, times and locations for the entire years world stand up paddling series. They've published it and notified competitors on time, and they've found plenty of sponsors to put up a stack of prize money for the event. 

$20,000 to be exact, of course you have to place first at a 'prime' event, and be a guy to win it, but it's a hefty sum of cash none-the-less. Total that up for all the events and we're talking a prize pool of over $250,000 this year. You can't complain about that for a sport that is only a few years old! 

The first stop on the tour for 2012 (Not counting the official first stop in Fiji last november) is at the CWC cable waterski park in the Philippines. Locally (and officially) known as he Camsur Watersports Complex, it's more commonly associated with long basketball singlets and sideways hats - and the fact that it's going to be closed for three days is causing somewhat of a stir in the wakeboarding world.

Never before has a stand up paddling event been held inside a cable park, most probably because the general consensus of many wakeboarders is that SUP paddlers partake in a somewhat inferior sport. Most cable parks also simply don't have the space or resources to host such an event. With the professional management and experienced operators at the CWC watersports complex, it will be interesting to see what the effect this event has on both the wakeboarding and the stand up paddling communities. 

As well as the prestige of winning such a world tour, the huge amount of prize money is sure to attract all the big names in stand up paddling. You can expect to see the likes of Connor Baxter, Kai Lenny and of course the Aussie boys Jamie Mitchell and Dave Muir. 

Stay tuned for more details as the event gets a little closer, plus the reports, results and pictures after the action's over. 



STANDUP WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE

Namotu World Paddle Challenge, Fiji: 13th – 18th November 2011 (5 Star)
CamSur World Paddle Challenge, Philippines: 19th – 22nd April, 2012 (Prime)
La Torche Grand Slam, France: 5th – 6th May, 2012 (3 Star)
St. Tropez SUP Race Cup, France: 26th – 27th May, 2012 (4 Star)
Anzio Stand Up Paddle Challenge: 9th – 10th June, 2012 (status tbd)
Ile d’Oleron Stand Up Paddle Challenge, France: 23rd – 24th June, 2012 (4 Star)
Chicago World Paddle Challenge, USA: June 30th – July 1st (Prime)
Copenhagen Paddle Challenge, Denmark: 7th – 8th July, 2012 (status tbd)
Varberg World Paddle Challenge, Sweden: 14th – 15th July (Prime)
Maui Naish Paddleboard Race, Hawaii: 21st – 22nd July, 2012 (Status tbd)
Na Pali Paddleboard Race, Hawaii: 4th – 5th August, 2012 (Status tbd)
Brazil Grand Slam: 1st – 2nd September 2012 (Status tbd)
Florida Stand Up Paddle Challenge USA: 8th – 9th September 2012 (Prime)
Huntington Beach Pro Grand Slam, USA: 15th – 17th September, 2012 (Prime)
Tahoe World Paddle Challenge, USA: 22nd – 23rd September, 2012 (Status tbd)
World Championship Finals at Turtle Bay, Hawaii: 12th – 14th October, 2012
Invitational: Namotu World Paddle Challenge, Fiji: 11th – 17th November 2012

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