There's a little competition going on in the US next month, but it's a little strange... 

SUP Jousting, that's it. No racing, no surfing, just bashing each other with sticks. It's all for a good cause though! With competitors encouraged to form a team and donate some dollars to charity, plus the addition of family and novelty categories (won't they all be!?) the new discipline could prove to be a winner. 

But will it? SUP Jousting has been done since the invention of SUP, with mates never letting a chance to push their buddies off their board slip by. It sure is fun, and one of the draw cards to the already awesome sport we love. But as a stand alone event, it's never really been done before. Adding to the list of disciplines already practiced by stand up paddlers like racing, battle of the paddle, surfing, yoga, fishing, (the list goes on), it seems as though this sport is just getting more and more diverse by the week! 

What also baffles the mind, is the fact that this is being done in the land of the lawsuit, and it's actually a formally organised event during a boat show. Sure, the competitors are required to sign a waiver. They even have to wear PFD's and a helmet, as well as of course pad the end of their SUP handles to soften the blow on their opponent. So hopefully the competitors will rise to the spirit of the event and nobody will try to sue the pants off 'that guy who hit them in the face with a SUP paddle'. 

For an idea on how it all works, check out this video from a few years ago, where Quickblade made some great looking SUP Jousting sticks, and some competitors even dressed up to suit the occasion. 

#News #StandUpPaddle #Surfing #Fishing