SUPSA Gold Coast presents the 2012/13
“Summer Twilight Paddle Series”
Introduction
SUPSA Gold Coast invites you to be involved in the inaugural 2012/13 “Summer Twilight Paddle Series” on Queensland's Gold Coast.
The Series
This is based on an 8 event “time trial” series conducted fortnightly (with a break for Christmas) over the months of October 2012 to February 2013.
Each paddle event will see participants complete a selected distance on a 1 kilometre “Flat Water Course” on Lake Orr, Varsity Lakes.
Upon completion of the designated distance, each paddler will have their time recorded which will roll over to the next event date encouraging that participant to better their previous course time.
Venue
The SUPSA “Summer Twilight Paddle Series” will be held on Lake Orr Varsity Lakes. Meeting at the Varsity Sports House Christine Avenue Varsity Lakes, at 5:30pm each event.
Scheduled Series Dates
Every 2nd Tuesday from 30th October 2012 to 19th February 2013 (except Christmas Day).
Event 1 Tuesday 30th October 2012
Event 2 Tuesday 13th November 2012
Event 3 Tuesday 27th November 2012
Event 4 Tuesday 11th December 2012
Event 5 Tuesday 8th January 2013
Event 6 Tuesday 22nd January 2013
Event 7 Tuesday 5th February 2013
Event 8 Tuesday 19th February 2013
Divisions
Any length boards
Men and Women from beginners to elite
Children's short course
Entry Cost
Free for all financial SUPSA Members
Time Trial Rules
The time trial will start with a deep water start and finish.
Each participant will be timed accordingly to their completed flat water course lap.
Kids Fun Paddle
Course length will be designed to suit the child's age.
Each child will have a water safety person with them the entire passage.
The Concept
This Paddle Series has been designed to cater for all paddlers of any age and ability. This is a race for the individual paddler to better their personal course time throughout the series. It doesn't matter if you're 8 years old or 80 years old, ride a simple surf SUP or Race Board, everyone is invited to join in the stoke of what SUP is all about!
With talk on the forums lately regarding a lack of local races, and calls for some social and low cost paddles/races, we hope this series is what you're looking for. It's not for club championship race points but aimed at letting everyone set themselves a benchmark and try to improve your own times (or maybe beat a mate you've been sitting on the tail of for a while).
We've adopted a central location on enclosed flatwater at Varsity Lakes to make the time-trials accessible to as many paddlers as possible from across the coast, and kicking off at 5:30pm so hopefully most people can make it after work (by the end of October, there'll be plenty of daylight left for us to paddle in, and safe for the kids too).
With just over 5 weeks until the series kicks off, hopefully everyone's got time to organise your calendars and other commitments so you can make it to the lake every second Tuesday night. So mark the dates in your diaries now and check back here or on our facebook page for maps of the meeting place, start location and course, closer to the first event.
I'm super excited for the upcoming series, and hoping plenty of you will be too.
It seems that SUPSA has stirred quite a lot of excitement with their Twilight Paddle Series. We have been inundated with enquiries from the "Elite" of paddlers to the "Weekend Warrior".
This is great for those wanting the encouragement and confidence of racing the clock and not the person beside you. And who know's, this could be the stepping stone for that paddler to jump in to that sanctioned event!
Let's all get behind this and see Stand up Paddle on the Gold Coast climb to greater heights!
If you are going to hold these twilight paddles, then I am going to give up my mining job and come back to the Gold Coast!!
Or am I mad!!
Is it better to be a bit poor and happy?! Or have more money and a not so good lifestyle?! (Donga walls are incredibly boring to stare at! 
)
I have the Fanatic 12'6 white raceboard, and the 11' surf Fanatic. Both are in my garage on the Goldie gathering dust!!! While I am in Central QLD. Every time I get on this forum I start getting homesick!!
Was going to stick it out for a year and come back. Its been 7 months!! Without getting on a board!! 
Will need to get a coach to re-evaluate my paddling technique etc. Hopefully Peter Dorries will be available. He was awesome as a coach.
Cheers 
I would like to get involved in this event. I have never raced a board but would like to have a go. How do I join the SUPSA?
my email is wcbagley@ozemail.com.au
I have had a few questions regarding what sort of paddler we have targeted for the Twilight Paddle Series.
There is no particular ability we have concentrated on. It is open to anyone from Beginners to Elite. Board sizes and ages are open too. So if you dont own the latest, fastest, lightest race board on the planet, it doesn't matter. Pull your bedroom door off and come down for a paddle!
It is all for fun, fitness and training on a very social basis. Meet new people and learn new skills from those Elite guys and girls.
Promotional Poster and information on the Twilight Paddle Series will be posted soon!
Check out SUPSA's events page on www.supsa.org for all up and coming events and activities.
Perhaps results could be filtered into classes ie board length 14', 12'6", 14+, male,female, etc....
Then we can do similar on the Sunnie Coast, or wherever people paddle and get a virtual race going around the country...
The course is 1k jonesy but that doesn't mean we are only doing one lap. The short course gives us options to set different distances for different abilities.
Thanks Jonesy!
What course is planned for the 1 km? We have a rowing lake with markers laid out so a straight line course is easy to achieve, however results can be very wind dependant, so perhaps a 500m course with one turn would be best?
You can count me in !
