Podium Potential For NZ SUP and Paddleboard Team
Eleven athletes have been named in the New Zealand Stand Up Paddle and Paddleboard Team. The team of athletes is considered to be the strongest yet and they are already gaining international attention as having podium potential.
The team will compete at the 2015 ISA Stand Up Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship at Sayulita, Mexico from the 10th – 17th May 2015.
Team New Zealand during the Sands of the World Ceremony at the 2014 ISA World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship in Nicaragua. Photo: ISA/Rommel Gonzales
The team will be led by silver medal winner at the 2014 event Sam Shergold (Mnt) who is competing in the prone distance race. With the help of a full strength team in 2015, it is expected that the final ranking of tenth overall in 2014 will be easily surpassed.
New Zealand’s Sam Shergold (left) on his way to earning the Silver Medal in the Prone Distance Division in 2014. Photo: ISA/Michael Tweedle
A full complement of SUP paddlers and surfers will be a huge advantage to the team as they vie for overall team points and a podium finish.
The SUP paddlers include champion windsurfer JP Tobin (Auck) and ex New Zealand representative swimmer Penelope Strickland (Auck) who have both taken up SUP paddling in recent years as a cross-over activity.
Tobin and Strickland are complemented by the experience of Armie Armstrong (Rag) who will contest the distance race and 15 year old Ollie Houghton (Auck) who will contest the technical race.
Armstrong has been at the forefront of the sport for the past five years and has also achieved success at a number of international events. Contrasting that, the youthful Houghton is an emerging talent who has only recently started competing in New Zealand. Despite his age he has been competitive against the best paddlers in New Zealand and has also secured top three results in age group events overseas.
Armie Armstrong will race in the Distance and Technical Courses. Photo: SUP Racer
In the waves the team will see the strength of Daniel Kereopa (Rag) and National Champion Shayne Baxter (Chch) take on the world’s best. Notably, just last month it was Kereopa that claimed the title of Ultimate Waterman, in the process beating some of the world’s best SUP surfers.
Daniel Kereopa will represent his country in the SUP Surfing Division. Photo: Cory Scott
Alexis Poulter (Waihi Beach) will attend the event for the second time as the female SUP surfer as she looks to improve on her 11th placing at the event in 2014.
Alexis Poulter will return to Team New Zealand to compete in the SUP Surfing Division. Photo: ISA/Rommel Gonzalez
New to the team this year will be two prone paddlers in Katrina Madill (Auck) and Jasmine Smith (Gis).
Smith is a dual representative having competed at the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships on several occasions in recent years as well as representing New Zealand at the 2014 Junior Surf Life Saving Championships. Smith is in the running to represent New Zealand in three separate world championship events in 2015.
The eight day event includes surfers from over 25 nations competing in ten surfing and racing disciplines.
The schedule for the event is as follows. Start times are generally 8:00am for the surfing. Sayulita, Mexico is 18 hours behind New Zealand. All dates GMT-6. You can follow the event live via the event website.
10th May – Opening Ceremony and Parade of Nations
11th May – SUP Surf
12th May – Women’s SUP and Paddleboard Distance Race
13th May – Men’s SUP and Paddleboard Distance Race
14th May – SUP Surf
15th May – Technical Race 1
16th May – SUP Surf Finals and Team Relay
17th May – Technical Race Finals, Team Relay Finals and Prize Giving
Please see below for the full team that will compete at the 2015 ISA World Stand Up Paddle and Paddleboard Championship to be held at Sayulita, Mexico from the 10th – 17th May.
Daniel Kereopa (Raglan) – SUP Surf
Shayne Baxter (Christchurch) – SUP Surf
Alexis Poulter (Waihi Beach) – SUP Surf
Armie Armstrong (Raglan) – SUP Distance Race and Technical Race
JP Tobin (Auckland) – SUP Distance Race
Ollie Houghton (Auckland) – SUP Technical Race
Penelope Strickland (Auckland) – SUP Distance and Technical Race
Sam Shergold (Mount Maunganui) – Paddleboard Distance Race and Technical Race
Cory Taylor (Gisborne / Gold Coast) – Paddleboard Distance Race and Technical Race
Jasmine Smith (Gisborne) – Paddleboard Technical Race
Katrina Madill (Auckland) – Paddleboard Distance Race
See more teams:
Hawaii
South Africa
United States
Australia
France
El Salvador
Spain
