sunday funday: SUP'n

Living in Long Beach, a trip to the “beach” (bay) includes laying out, ladder ball, frisbee and watching boats chug by. However, the beach trip is always cut short because, even with the large body of water in front of you, there’s nowhere to cool off, unless, of course, you don’t mind bacterial infections. Since I bore easily and tan easily, my least favorite beach activity is “laying out,” however, I always seemed to go to the beach with the “laying out” personalities. I always sat there fidgeting while I envied the 50-year-old men who would paddle by on their oversized surfboards.
One day, I invited a few of my (non-athletic) friends to try stand up paddle boarding with me. After a long battle of, “No way,” “I can’t,” and “Let’s just go lay out,” I finally convinced them to go.
On our way to the SUP rental place, everyone was spilling their nerves. Being the one with the bright idea, I kept my nerves inside, but I was even second-guessing my impeccable balance and coordination.

After a short, verbal tutorial from an aged Spicoli (which included the names of our boards; mine was, ironically, "Black Beauty"), we were sent off to SUP. That’s when I figured out the SUP strategy: If you can stand, you can SUP.

The only differences are: You’ll feel the total-body soreness of SUP’n the next day and it’s just a way cooler way to stand.

My friends and I SUPed for a little over an hour around the Sunset Beach canals and had a blast. We even got in some tandem action in the end…where we all took a few spills.

If you live near a body of water, chances are there is a rental place near you. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME (OR MONEY) ON A LESSON. Jump on the board, and if you fall, you fall. The best way to really know how to SUP is to try it for yourself. More>