Northeast Paddlesurf

Lowell Sun reporter Jen Meyers came out and tried SUP this weekend.  We had a great time, and the fact that this was her first EVER watersport made it even better.  Little did I know her story would make the front page of the Lowell Sun paper, or that she would do such a great job with the story…..

SURFS UP ON THE MERRIMACK

This story first appears at http://www.lowellsun.com/ci_12544584

By Jennifer Myers, jmyers@lowellsun.com

Sun reporter Jennifer Myers paddle surfs on the Merrimack River in Lowell on Saturday. A new school in the sport just opened at the Bellegarde Boathouse. Sun/Julia Malakie

LOWELL — I have lived within five miles of the Merrimack River my entire life. Saturday, for the first time, I dip my feet in the cool water, while straddling a surfboard under the Rourke Bridge. It feels great.

“Ah, the soothing sounds of Lowell,” quips instructor Jimmy Blakeney, as fire engine sirens wail and the loud “clunk, clunk, clunk,” of cars passing overhead on the “temporary” steel structure echo around our heads.

We have been taking a break. It is time to get back to action.

Hands on either side of the groove in the middle of the surfboard, knees up, toes tucked under my behind I sit up, holding my paddle across the board. Pushing down on the board, I slowly bring first my left and then my right leg up and

Sun reporter Jennifer Myers gets some paddle-surfing pointers from instructor James Blakeney of Lowell. Sun/Julia Malakie

stand, spreading my feet apart to balance my weight. Head lined up with the center of the board, knees bent, back straight.

“I’m not going to fall into the river, I’m not going to fall into the river,” becomes my mantra. I am fully cognizant that if I do I will have to sit at my desk dripping wet to write this story. Not renowned for my astounding coordination, my concern is justifiable.

Perfect. Still dry. Sometimes I impress myself.

Standing up straight, I grip my paddle, one hand on the T-grip, the other on the shaft and pull it through the water. Eyes on the orange buoy ahead, I head back to the dock.

I’m getting the hang of this and it is immensely fun.

It is called stand-up paddle surfing, an ancient Polynesian sport, known as “Hoe he’e nalu” in the Hawaiian language. It became popular in modern times a few years back when professional surfer-dude Laird Hamilton started practicing it as a cross-training exercise when the waves were not very big.

Blakeney, 37, of Lowell, has recently started Northeast PaddleSurf, a paddle surfing school at the Bellgarde Boathouse on Pawtucket Boulevard.

“It is like walking on water,” he says.

He is right. Standing in the middle of the mighty Merrimack, gliding along nearly effortlessly, brings a powerful freedom.

After earning a master’s degree in education from Virginia Tech, Blakeney, who had been involved in water sports his entire life, became serious about whitewater kayaking.

“I spent 10 years as a professional whitewater kayaker, traveling all over the world: Australia, Japan, Eastern Europe, Mexico, Costa Rica,” he says. “After 10 years I took it as far as I could.”

He retired with a national championship and a silver medal in the World Championships under his belt and took a job as a marketing director for a kayak company. As the economy spiraled down and his job dried up, he figured this was a time as good as any to go out on his own.

Blakeney first tried paddle surfing four years ago in Santa Cruz, Calif. On a regular, ocean-ready surfboard. It was narrow and not so much fun.

There are now boards designed specifically for paddle surfing. They are wider and thicker than traditional surf boards, designed to support a person’s weight while standing, eliminating the need to ever lie down and paddle before standing up.

My 11-foot-long, 25-pound board, designed by Jimmy Lewis of Maui, is red, a shark painted on the top. The fin on the underside looks like a prop from Jaws.

The beauty of paddle surfing, Blakeney explains, is that it can be enjoyed in any body of water: lakes, rivers, even the ocean.

His school is the only inland place that paddle surfing is offered in New England. Skeptics, be informed, he says, the Merrimack is safe.

“The river is tested all the time and routinely receives a 90 percent grade for swimming quality,” says Blakeney, wearing a “Surfer” T-shirt. “If the river was not safe for swimming I would not hold classes. Plus, in this sport you choose how wet you want to get. Time in the water is very limited.”

Back on the water . . . uh-oh, here comes a speed boat. We are about to catch some waves. This could mean I am about to experience some of that “limited” time in the water.

“Swing your hips with the waves, if you want to,” Blakeney instructs.

Surf’s up. Pulling moves out of my arsenal that would have made Elvis blush, I swivel my hips. Sea-legs secured.

Another big attraction to the sport is that it is fun and adventurous, yet an extensive, non-intimidating workout, says Blakeney’s wife, Bekah, an art teacher at Lowell High School.

“There is a super-high success rate,” she says. “It really is easy for anyone of any level or age and it is not discouraging like snowboarding or ocean surfing.”

“The fitness aspect is huge,” adds Blakeney, explaining that the sport not only works out your big core muscles, but also the smaller muscles needed for balance. “No matter how good you get, you have to always be thinking about balance, even if you don’t realize you are doing it.”

Blakeney is hoping that his school, as well as other businesses including Plum Island Kayak headquartered at the boathouse will lead to the city using the river for recreation purposes more than it has.

“The city has huge potential here with both the Merrimack and Concord rivers, but access is fenced off in most places,” he says, adding that he whitewater kayaks on the rapids near the O’Donnell Bridge. “I have to scale the fence and climb down the embankment to get there.”

The school is currently holding classes for students 14 and older. Blakeney says he will have equipment for younger kids later this summer and is planning to run a few pilot programs with recreation departments in the area, as well as offering classes in Newton and downtown Boston on the Charles River.

“But, Lowell will always be the epicenter,” he says.

Blakeney is currently offering a $15 discount, from $75 to $60 on his Intro to Paddle Surfing course for all classes booked in June.

For more information visit www.nepaddlesurf.com or call Jimmy at (336) 314-3600.

By Rosemarie Bernardo – Star Bulletin

Surfing, move over. You’ve got some competition from another water sport.

The quest for fitness is driving the new worldwide popularity of stand-up paddling, enthusiasts and equipment retailers say.

Some board shapers and business owners predict a boom in stand-up paddling in the next three to five years as the sport continues to go mainstream, with all age groups and both sexes taking part.

When Paddle Surf Hawaii — a store dedicated solely to stand-up paddle boards — opened two years ago, sales hovered around five to 10 boards a month. Now 150 to 200 boards go out the door per month at prices ranging from $900 to $1,500.

Another outlet, Tropical Blends in Kakaako, has sold 1,200 stand-up paddle boards since May 2007.

“I think we’re just looking at the very tip of the iceberg,” said owner Jim Hayes.

One advantage is that stand-up paddling requires no waves — or even an ocean.

That could give it an edge over surfing, predicts Blane Chambers, owner of Paddle Surf Hawaii in Wahiawa.

Iconic surfers like Brian Keaulana and Laird Hamilton were instrumental in the resurgence of stand-up paddling practiced by Waikiki beachboys during the 1950s. Back then, beachboys such as the late Bobby Ah Choy headed out from the famous shoreline equipped with an oar and camera to take photos of tourists learning how to surf.

Fun is still a factor, but Chambers noticed a year ago a shift in his clientele from hard-core surfers to fitness-oriented people.

“We’re about 60 percent fitness-oriented people that may do a little bit of surfing and 40 percent hard-core surfers that are just into it for the surfing,” he said.

The sport has also spread around the world.

Containers filled with Paddle Surf Hawaii boards are being sent to Japan, Australia and Europe. On the mainland, distributors on the East Coast are ordering boards, and there are back orders for those on the West Coast, said Chambers, who projects sales to double next summer.

At Wet Feet, a store in Aina Haina that sells a wide array of stand-up paddle boards, gear, clothing and accessories, 20 percent of monthly sales are out of state, said co-owner Doug Lock. The store, which opened two years ago, also has a paddle board rental program under which rental fees can be used to go toward an individual’s purchase of a stand-up paddle board.

Chambers predicts stand-up paddling will overtake surfing in popularity because it can be done on inland waters as well as the ocean. People are having fun stand-up paddling on lakes and rivers, he said.

Along with the cardiovascular benefits, the water sport offers a fun way to burn calories with a scenic view of surrounding blue water and sightings of marine life.

“You could see turtles, all the sea life,” said Lock. “Being in that upright position, you have a total view of what’s going on around you.”

It is also beneficial for those with back problems and those with diabetes trying to lower their blood sugar.

“Chiropractors and physical therapists send us people who have bad backs,” said Clark Kormier, manager of Wet Feet. “It strengthens your core.”

Business owners note women account for half of their customer base. And most of those women are focused on fitness with no interest in surfing.

“I think the fitness aspect is really valuable to a lot of women,” said Morgan Hoesterey, 27.

Hoesterey, an avid surfer and the only woman who entered the stand-up division in the QuiksilverEdition Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard race last summer, said her body tone has changed since she undertook the sport.

“I didn’t have to go to the gym,” she said. “I don’t really like to go to the gym. I don’t like to work out. Stand-up paddling really fools you that you’re not working out, but you really are.”