Stand Up for Charity Paddleboard Races
Stand Up for Charity Paddleboard Races held in Orlando, FL on May 24, 2014 by Wave of Wellness, was a uniquely fun fundraising event with activities & races for all ages & experience levels! Located at internationally known Orlando Watersports Complex, the courses were situated on a small & protected portion of the ski/wakeboard lake, offering great flatwater conditions sheltered from wind & a perfect spectator arena with a raised shoreline for easy viewing & courses kept right in front of spectators & vendors.
The short-distance race courses were action-packed with many
formats to choose from, testing technical skills & speed of the stand up paddleboarders. Participants chose to race in one to all four courses including Drag Race (a point A to point B sprint), Out & Back Sprint (including one buoy turn), Buoy Turn Course (a zig-zag course with 6 turns), & the ever-popular Tug Life Relay (partner relay pulling a teammate behind you on a board). There was an additional Kids Race for ages 16 & under, & Vikasa Vendor Race for all participating vendors (both out & back courses). Awards were given for top 3 male & female finishers in each category in each course, as well as top overall finishers out of the 4 main courses.
To raise funds, registrants chose their preferred out of four participating charities to donate partial entry fee proceeds including Lift Disability Network, Habitat Orlando, Surfrider Foundation - Central Florida, & Special Olympics Florida. There was a tremendous raffle sale with great prizes, & event host Wave of Wellness donated partial event proceeds across the four charities as well.
Stand Up for Charity Paddleboard Races had a family friendly vibe & something for every one due to the immense support from local sponsors, vendors & non-profit vendors who provided activities & games for all! Food & beverages were supplied by Sweet Life, Onli Beverages & Suga Mamma’s Pound Cakes. Entertainment by DJ Atom, with bounce house water slide by Bella’s Bouncies. Paddleboard demos by WatersEdge SUPPerformance Ski & Surf, Boardworks Surf, KYPAD & Glide SUP. Great health & wellness vendors by sponsor Vikasa Expo, & sunscreen by SolRX. Special thanks for support from Hau Hele Wai Paddleboarding, Yellow Dog Surf Shop, Albert Cichra Builders, PaddleFaster.net, Yelp, Ted J. Braverman Photography, Paul Pock, & Patrice Phillips from Habitat Orlando.
In all, this one-of-a-kind event in it’s first year was handsomely SUPported & it boasted:
- 35 total registered athletes
- 130 attendees (estimated)
- 21 Vendors (including 6 non-profit)
- 6 Sponsors
To view more pictures, please visit the Facebook Event Page & to find out more about the benefitting charities & how you can Stand Up for Charity, please visit their websites:
- www.habitat-orlando.org
- www.liftdisability.net
- www.centralflorida.surfrider.org
- www.specialolympicsflorida.org
For more information or to participate in charitable stand up paddleboard races, join the Wave of Wellness Facebook page & the next event 3rd Annual Lake Mary Jane Paddle Race on November 2, 2014 in Orlando, Florida.
- Written By: Jessica Cichra, Wave of Wellness, Founder/Race Director/Instructor
