The First Ever Rainbow Sandals Event Called Battle Of The Paddle

All I could think about the night before the largest gathering of stand up paddle racers to date was: this is going to be unforgettable!

The beach is decorated like a rock concert will be hosted tomorrow thanks to event organizer Barrett Tester and Pat Huber. The waves are awesome and we are slated to have more of the same in the days to come. A young entry Slater Trout is full of fire and will surely give the big boys a run for their money.

Every one seems so focused checking each others gear out. Chuck Patterson is exceptionally focused because this is his home town, he either needs to go big or deal with the disappointment of facing them the next day. Meanwhile Ekolu Kalam shows up with his board inside of his Hummer.

Patterson is super-fit”has lost at least ten pounds. And hes gobbled up all the tech advantages he knows about, from applying a super slippery speed sheen called Extreme Cream on the bottom of his spankin new Hobie carbon fiber race board, to using the new Monster Paint traction spray on his deck and paddle shaft.

Their where a lot of lighter weight racers showing up and this began to worry Chuck a little. Board size is limited for this event so with all things being equal a lighter racer will have and advantage over a heavier one.

In order to even out the competitive edge the lighter guys had, Chuck needed some nasty wave conditions. Well, he go his wish and laughed all the way to the bank with his prize money! He earned every cent.

The night before the race Chuck simply took his dog for a walk and went home and relaxed dreaming of victory the next day. Every one else stayed up late practicing and getting mentally ready for the race. It looks like Chucks method worked because is dream came true.