Never before having paddled in whitewater, 16-year-old Noa Ginella from the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii beat out an “All-Star Class” of competitors this weekend–right after authorities issued a high flow warning on the Gore Creek in Glenwood Springs, CO during the 2010 Teva Mountain Games. Ginella beat out Dan Gavere of Hood River, OR and Charlie MacArthur of Aspen, CO, the two leading whitewater paddlers expected to battle it out in the second annual SUP Whitewater Championships. Much to their surprise, Ginella finished the three-mile course in 18:15:53, beating Gavere by 16.7 seconds.
According to Ginella, his victory can be chalked down to the long, easy strokes his mentor, legendary waterman Brian Keauluna, recommended. Keaulana is co-founder of C4 Waterman, a Hawaiian company that sells SUP equipment, boards and accessories. Another co-founder of C4 Waterman, Todd Bradley, wasn’t the least bit surprised that Ginella, despite his inexperience on whitewater, won the race. “Noa’s an amazing athlete. Anytime we’ve put him in a competitive situation, he excels,” Bradley said.
[Via: Snews]
[Photo Via: StandUpPaddleSurf.net]
