Every year the Stand up for the Cure event seems to get bigger and bigger. It is great to see such an awesome amount of support from paddlers all over the globe. Starboard Team Rider and Cure ambassador, Zane Schweitzer, was on hand again in Newport, CA for this years event and as he paddled the Starboard inflatable Paddle For Hope board around the harbor, you can just feel the excitement surrounding him.
Below Zane provided us with a recap in his own words along with some great images by Harry Weiwel.
This year we were blessed with a huge bright “Maui style” Rainbow in California the morning of the SUFTC with over 700 pre registered people and beautiful blue skies above Newport Dunes with rain clouds all around the area! The action started up quick with over 100 vendors on the beach and people flowing in from all over the states and even a handful of people visiting from over seas. The conditions were great for the first event of our schedule of the event, “The Zane Schweitzer SUP Clinic and lesson” and we had a handful of Pro StandUp paddle athletes there supporting the cause, helping with lessons / water safety and having while saving lives!! Pros such as Brennan Rose, Izzi Gomez, Shae Foudy, Sean Poynter and more!
We had epic live music and great food by Newport Rib Company that fed over 800 people, huge mahalo to all the supporter and volunteers for making this event as amazing as it was this year! With all the support and aloha from all the sponsors/supporters and donations from all the attendees we managed to raise around $100,000 and as well did many on-site screenings and Checkups for Melanoma and breast cancer. I think we had one of our best and most organized sea of pink paddles this year connecting a beautiful circle of pink jersey paddlers all paddling to raise awareness and support the fight against breast cancer.
After 5 years of this wonderful philanthropic event we have created such a special community and family. So many families and peoples from all over look forward to this event every year, and this is because of the awesome energy and aloha around the event site! With SUP being our roots sport, the community is already so tight and full of aloha and passion, it’s awesome to have made so many connections and mend such a giving attitude with the people over the years through this amazing event!
Mahalo everyone for all the good times and support in the Standup For The Cure this year!! We have now raised over $800,000 for uninsured cancer patients and cancer detection since we started this event back in 2012, and have helped detect cancer and potentially save the lives of over 18 people!
We are proud to have expanded globally with 5 events in Newport Beach, 2 in Miami, 1 in London England and also expanding our reach to New York and Chicago!! And still yet, we are the proud holders of the Guinness Book Of Word Records largest Stand Up Paddle Lesson during the “Zane Schweitzer and Pro’s SUP lesson” segment of the event! Mahalo nui loa to all our pro athlete instructor/watersafety team and celebrity supporters over the years such as Brennan Rose, Izzi Gomez, Mo Frietas, Slater Trout, Candice Appleby, Danny Ching, Giorgio Gomez, Matt Becker and more!
I’m so honored to be a global ambassador and a founding member of the Standup For The Cure and it’s so rad to be able to reach out to so many and share the aloha and joy the sport of stand up paddling can bring to your life with this event!
It’s amazing to think that this event was started solely by my mother, Shawneen Schweitzer, Judie Vivian and I over a dinner conversation back in 2011. With only 6 months to plan the 1st annual event after sparking that fire during our conversation in 2011, Rob and Judie Vivian pulled the unthinkable and driven by passion, hard work and the motivation to help others and saves lives through SUP, they brought the event to life!! Mahalo nui loa Rob and Judie Vivian, Shawneen Schweitzer, Dan Van Dyck, and all the supporters and sponsors for all your hard work, passion, aloha and belief to make this event and the energy around it so special!
Aloha a hui hou! See you on the water!
– Zane Kekoa Schweitzer
If you would like to find more information on the Starboard Paddle for Hope Boards and on the organization Pinc and Steel, which helps in establishing rehabilitation programs for those who are recovery from cancer, please check out our links here:
http://www.paddleforhope.co.nz/
http://star-board-sup.com/2016/boards/11-6-x-29-5-paddle-for-hope/
http://star-board-sup.com/2016/boards/11-6-x-30-inflatable-paddle-for-hope/
—
