PRESS RELEASE:

Overall World Champion for sport of Stand Up Paddling
With the rapid development of the sport and its World Championship platforms (the World Surfing Tour & Racing Series), a unique breed of talented athletes have shown themselves to excel across both racing and surfing making them truly well rounded athletes in every sense. As we come to the close of an incredible season for both the World Tour & Series, the Waterman League has decided to celebrate these impressive Champions by creating an Overall World Ranking to compliment the individual Surf & Race World Titles and crown an Overall World Champion.

Kai Lenny makes it 2 World Titles and secures the Overall
Kai Lenny (Naish) had an incredible year this year on both the Stand Up World Surfing Tour and Stand Up World Racing Season. In a dramatic close to the World Series, he was just able to retain his World Title over the on form racer of the year, Connor Baxter (Starboard) in one of the most exciting Racing heats the sport has ever seen. Meanwhile on the Surfing Tour, Kai won 3 out of 4 events this year to convincingly take his 3rd World Title in Surfing, making it a dominant year for the young Champion from Maui and of course earning him the Overall World Title. As both the World Tour and World Series develop significantly for the 2014 season, next year promises to be the best yet, as Kai will have a target on his back in both Racing and Surfing, as the World’s best will be chasing him down for the Title.

Kody Kerbox caps an incredible year in both surf & race
Kody Kerbox (Naish) caps an incredible year on both the Surfing World Tour and Racing World Series, with a 4th place overall in the surf and a 6th place overall in racing. This places him in an impressive 2nd place overall for the year, second only to the current World Champion Kai Lenny (Naish). With strong finishes all year on the Surfing World Tour, there is no doubt that this young talent from Maui has taken his surfing to a whole new level: coming into the La Torche Pro France in 3rd, despite a disappointing finish for Kody, he still only shifted down one place to 4th. Meanwhile in the racing, consistent Top 5 finishes throughout the year boosted Kody into 6th place overall, making it quite a year for the 2011 Rookie of the Year. One thing is for sure, you can expect great things from this young Maui athlete in 2014 and beyond.

Mo Freitas matures into one of the World’s best athletes
Mo Freitas (Focus SUP/Body Glove) made a dramatic statement at the end of 2012 by winning the 2012 Ubatuba Pro in Brazil – but this was just the beginning. In 2013, he not only staked his claim amongst the very best stand up paddlesurfers in the World, but went onto do the same in the racing World Series too, with a worthy 6th place overall on the Surfing World Tour and 7th overall in the Racing. This put him in an incredible 3rd place overall for the year. At just 16 years old, this young phenom from Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oahu is one of the most dominant forces in the sport and is only just growing out of the age restrictions for the Na Kama Kai Youth Challenge! There is no doubt that Mo is a real talent for the future and we look forward to seeing him in action on both the Surfing World Tour and Racing World Series in 2014.

Zane Schweitzer is without doubt one of World’s very best
Zane Schweitzer (Starboard) has proved himself to be a real force to be reckoned with since the early days of the Stand UP World Tour and continues to be one of the most explosive and innovative surfers on the World Tour. In 2013, he won the Abu Dhabi All Stars in a format that seemed made for his style of surfing and showed real moments of brilliance throughout the year on the World Tour. Despite a slightly disappointing finish for Zane overall on the Surfing World Tour (9th place), there is no doubt that he is one of the fiercest contenders on Tour and will be out for redemption in 2014 as he will jump right back in towards the quest for the 2014 crown. With Abu Dhabi now an official stop on Tour, his already extreme motivation and energy will be supercharged, as it will all start at Sunset in February (8th – 16th). It was in the racing that he perhaps turned the most heads in 2013, consistently posting Top 5 results against the very best in the world, finishing in an impressive 5th overall! This places Zane in 4th overall for the year: another impressive achievement by the young talent from Maui.

Casper Steinfath makes Top 5 overall across Surf & Race
With a Hawaii dominated Top 5, Casper Steinfath (Naish) from Denmark breaks the mould, and in doing so lays the foundations for a strong European following in both surfing and racing. Casper’s performance this year on the Stand Up World Series was one to remember, as he consistently posted Podium finishes across all major events, allowing him to finish in an impressive 4th place overall in Racing. Meanwhile, on the Surfing World Tour, his year started as he took down his childhood hero Bonga Perkins from Hawaii at Sunset Beach on Oahu’s Fabled North Shore. While he didn’t reach the podiums this year, his finish was enough to propel him into 5th place overall for the year across both disciplines: an incredible and inspiring performance from this young Viking from Denmark.

Noa Ginella: a well rounded athlete with huge potential
Noa Ginella (Naish) is one of the more laid back characters on Tour, but is also one of the most talented. Despite not reaching the podium on the Stand Up World Tour in 2013, his performances have clearly shown he is a force to be reckoned with and will be a name to watch out for in 2014 and beyond. Likewise on the Racing World Series, Noa has put together some impressive finishes in 2013, enough to propel him to 6th overall across both disciplines for the year. An amazing performance from the young talent from Oahu’s fabled North Shore.

Connor Baxter: racing at its best and a phenomenal surfer
In 7th place overall across both Surfing and Racing, Connor Baxter (Starboard) has clearly demonstrated that he is one of the dominant forces in the Racing World, leading the World Series throughout the 2013 season up until the final event at Turtle Bay. While not winning the World Title in 2013 was a disappointment, it is clear that it is only a matter of time, as Connor is without doubt one of the fastest paddlers in the world. Meanwhile in the surfing, in 2013 Connor has shown that he is a force to be reckoned with here as well, posting some strong performances at both Sunset and in Brazil, but also at the Abu Dhabi All Stars, an event that saw him win the racing and finish up there in the surfing too. Connor is without doubt a double threat and as we look ahead to 2014 and we look forward to great things from this young Champion from Maui.

Fernando Stalla: impressive all rounder in all conditions
Fernando Stalla (Rogue) has proved himself to be a dangerous threat whether it be on the race course or in the surf, as he has posted strong finishes on both the Stand Up World Series and World Tour this year. Finishing in 8th place overall across the 2 disciplines in 2013, you can expect great things from Fernando as we look forward to a spectacular 2014 season for both the Stand Up World Tour & Series.

Stand Up World Tour & Series prepares for dramatic year
As we prepare for the biggest and most dramatic year yet for both the Stand Up World Tour and Series, we will be bringing you look backs, previews and updates on a continuous basis over the coming month and be releasing complete schedule for the 2014 season this coming week. With a new rule book, vast upgrades to all events and a spectacular event calendar across both surfing and racing, stay tuned for a year like no other right here at: WWW.WATERMANLEAGUE.COM

In the meantime, a big thank you goes out to our World Tour & Series Patrons who support the continued growth and development of the sport and its dynamic and global competitive platform.

More at WWW.WATERMANLEAGUE.COM