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Celebrating Success: A Huge Thank You to Everyone
at the 2026 USA SUP National Championships!

What an unforgettable weekend in Gig Harbor, Washington! The 2026 USA SUP National Championships were a resounding success, and we are overflowing with gratitude for every single person who played a part in making this landmark event come together.

First and foremost, a massive THANK YOU to all of the athletes who traveled from near and far to compete. Your dedication, sportsmanship, and fierce passion on the water inspired us all, whether you were pushing for the podium or taking on a personal challenge.

This event simply could not happen without our incredible volunteers. From handling registration to managing race flow, your hard work and enthusiasm kept everything moving smoothly behind the scenes.

We also extend a huge thank you to all of our amazing sponsors who generously donated raffle items, packed our goodie bags, and provided essential athlete support:

• Hydrus Board Tech   •   CHUMS  •   Infinit Nutrition    •   Infinity  •   NSP  •   Starboard  •   Dei Rossi Marketing  •   Ameramark  •   Christos Roustemis  •   ChesSUPpeake  •   The Crew Stop   •   Gather  •   

A special BIG thanks to Jason Zawadzki from Hydrus Board Tech for sponsoring our brand-new Inflatable Category. Hydrus not only donated the prize money but Jason and Angela also brought a massive fleet of boards for paddlers to borrow. Having those top-tier inflatable boards available made traveling so much easier for competitors and made the races an absolute blast! I hope you were able to talk with them at the event. 

It was great to have Dave and his crew from Infinity there as well as the team from NSP and Starboard. We appreciate you taking the time to join us in person and for all you do to support USA SUP and our community of racers. 

We want to send a BIG shout-out to Coach Tod Cole and the Gig Harbor Canoe & Kayak Racing Team (GHCKRT) for their invaluable help organizing the event. Major KUDOS to the City of Gig Harbor for their incredibly warm welcome—you made every paddler and spectator feel like absolute rockstars!

Finally, immense gratitude goes out to the entire National Championships Committee, our Board Members, and our Regional Reps who pitched in every step of the way to ensure operations ran seamlessly.

• A special spotlight goes to NorthWest Regional Rep Adam Tischler, who jumped on the mic to keep everyone informed and entertained with his excellent commentary and to SouthCentral Regional Rep Michael Carney for taking some amazing pictures! 

• Big thanks to Board Members Natalya Shoror and Gail Kotowski for running our pinnies table - and to NorthWest Regional Rep Tricia Lyons, for helping with awards. It was so great to see members of our Board of Directors and Regional Rep team together in person and we appreciate the help of Ellison Smith, Adrian Angell, Jeremy Nicholson, and Rachel Cantore who pitched in whenever they could - taking pictures, meeting new members, and spreading the community spirit! 

• Thank you, Meryl Bezrutczyk and Bob & Kim Reuter and all of the individuals who helped us locate race boards in the NorthWest! Without your help, we literally wouldn't have a leg to stand on! 

• An immense thank you to Kristin Thomas and Grant Cooper, who drove endless miles hauling a trailer packed with boards for the athletes and spent countless hours behind the scenes planning every detail.

Thank you all for bringing your passion, energy, and community spirit to Gig Harbor. We can't wait to see you all out on the water again soon!

You Want Pictures? WE HAVE PICTURES!

Friday - Sprints

Sprints - Photo Credit to Michael Carney 

Saturday - Distance

5K - Photo Credit to Michael Kahn - MKLibrary

10K - Photo Credit to Michael Carney

Sunday - Technicals

Technicals - Photo Credit to Michael Carney

Technicals - Photo Credit to Untamed Photography, Haley Brown

Community

Thanks for the memories! Stay tuned for more photos and more information! 
Group photo credit: Julie Ammann Photography

Competition

We're GROWING!

Calling all RACE DIRECTORS!
JOIN OUR REGIONAL RACE SERIES! 
We'll help promote your race and our members will get points towards their rankings! It's a win-win! Tell us about your race HERE!

Are you a natural leader in your community?

Our REGIONAL REP PROGRAM may be a great fit for you!
Are you so stoked about SUP that you want to spread the word? We'd love to know more about you!
Fill out this short form and we'll get in touch with you to answer any questions and tell you more about this amazing opportunity!