TRANSCRIPTION:

Maddi Leblanc: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for tuning in to our second episode of the Rise and Glide podcast this week, featuring amazing paddler Anthony Vela. Before we get into the episode, though, Holly and I just wanted to say thank you so much to everybody who listened to last week's, very first episode with our special, special guest, Mathieu from TotalSUP.

We loved having this conversation with Anthony. It was honestly such a fun, fantastic, hour of our time. But before we get into that, I know Holly, you had a race this past weekend, locally, and I would love to know how you did. How did it go? Like, What went down? 

Holly Pye: Hey Maddi! Yeah, this weekend was super fun.

We had a race in Falmouth in Cornwall, which is where Paddle Logger was born and bred. It was a Paddle Logger event, and it was also our Nationals. So it was the qualifying races for the ISA World Championships and the European Championships later this year. It was a really hard competition. We had a whole weekend of sprints, technical and distance racing.

And I am not as fit as I used to be, which I'm sure you can relate to after also having an injury in the last couple of years. So it was a bit of a test to the system to see how I got on. I was really fortunate and I kind of, I got my head in the game. back in the game for the final of the sprints and I managed to pull a second place out of the bag.

I was really, really stoked with that and I've managed to qualify to go to the world's and to the European's for team England. So that's really cool but unfortunately my fitness just wasn't there yet for the technical and the distance racing and I really, really struggled. It was a super heavy upwind, downwind, course.

It was really windy and it was a bit of a slog to be honest. It was, usually it would have been my kind of conditions, but I just really struggled with my stamina. And I think I got fifth in those other races, which is not bad, but it's not where I used to be. So I'm kind of having a bit of an internal battle at the moment.

But it was great to see so many other paddlers there, you know, all levels, all... kinds of competitions going on. Everyone had little personal challenges and battles with each other. So it's really great to watch everyone coming up. How about you? You've also had some racing going on this weekend. How did you get on?

Maddi Leblanc: Yeah. Oh my gosh. Well, I mean, first of all, Holly, it's so exciting to hear all of that from your end. I was watching your Instagram stories and living vicariously through you over the weekend. So I'm really proud of you, honestly, for like you know, putting yourself back out there. And I know how challenging that is after an injury, just dealing with everything before a race, you know, that pre-prep equipment, and then the actual day of the event and just getting yourself situated back into that scene again.

So I'm honestly just so proud of you for your performance and like wishing you nothing but the best of luck in all of your upcoming races this year. And hopefully, I get to see you at Worlds. That would be awesome. And yeah, honestly, my race this weekend also went really well. Stoked to say I did end up winning.

It was a local race here on the Niagara River in Niagara on the lake, and I used to paddle this river like every day for three summers in a row. I used to work at a paddleboard company here doing lessons, rentals and tours. So I felt like Saturday was just a really cool day to like, showcase my knowledge of the river and like, pick a good line and paddle really hard.

Against the current, going up river, and then we had to turn around at Smuggler's Cove, come back down the river, and even though we had the current with us, it was kind of a bit of a slog, fighting the wind still, and heading out to the mile marker, where the currents of the Niagara River meet the currents of Lake Ontario, so it's very choppy, it's very messy in that section, but I loved playing in those conditions, and it was just a really fun day full of community, and good people, so.

Yeah, I had a really great weekend as well. 

Holly Pye: Well done. That's so great to hear. I'm so proud of you too. And to win on your home turf right outside your back door in a location where you've been working for a long time and, you know, paddling up and down. I love those long distance races where there's a bit of a technical element as well in terms of, you know, checking the currents and knowing which line you have to take and it's not just pure fitness.

There's a lot of skill involved as well. It just helps keep it interesting. So, well done. That's amazing. 

Maddi Leblanc: Ah, thanks, Holly. Honestly, well, and I mean, I guess speaking of racing this week, you know, we, we interviewed, a phenomenal paddler, Anthony Vela, who I had the pleasure of working with for a few months this winter in California.

I think it was just so cool that, you know I didn't even plan to kind of train with him, like, all of that just happened so naturally after Morgan had invited me to come and live on her sailboat for a few months, and I remember, on my layover in, like, I don't know, Minnesota or something like that.

I was on the phone with him being like, Hey, okay, I'm this paddler from Canada, and I heard you have a training group down there, but like, how does it work? How do I join you? What do I do? I don't even know. And he just honestly was like the most open, welcoming person that I've ever had the pleasure of working with.

Anthony will always have, a very special place in my heart. Just because he truly loves the sport with all of his soul, but it's not even just the sport, it's the people behind it more so. Like, when he's designing race courses and organising events, he thinks about the people first, and what's gonna provide the most Enjoyable, fun, but challenging experience for everyone.

So for those of you who don't know who Anthony is, he is a surfer, stand-up paddler, and water sports enthusiast with a really impressive background in all things on the ocean. He transitioned from being an ocean athlete to a coach and founded his high-performance training group called Performance Paddling in Dana Point, California, in 2015.

Holly Pye: Yeah, Anthony's done some really cool events. He's done the Carolina Cup, he's done Molokai to Oahu several times and he's worked with some of the top paddlers in the world through performance paddling. We were really looking forward to having this conversation with him about his own history in the sport, performance paddling and what he sees for the future of SUP.

And it's actually really interesting because Anthony, I mean, I feel like he just loves to see athletes and paddlers progress on and off the water so much. And so that really, we really relate to that. Or I definitely really relate to that. I feel like I've been affected from him. In that way, one of my, you know, first few races he was there and I wasn't going to take part because I was too scared and he was the one who pushed me and encouraged me.

He didn't know who I was, I wasn't a very good paddler at the time and I was way out of my comfort zone. But, you know, all races are like that. The races that I was at the weekend in Falmouth, they had all levels of paddlers, you know, people who were trying to qualify for the Worlds and for the Europeans, and people who were just there for a bit of a personal challenge and a battle with some friends.

Do you feel like your races are like that as well, Maddi? 

Maddi Leblanc: Yeah, definitely. The racing, at least here locally as well. It’s, mostly a majority of paddlers who it's maybe their first, second or third race. A lot of these people have just kind of newly found the sport and they love the fitness side of it.

They love having a little bit of competitiveness, but overall at the end of the day, it's about the community. It's about having. fun and getting yourself out on the water and in a little bit more of a challenging environment than just doing the leisure paddle or yeah, just kind of like going for a stroll, you know, it provides that fine balance of community, competitiveness, and entertainment, so I love that, and that's who Anthony is too if you meet him, he's that guy, he loves all levels of paddling, all skills is so open to people just learning and falling in love with the sport and the ocean as well.

Holly Pye: For sure. And Anthony's also the SUP strategist for the ISA, since we recorded this episode, we have actually found out that the ISA World Championships is going to be held in France in 2023, and Denmark in 2024. So Maddi, maybe, who knows, you'll be coming to Europe. It would be great to train with you in the run up to the event.

What do you think? 

Maddi Leblanc: Let's go Holly! We definitely, we gotta train together. I can't wait to come back to Europe. It's been too long. 

Holly Pye: Let's do it. Anyway, enjoy this episode. We really enjoyed recording it and we hope that you enjoy listening to it. So here we go.

(Waves Crashing) 

Maddi Leblanc: Today, we are so excited to have Anthony Vela, the one and only; man, myth, legend of our sport. Anthony Vela is a surfer and a stand-up paddleboarder. He is also a very impressive water sports and ocean athlete in general. I literally watched him crush it in like an OC1 and surf ski and do all these different kinds of paddling experiences.

And pretty much, Anthony is just the guy that loves to share all of his knowledge with everybody since having had a very professional athletic career. Holly and I are honoured today to have him on the podcast and welcome him here. So hello, Anthony. How's it going today? 

Anthony Vela: Hello, Maddi and Holly. What time is I where you're at, Holly? 

Holly Pye: It's 6 PM at the moment. 

Anthony Vela: Okay. So good evening, Holly. Good morning, Maddi. 

Holly Pye: Good morning, Anthony. 

Anthony Vela: Excited to chat with you guys. 

Holly Pye: It's super cool to have you on, like, really excited for this conversation. I think there's going to be so much history, so much about you as an athlete, as a coach, how things have changed, and like, yeah, the future of the sport as well.

I'm really excited for this conversation. 

Anthony Vela: So it's about 10 o'clock now. I have to be done by 3PM., okay? 

Holly Pye: That's perfect. What time is it with you, Maddi? 

Maddi Leblanc: It is just after one here. Okay, so we're like... Yeah. So I also have to be done at three, Anthony. 

Holly Pye: I hope I'm done by three.

Maddi Leblanc: Yeah, that, that'd be a long time for you, Holly. 

Holly Pye: So Anthony, tell us, how did you get into water sports in general? And then how did that turn into paddle boarding? How did it all begin? I mean, you've done so much over the years, but where did it start? What, what happened? What was your story? 

Anthony Vela: It started in my backyard pool you know, we've had a pool in my backyard since forever - since I was born.

And I lived inland, so I lived about an hour from the beach, but you know, we always went to Hawaii, and I grew up swimming, I started swimming competitively when I was four. It was like kind of a... You know, cheap babysitting or after school, I would go to some practice. I've always been around water and I think swimming was the best kind of base to build off of for all of the other water sports as well.

So I started swimming but always loved the beach. And, you know, in the summer I'd go to the beach as much as possible with friends or, like I said, we'd go on Hawaii trips and, you know, I'd surf the whole time there and I learned to surf at a young age. My parents didn't.

I just kind of, you know, taught myself and I have an older brother and we would just, kind of like most kids where you start off boogie boarding and standing up on your boogie board and then surfing. But I was always that kid that just wanted to go to the beach way more, but couldn't cause I didn't live close to the beach.

Then I started to drive when I turned 16 and, you know, obviously could go to the beach more. And it all really started when I took the L. A. County lifeguard test and became an ocean lifeguard which enabled me to be at the beach every day before and after work and also free parking. So that kind of started.

And then I figured out there are these. Oh, well, there's races on prone paddle boards and surf ski. And so I started doing all of the life saving competitions. And with my swimming background, you know, it helped to compete in all of the different events. And then, you know, once stand up came around, I had been paddling all the watercraft, surfing, and had the competitive background.

So it was like an easy transition into stand up and yeah. 

Maddi Leblanc: That's amazing. Honestly, I think, you know, it's funny, Anthony, when I moved to California and I met you, I heard through some other members of Performance Paddling that you were a lifeguard in the past, and I had no idea. I always just kind of knew you as the guy in, in standup, the guy running ISA competitions and helping be a huge part of that.

So I'm curious to know, like, how specifically did you get into the discipline of standup paddleboarding? How did that come along for you?

Anthony Vela: Well, there's a couple of funny stories, but I first started paddling or first learned about paddling in 2004, I went to the speech called Makaha Beach in Hawaii.

And there's this event called Buffalo's Big Board Surfing Contest, and it's a very unique competition that involves so many different water sports, and I had become friends with Brian Keaulana through some lifeguarding events. They have this annual event in Hawaii that, that was going on for a long time that then turned into, what's now the Duke Festival.

So I've been going to Hawaii consistently every year competing in lifeguard events, and. They had this, Hawaiian Ocean Festival where teams would come from all over the world and compete in a bunch of different events. And so you know, in all sports they talk about where like mentors or, heroes kind of become your friends.

And, I remember this guy, Brian Keaulana, who's just, you know, a legend and lifeguarding and safety and doing everything there is to do on the water. He always said, Hey, come out, you know, come out, stay at my house. And you're like, or maybe not girls, but guys, when you go to call a girl in middle school, when you dial the number and hang up, but we can't do that now because they know who called, but before back in my day, we didn't know who called, right.

You could, you would call and hang up like 20 times. And so it was the same when, you know, trying to give, you know, Brian Keaulana call to say, Hey, you know, you've talked about coming out. I'd love to come out. Finally. I called them and I was like, Hey, I'd love to come do your dad's contest. And so, I went out there and help do water safety and drive the skis and participate in all the different events.

And that's where they had. They had been doing stand-up paddle surfing and so that event they had, they called it Beach Boy. There still was no name for it, so they called it Beach Boy Style Surfing and that was my first kind of introduction into stand up paddling is doing Buffalo's Big Board Surf Contest when it was called Beach Boy Style Surfing.

Then it took another six years after that to really get into it because I was just doing other things and kind of going away from the water and then it started catching on more and more. So by the time 2010 came around. There were brands that were getting into it and racing, you know, through the Battle of the Paddle was starting to get bigger and bigger.

And so ironically enough, I was at a fundraising event for SIMA, the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association. It's held annually at the ISA president's house or old house. And it was this big gala. It's a fundraising gala. They're representing a foundation that I helped work for and the owner of a company called BoardWorks, Mike Fox, who is a lifeguard competitor.

Also, we had just finished the nationals for life saving and I'd won a couple of events and he just had bought this brand. There is this new board called the M & M coming out. And I was on a stairwell looking at surfboards cause Fernando has quite a collection and he's like - Hey, Anthony, oh my gosh, I've been trying to get your number and we've got this new board and want to get you in the standup.

And, that basically is how, you know, he helped me with a board and a paddle. I did Battle of the Paddle that year. And then kind of became a sponsored athlete and they helped with travel and different things and, and I went, dove headfirst into it.

Maddi Leblanc: That's incredible. I wish we had a race that, it was Big Board Buffalo, like, what a mouthful.

Anthony Vela: Buffalo's Big Board Surfing Contest. It's an awesome event. 

Maddi Leblanc: Yeah, does it still run? Does that event still exist? 

Anthony Vela: Yeah, it still runs. It's over the course of two weekends now, and it's unique in that the first thing is, the boards have to be over ten feet, so it's ten feet and over, and you're not allowed to wear a leash.

They have different events. So one of the events is, the surfing event. But it's not like go out and rip on a longboard. They have a sheet with all these different moves. So, you get points based on holding each move for for three seconds. So there are moves like the king stance.

And you know, the scooter board where you kind of take one foot off. And the, Alan Wrench and so there are all these different moves that you get points for and people write down their routine on their hand and you go out and you have to do each move for three seconds, some of them are more difficult than others and score more points.

And you get points for the length of ride and all these things. It's very unique. So, you know, pro surfers go and you see someone like Kelly Slater or whomever, doing these funny poses on a 10-foot board. They have team boogie boarding, team body surfing, where. You go with a partner and you both catch the wave and surf it together.

And this is what they do with stand-up now. They have team stand-up. So you and your partner catch a wave and surf it together and you're judged as a team. They have canoe surfing. They have bully board, which is basically like a big jet ski sled. They have all these different divisions.

They have a Clydesdale division for people that are over 250 pounds, they have a foreign division too, you know, so they have all these divisions and when it originally started, Buffalo Keaulana Brian's dad was the first ever paid lifeguard on Hawaii and Makaha has, has, has this reputation of being, you know, a place where you don't want to go.

And so what Buffalo did was get all of the crooks and bad people to work security for the event and give and kind of bring the community together. And so I think, you know, now it's, it's in January, February each year. So I think it's going to be like the 46th year or something like that coming in 2024.

Holly Pye: That's so cool. Yeah. I think they should almost bring that, like, that would take a whole new meaning to technical racing. Yes. If you had to like, not just have technical conditions, but have technical moves to do on your board as well, like mid-race, I think that would be really cool. So what was it like?

I mean, back then, it wasn't even that long ago, but SUP has come so far since, but back then, you know, paddling was so, stand up paddling was so new, even now, sometimes I go paddling, I paddle a lot on my own, I train on my own, most of the time, and, you know, it's not… Whilst stand-up paddling is getting really popular, racing is still so new to so many people and you know the average person down at the beach hasn't seen a race board before and so many times people stop me and they're like what is that?

Is that a cross between a paddleboard and a canoe? But I can imagine you know, but right back then in the first few days of SUP racing, it must've been totally different. I mean, how was it difficult to even get hold of a board? 

Anthony Vela: Well, initially, you know, basically when I got in and, you know, 2010, there were, you know, a lot of, it was something new, right?

So you know, it was a new way for surfboard manufacturers to build something new, to be able to sell, cause it's hard to sell surfboards and to have something else. So surfboard companies, windsurf companies, kind of jumped into it. And then other companies that just were new started.

But initially before there was the ability to get a good race board made overseas. It was brands that were already in the water sports world. So surprisingly enough, you know, by, 2010 there were. A number of race board companies that were making boards and, you know, each one wanted to have some athletes to be able to, so like, you know, Naish was big and Starboard was coming and, BoardWorks, SurfTech had kind of a big presence with initially the Bark boards.

And so I feel like in Southern California where it was kind of the sport basically was born through, you know, the Battle of the Paddle. I think that. It wasn't so much, as the sport wasn't as foreign to people versus when I traveled to places and they've never seen a race board, you know, and Dana point in Southern California, where I spent time, it was kind of initially the mecca of standup paddling.

So you would see race boards and things more often, but you go to other places or try to get on planes. And that was a whole other story, like you said, people, well, I didn't know they made those like that. And you still get that from people. And you just explain kind of the transition in the progression of boards.

And that's, to me, one of the cool parts about the sport is that you can get the, $3,000 race board. You can get the beginner entry level board that anybody can do. You can get the inflatable to travel with or go down rivers. And, you know, it's so accessible to so many people and that's what's kept me in it for all this time.

Holly Pye: I agree. I think there's so many ways that you can stand up paddle and so many levels, you know, anyone can do it. I guess like riding a bike, but even easier because the learning, I think the learning is a softer landing if you fall but you know, you don't have to spend ages learning how to do all this technical stuff.

You can just get on and have a go at any level and in any kind of discipline and the progress is just continuous progression. Yeah. It's super cool. 

Anthony Vela: Agreed. 

Holly Pye: What were some of your favourite events? Cause I know you've done some really, I mean, back then in the early days, everything was kind of just starting, but you've done Molokai to Oahu.

Is that right? You've done some really cool stuff. What have some of your favourite events been? 

Anthony Vela: Wow. I mean, you know, as I'm sure both of you can attest to, it's getting to experience the different cultures and meeting people that are like-minded, but live in other places around the world. I feel so lucky to be around ocean people because it's a really cool down to earth and healthy group of people there's this thing about the ocean that draws us or water in general, you know, even I love being inland and river paddling is one of my favourite types of paddling.

And so it's you know, the events that bring together the people or in a certain location have been the funnest events, we've talked about the Battle of the Paddle. That was this huge thing where I hear people, especially when Pacific Paddle Games came about and people were trying to compare the two, but to me, there can never be a comparison.

There can never be an event as great as the Battle of the Paddle because back then it was the only event, right there. It had no competition. Sure. There were some other events, but it was the only big event, let's say. Right. So literally every brand, every paddler wanted to go to Dana point at the end of September / October, every year.

Then once, you know, that kind of, in the meantime, through its existence before Pacific Paddle Games, there's other events start popping up and then now Europe's got some great events. And so I was like, Oh, am I going to spend the same $3,000 or $4,000 to go to Dana Point again, or am I going to do some other races?

That’s what happened with this great event in Dana Point it can never be that great again. No event can because they had no competition, right? When Pacific Paddle Games came around, you know, we tried to do our best, but it was never going to be a Battle of the Paddle, that's why it went with a new name.

But some of the events through the years that I've enjoyed the most obviously Molokai is an event that I would love to do every year if I had an infinite amount of money. And that's the hard part with events, is getting to all these events. Initially, I was lucky to get in enough where some of the brands were supporting the athletes a little more, so this allowed me to get to some of the events.

So thanks, Mike Fox and everyone. But Molokai is special because of the power of Hawaii and being in that prayer circle on Molokai before getting onto that water to paddle is pretty powerful. I've been lucky enough to do it a couple of times, one of them with a good friend of mine, Jonas Lettieri, who you may know, and that was an experience just getting him, us, ready to do something like that.

I love events in Japan just because I love Japan and I've been able to compete there both in surf lifesaving and in stand-up paddling and it's one of the raddest cultures out there, you know, for us to come in and, and visit. So I really love any event that's been in Japan.

There was one race in Cabo that was a world championship. You know, back in. Probably 2012 or 2013 that the WPA put on and back in the day with events, I think it was more like people would go and there was the party after, people would stay for the party and hang out.

Now I feel like people are trying to get in and out and, and it’s… you know, everything evolves. Right? So, you know that particular event holds in my memory because of some of the social functions you know, that were happening then there's an old event in Sayulita where they would help bring a lot of the athletes together.

But I have to say, you know, that I really enjoy as a fan of the sport. The ISA events are, are, are awesome, you know, for me to watch. Sure, I'm, I'm working them and it's super intense, but my favourite part is like a week or two later to go back and watch the replays and enjoy that event as, as a fan of the sport.

Because to me, there's, I love all types of paddling, flat water paddling, river paddling downwind paddling. But to me, going and racing in and out of the waves, that's exciting and it's so technical and you know, the word technical is thrown around a lot, but reading the surf is one of the hardest things to do, you know, in the world.

So it's great to analyze, from a fan, from a coach, from a former athlete. And so I really enjoy the ISA events, a couple of weeks after, when I can sit down and enjoy as a fan. You know, it's a lot of pressure and hard work to work those events, but I really enjoy sitting down to watch those events.

Maddi Leblanc: That's incredible, honestly. I think Holly, I was telling Anthony during one of our last practices together in California that. One of my first memories of you, actually, Anthony, was meeting you At the 2018 World SUP Championships in China. And watching you work that event and run that event.

And I remember thinking to myself, wow, yeah, this guy's running around, he's doing like everything. But you are an official stand-up paddle strategic advisor for the ISA now. That's... I believe so. That's correct. Yes. 

Anthony Vela: Yes. Yeah. 

Maddi Leblanc: What does this mean for you for upcoming world championships? How does it feel to have that title and what you can do for our sport?

Anthony Vela: So, 2018 China that you mentioned was the first event that I worked for ISA as their race director for the World Championships and it was interesting. I was running around a lot then because I had a, so that would have been November. I had a six-week-old daughter and so I was going from singing, and the times were opposite. So I would literally, this happened twice, where I'm on the phone singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and then, oh, oh, hold on one second, one second. Little star. Okay, race briefing, three minutes. And I'd go right to the race briefing. And it was the most, you know, yin and yang sort of thing. I went from literally singing Twinkle Twinkle, to all of these amazing athletes and people, and me trying to give them the directions for what to do.

Anyways. So then I was fortunate enough to participate as a race director and help with some of the consulting with the Pan American Games that were in Peru in 2019. So the Pan American Games is kind of like the Commonwealth Games for the Americas. So that was the largest multi-discipline event that stand-up paddling has been featured in.

So the ISA. Got surfing in as an umbrella event. And under that umbrella, there were four disciplines. There were shortboard, longboard, standup paddle racing, and standup paddle surfing. So after working at the Pan American games, I think I did a good job. And so then what, after kind of COVID, ISA is trying to, put a little more, emphasis and effort into stand-up paddling because they see the potential.

They've always seen the potential. They've been holding world championships since 2012 and consistently through then, except for COVID. So last year they wanted to have somebody to just be around more because they had applied for stand-up paddling and longboarding also to be in the Olympics in 2020 that were in Tokyo, they got denied.

They had applied for stand-up paddling to be an Olympic sport in 2024 in France and got denied. They've also applied for a stand-up paddling to be in the Olympics in LA in 2028. And it's been a maybe so far. So currently. And at the World Championships in Puerto Rico the executive director of the ISA, asked the IOC or made sure that it was okay to talk about where we were in the process of that.

And it's still a maybe, but the Olympic committee is currently still digging they could have said no, a long time ago, but it's still a maybe. And it's partly because surfing is now almost an official event. So surfing's in, so they're able to bring in other events. It's been a couple of rounds of the Olympic Committee wanting more information and not supplying that information. And there are a lot of factors that go into it. They have a finite amount of, I think it's 10500 athletes that are allowed to participate. So each year they're kind of shifting it all around because you have to say, okay, we'd love in, we want in. How many athletes?

And you have to come up with how many athletes and it all has to get massaged to work for, for them. But if you look at the events that have been coming into the Olympics, they’re more events like technical racing in the surf, right? Because, you know, rock climbing, BMX, skateboarding, all these quote-unquote extreme sports where in our sport, you know, going through the waves is, is one of the most, whitewater would be the only other one that I'd say is as extreme, but going in and out of the waves has a potential to be the most fun for viewers and spectators and fans.

So as a strategic advisor, for me, that means just working with the ISA, both to help bring the national federations together more, to obviously still work as the race director, but have more input. So in China, I just, you know, basically helped create the maps and showed up to China. Whereas each world championship since then, I've been involved in the planning process more and more just to try to help everything, I still look at it from an athlete's perspective and just want it to be as fair as possible.

So what things can we plan and prepare and put in place for as an athlete too, to get there and say, Oh, wow, that was, that was really fair the way that things were done. And that's always my goal is. I always have the athlete perspective and I'm like, man, why didn't they do this? Or wow, they did this well.

And so I take all these experiences from swimming, from surf, lifesaving, from standup paddling and mold it into this. Okay, well, what resources do we have? And I always have this vision of like, man. I got a hundred million from Apple to do a tour. You know, it's, I ask people all the time, what would that tour look like for you?

All my answers are so long and so sorry about that. But you know, the strategic advisor is a cool thing because you know, I get to kind of help hopefully stand up, continue its progression and be included in bigger events. This year later in Chile is the Pan American Games again, where again, it's the same four disciplines that were in Peru in 2019, shortboard, longboard, standup paddle racing, and standup paddle surfing.

So it's great to be at those events where, I mean, the president of, of Peru was at the surfing final watching the events, you know, when the Pan American games were there, it's kind of a big deal. And so for our sports to be on that kind of stage is very cool and to help it run kind of behind the scenes is really fun.

Holly Pye: It's really great to hear that you're pushing the idea of technical racing as well because I mean from a selfish point of view it's really fun. But I always thought you know not knowing much about that kind of Olympic side of things. I assumed that the easiest discipline for them to put forward would be something like sprint racing, which is also really cool, but also like, again, from a selfish point of view, I'm not very good at it.

Whereas I prefer distance and tech, but yeah that's cool. I think it would be really, maybe it would be harder for them to, what's the word? It would be harder for them to actually execute, but it would be really fun and definitely a spectator. sport for sure. You mentioned about always putting the athletes first and kind of thinking about it from their point of view I wanted to also say so my first memory of you.

I think I met you in the 2018 London APP event and that was my first ever kind of big race. I'd done some local UK ones, but I'd never done anything with anyone who I'd watched on the telly.

Anthony Vela: You crushed it that, that, that weekend, if I recall correctly. 

Holly Pye: Yeah. I loved it. It was you and a couple of the others, but you know, mainly yourself who said, you know, I was gonna do the ProAm, and you were like, no, no, just go in, get involved, get in with the mix. Like, you know, what's the worst that's going to happen? You're going to learn so much. And I did. And yeah, I'm really grateful for that. So thank you for that. And ever since this definitely helped me with the confidence to go and do more international racing and so much fun.

Anthony Vela: No, it's hard though. When you, like what you just said is powerful when you see these, you know, athletes and people that you're like, wow, you know, but. Then you meet them and like, they're just people and, but we've all, as athletes experienced that, like I was talking about calling this mentor and legend who kept saying, Hey, call me, come into my house.

You're like, well, I can't, I don't belong in your house, but, we're all just people. And so, you know, once we break down that barrier of putting somebody up higher on a pedestal and just saying, Oh yeah, you know, I want to compete with you. And then that's when. It's better for the person that you put on the pedestal because they don't want to be there.

They want to be normal and so it's especially on the women's side because I think there's some really amazing women that it's like, wow, there's no way I can compete with you, but how do you know? And that's the thing where more and more women just like, just go and do the race.

Who cares if you get last or first or whatever, it's just about. You know, participating and now that I'm not, I work more events, I love just going to an event and participating and there are no expectations, I don't train for surf ski paddling, but you know, I'll go do a surf ski race just to be a participant because that's what the events need.

In order to continue on. If no one goes, then the events are going to be gone. So like people spend, and I coach and coach a lot of people who don't go to races and they hear all the, Oh, I'm not ready. I'm not fit and this and that well. There are events where you want to peak at, but mostly it's just to go and participate.

Sure, you don't want to just show up to the ISA World Championships without training, but you can show up to all the local events. You can, go and travel to an APP event with not being at your peak just to participate. And here's my plea to everyone out there is go and do races and stop thinking about it because you never know.

Right. And you made a choice, Holly, and it turned out to be a good one, but you can still go and get, you know, a lot. And I tell people too, like in an ocean or surf race, and sometimes a client will come, Oh, are those conditions, you know, too much for me. You might get pounded out there. Or you might catch the wave of, best wave of your life, but if you don't go, you're for sure not going to get pounded, but you're also probably not going to catch the wave of your life on the beach, so I'm glad that I gave you that advice, and I remember that you did very well then.

Holly Pye: Thank you - how has it been transitioning from doing the races yourself and being an athlete to coaching because you've now got performance paddling, which sounds a really well-established group rather than I think it sounds very different to a lot of coaching kind of organisations who will have athletes that they coach from a distance and they send out plans, training plans and maybe people will go and do clinics if they want kind of in-person skills or technique things, but your group, they meet several times a week and it's all in person, which sounds really cool.

Tell us more about how you developed that and kind of how it was, the transition between being an athlete and being a coach. 

Anthony Vela: Yeah, that's always a hot, you know, an interesting thing. And I think it was more of like you know, people that are, real professional athletes, they have a, Oh, I'm going to retire for basketball or football this year.

And you go into retirement for standup paddle athletes and you know, a lot of surfers, it's more like, okay, how am I going to eat this month? Okay, you can maybe go win some money at a race or maybe not win anybody and spend money going. Oh, well, okay. I can go and commentate the race and make a small amount of money and still go and be at the race.

That's kind of a cool thing. And, okay, well I can, so it's more, it wasn't like, oh, I'm retiring and gonna go this way. It was just more of a... of an organic, transition and the coaching side is something that I really enjoy the training club that we have in Dana point is awesome and I can, touch on that in one sec, but I do a lot of other international coaching where I've, you know, like before the Pan American games, I went to Peru for three weeks and help train their SUP surfers and SUP racers and watching video and analyzing video and stroke technique and working on different conditions and beach starts.

It's really incredible to be able to work with athletes in person, the online thing is great because that's people need coaching and guidance and everything, but being able to, you know, video is the key, right? To see yourself. And then make corrections and analyze it. And that's the way to progress the quickest.

So I have countries since surfing, standup paddling and longboarding and the Pan American games, a lot of these Pan American countries are getting funding from their sports agencies and they're getting government funding. So I've had the ability to have countries come and train and Dana point as well.

Like you know, Argentina came and trained and so I coached their racers. I coached their surfers. We do a lot of video stuff. So one side of what I do is traveling or working internationally with people coming here in both racing and coaching, excuse me, racing and surfing. I've had a few surfing clients that, you know, fly in once a year and we work towards an event and we'll do that kind of thing.

That's great because I get to you know, participate and be involved with athletes that are going for these huge ISA events and world championships. So that's like the highest level that I coach. But then I coach these high level 70, 60, 50 year olds who are so badass. That it, it literally inspires me, and Maddi can, it's, I mean, these like - you know what I hate putting my board on my car and taking my board off and I'm healthy, you know, strong person and for some of these people that are a little older it's hard, but they put their board on at six o'clock in the morning and come down to the Harbor and train their butt off and they're doing high level training, the same training that I would give any athlete.

Right. It's just, you know, the time is different and we have people that are paddling at four and a half miles an hour and we have people that are paddling, you know, Dave Boehne, who's over six miles an hour and we do a great job of keeping the group together if we're going four minutes, we don't just go straight four minutes, we go halfway up and halfway back.

So we all arrive back at the start together. So to be around. This training club that Maddi was a part of, it's, it's really special because I call it the circle of inspiration where we have people like Dave or, you know, Itzel's in town. Itzel Delgado, you know, is in town and, you know, people come and train with us, you know, for a day or two.

Why am I blanking on her name? Aline, Aline Adesaka came and trained with us and she's mostly a surfer, but was trying to improve her racing. So she came in. So we have these, high level and they're inspirational. Then you have, you know, these beginners that come and train with us and, it's hard what we do, we get very technical and you're like, wow, it's inspiring that you're coming back to train again.

And then we have these, you know, 60 year olds like Kristin Thomas and, you know, Jeannie Trim and Gretchen Benedetto, these badass ladies who are inspiring. To where in 2018, I did Molokai basically off the couch. And one of my inspirations was this lady, Jeannie, who two weeks before did this local San Clemente Ocean Fest race and it, it got windier every 10 minutes, the wind doubled and she was last and she wouldn't give up. She wouldn't go on her knees. So I'm there in Molokai and this year turned out to be a very hard year. And through all of it I'm pulling energy and strength from someone that I helped coach, so it's this circle of inspiration that we have. And it's a pretty cool thing to be a part of.

You need to come, Holly. Here's an official invitation. And it was awesome. It was awesome having Maddi there. She really fit in well with the group and it was a great time. 

Holly Pye: Maddi, we'll have to both go next winter. 

Anthony Vela: Yeah, we're calling this time the post Maddi era of the training program. 

Maddi Leblanc: The post Maddi era.

I love it. Oh my gosh. Anthony, I would call Holly because we would have remote meetings sometimes like from the boat. And I'm like, you gotta get out. You gotta get down here. Like everyone, everyone has to go out to Dana Point, California. You have to travel and you have to train with performance paddling.

Because Anthony, I don't think you could have summed up your group. Any better, really. Like, everybody brings something super special to the table. Whether you're, you know, you're a beginner, Or you're the most elite athlete there is... out there. 

Anthony Vela: And we've got all different, you know, socioeconomic, you know, we've got guys that are working with... you know. And then we've got people that we're just trying to get by. And everyone in between. It's just, it's pretty cool. And unique, it's hard to have something that's that consistent and people are always asking, Hey, how do I do this training club. I go, well, you have to do it 52 weeks a year, you know, because even if there's one person that shows up, you know, you can't expect it to be this whole big thing because people want consistency to be able to know that every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Monday and Thursday morning year round.

You know - every year there's probably, this year it was, the weather was a little different, but every year there's probably about five sessions of, you know, hundreds that are canceled due to weather. But I have some coaches that help me when I'm traveling and it's just, it operates year round.

We're in our ninth year having five sessions a week offered to paddlers. 

Holly Pye: That's awesome. 

Maddi Leblanc: Yeah, it's, it's truly incredible what you've created. Like, pat on the back, Anthony. We're very proud of you. 

Holly Pye: What was Maddi like in the group? Because she's always got so much energy. Whenever I chat to Maddi, I'm like, oh my god, how do you do it?

You have so much energy. Is she like that paddling too? 

Anthony Vela: Oh, no, she is... Like, and so, I compare her with we have, I've mentioned this lady named Jeannie who, you know when Jeannie shows, like, here's the decibel and Jeannie shows up in the morning sometimes and here's the decibel level. We're like, Hey, so how was your weekend?

Yeah. Weekend was good. Then Jeannie comes. She's always a little late. So she comes in and the decibel level is like, Oh, Hey, well, I've been up since five in the morning. She just goes nonstop, nonstop, nonstop. So Maddi was kind of like, you know, the, the, the new Jeannie sort of thing where, you know, we'd have our decibel level.

Hey, yeah. Oh, you're good. Yes. Oh yeah. And then, you know, Maddi would paddle from the boat to the training and then she'd come up the ramp so we'd all get ready. Okay. Here goes the decibel level. And you know, She was a little shy to begin with, like for the first, you know, probably three or four minutes and then she got over that and you know, she fit in well, it was, it was cool to see.

There was one girl named Lindsey, who they were about the same speed. So it was fun watching them train together and to watch Maddi evolve. She has Larry Cain coaching her as well. And so, you know, we worked out a plan and strategy so that, I love Larry and, I don't want to, you know, so we worked it out to where we were working together to help Maddi in the best way.

So some things I didn't really like get on her on because I don't want to make any changes to her stroke. There's a couple things where I'm like, okay, maybe try this or maybe try that, or you know, we do these webinars and so we were, one of them is entitled how deep is your blade and Maddi's blade gets very deep.

She gets the lowest of any paddler I've ever seen. As far as their bottom hand towards the water. Having Maddi was awesome. We have people that come in every year and we don't normally do a going away party for everyone that comes and goes, but Maddi fit in, in such a way that she kind of touched all of us, as I'm sure you know, and the friend that recommended her to come and train with us to let her stay on her boat without even really knowing her, Morgan Hostry has this great energy as well, and so I think the reason that Morgan let a person she doesn't know stay on her boat is You know, even through social media and stuff, somehow they connected their energy and so Morgan is someone thatwe've worked with with our Performance Paddling group and I've done some things together.

And so Maddi just, it was like she'd been there for a long time. It really wasn't like a, Hey, bye Maddi. We know she'll be coming back because our motto is we have fun before we even hit the water. And every single day when we do our warmup group, we were cracking up before we even ever go paddling. So Maddi fits perfectly with that theme. 

Holly Pye: Awh 

Maddi Leblanc: Wow. I'm blushing hardcore over here, guys. That was, thanks for asking that question, Holly, but honestly, Anthony, I mean, it goes both ways, like the energy and the positivity that you and your group bring. To, to the world, you know, like I, I found personally you could be having the crappiest day ever, but you show up to paddle practice, you have that consistency and you have such a great group of people that we always had fun even before we hit the water.

And I, I feel honored still to this day to, to be a part of that and I'll definitely be back. And Holly, I, I keep hinting at it, but you, you will be coming with me. Definitely. Let me know when. At some point. Let me know when. There's lots of room on Morgan's boat. I've got boards. 

Holly Pye: I'll have to try and share some energy with Morgan too so she invites me without knowing me.

Maddi Leblanc: It's just, it's the great circle of paddling. You know, I, I love, I love this community. I love the people who, who make, make it what it is. And honestly, it's, I think it's a really special thing that we all get to share. And even the fact that we're all sitting here right now having this conversation with each other.

Like, what a, what a special thing. 

Anthony Vela: That's what the ocean, you know, there's so many different healing things from water and the ocean. It's unique what we get to do and share with each other and the way that everyone brings their own expertise to the table, like coming up with an app for paddling and creating it and modifying it year after year to, you know, what Paddle Logger’s become, it's like someone loves paddling and because it's such a powerful thing being around the ocean, the group, they want to take their talent and well, how do I do something with paddling so that is the beauty of it and, and there's something healing about having a group to come and go paddling with and there's something healing about the ocean or river or whatever there's a reason that people get baptized in the ocean and different things.

If you look at all the people that we are around, like, are you ever around normal 60 and 70 year olds? They're not like the people, the paddlers, that we're around. Right. And so like, I get around, you know, I'm not around normal people that much, but I get around like a normal 50, 60, 70 year old and they can barely walk and we're on people loading their boards and going to paddle six miles in the wind.

So, it really helps to keep us young and healthy and full of energy. That's what I'm most thankful for with, you know, the community and, and, and the ocean. So it's, it's powerful. 

Holly Pye: I completely agree. When I'm not involved with paddling, so the rest of the time I work in a hospital, and so I'm around normal people quite a lot, particularly, particularly ones who aren't very well.

But it's crazy. We do loads of diagnostic testing on people, and often, you know, you meet people who have just been diagnosed with an illness, and they're very negative which is understandable. You know, they kind of go, well, you know, I'm, I'm 55 now I've had a great life, you know, maybe this is, I'm like, come on, pull yourself together like there is way more out there.

You've got plenty of time. I mean, my dad is in his. I keep thinking of my dad. He's in his late sixties and he's still out there, you know paddleboarding, windsurfing. He's just learning to wing foil and I'm like, These people, come on, there's plenty more life left in you yet, and definitely, the more that you're around the water, and you make use of the water, you make use of the wind, you make use of all of, you know, Mother Nature, I think.

I mean, there's even more and more research out there now, isn't there, about... You literally just have to see water and your mood improves. You don't even have to be in it, you just look at it. 

Anthony Vela: Or hear it. You know, there's lots of, you know, castles in Spain that, you know, were built way back when in the Arab era. They had these intricate irrigation systems and water throughout the castle so they can hear it, you know, and so. Seeing it, hearing it, being in it, everything about water is you know, is magical. 

Holly Pye: So thinking about the benefits of water sports then, we know there are barriers with access to the sport, things like age, physical ability financial status, race, all sorts of barriers, you've spoken a little bit before about your experience, could you tell us a little bit more about that? 

Anthony Vela: Well, you know, it's, it's unique, right? And there's a, there's a, a famous quote from rapper Tupac who's If you know anything about it, he was very well read and he talked about everybody should be in a situation where they're one of the only, or one of few in a group, right?

So some of us get to do that more than others. And it's something that. Took me a long time to figure out where I grew up swimming and I talked about having a pool in the backyard. So we grew up, you know, in suburban Los Angeles and have been around mostly white people.

Swimming is obviously more of a non traditional quote unquote, black sport. I didn't do football and basketball. I was swimming. And so I was always the only one. Involved in those sports and I played baseball and stuff too, but even in our baseball teams, it wasn't like our neighbourhoods had that many black people there.

So as I got into surfing and as a kid, you don't really think about it that much. It's just what it is. But then I was always in this half black, half Mexican in a white environment. And I never fit in with either, right? My grandmother on my dad's side, the Mexican side, they lived in Watts, which is like the ghetto, ghetto.

I'd go there and through the years be there and feel comfortable slash uncomfortable. So it was around when I was like 20 years old, instead of realising I don't fit in into any of these, I realised, oh, I kind of fit in, in all of these. Right, so it went from half glass to a glass half full half empty sort of thing where I kind of changed my outlook because I spent so many years trying to fit in and, you know, be white and like, as a kid, like, I always wanted to like have the little bangs when you flick your hair and do this to get the bangs out of your eyes,  that's what I kind of like wanted as a kid, right?

Because you want to fit in, but then I started to realise how cool it was to be this half black, half Mexican kid from inland that somehow wound up in the ocean and, you know, did very well and got to go on all these amazing experiences. So, you know, once I realized and became… all of us are trying to figure out ourselves, right, and feel comfortable. It's like a, you know, whole and have confidence. And so once I gained the confidence of who I am, it became. Something that has been really cool to observe. Hey, I'm the only, you know, black person or Mexican, you know, and I've had people, Oh, well, you're not, you know, you're not black, you know, you, you surf and stuff.

And, well, no, I can still do that. And, you know I've had a lot of, you know, experiences both as a lifeguard and in the water where, you know, there's, you can sense feelings or vibes from people and, you know, comments here and there or whatnot. But. It's funny, I think when my hair grows out, it's, it's kind of like more curly. So it doesn't necessarily look like a traditional, black hair. And so a lot of people think I'm Hawaiian cause I don't necessarily look Mexican or black and I get darker. And so I, I roll with that as much as possible. So like I go to Hawaii and you know, people are like, Oh, how's it? And I don't talk cause I talk very proper. Right.

So I just give a wave and try and look mean or. Here people will say, how's it a lot like in the line up, Oh, how's it bro? And I'll just wave to them and nod and try and hope to get more waves. So that's my whole strategy.

And you know, I think in this, in this sport, it's just, it's just. It's an expensive sport. So as far as like, so transitioning from just me personally to stand up paddling, it's so expensive and not that accessible. Beaches mostly in the United States, but there are a lot of places where people are doing cool things like getting kids on the water.

It's unfortunate for me, I don't have that sort of access, where I live, but it's something that I think about a lot and I know at a few of the races, there was a race in Florida that they used to call the Orange Bowl and they would bring in kids from the Boys and Girls Club and they'd always ask the pros to take them paddling and those things have always been fulfilling when I've had the opportunity to do that.

I'd like to try and figure out a way to do something more with my business and getting involved with getting more kids that don't get to the ocean to get to the ocean. Through lifeguarding, I worked with some programs and it's interesting. So Watts where my grandmother lived and it's this, you know, it's the heart, the heart of South Central LA. It's only six miles from Manhattan Beach, and six miles to the beach. Most of those kids don't have a chance to go to the beach. Some of them may never go to the beach. It's literally only six miles away, and it's sad. But again, I've turned it to where I've had the opportunity to hopefully change perception, and I just try to do the best I can, and I’m, I have my own problems and, and things, and it's been a huge blessing to be a part of such a cool sport with so much history. Looking at, you know, if you read, I like to read biographies and autobiographies and, and even like Eddie Aikau, they have the big surfing event for him, but when he was a professional surfer back in the day.

You know, he would go to events in South Africa and, and he's Hawaiian, so technically not what you would call a traditional black person, but he was getting you know, couldn't stay in the hotels and all these things. So all of this prejudice I should say is a part of everything and it takes people to just go out and participate and be involved that, Oh, well, you know, it turns out that he was a nice guy after all or whatever.

Right. So it's been a long process to grow into being one of few in basically my whole life and everything I've ever done. Obviously in America a couple of years ago where there was all these racial tensions everywhere I would, I'd sit my group down and we'd have conversations.

I'm very open to talking about race. I think it's something that's not talked about enough. And should be talked about more, but not in like an angry way, you know, like let's talk about feelings. So we have a lot of paddling is expensive sports and there's a certain socio-economic group of people that do paddling and I have clients that are, all over the political spectrum, but when you talk to someone from person to person, it's different.

So we try to when we were going through all this stuff a few years ago. In America, I'd sit down with my group because it was emotional with a lot of the different things happening. Athletes are stepping up more and more. If you recall the tennis player, Naomi Osaka, at one of the last US Open she played in, she wore a different shirt for, for, she had seven shirts, or hats, I believe, I forget if it was a shirt or a hat, but each one had, a victim that… She's half black, so a victim that had been shot by police, And so she wore one in each of the rounds and then it was awesome because they asked her, the announcer was like, Naomi, you know, you've seven different shirts, seven people, what was the message you were trying to send to everybody?

And she said, well, what was the message that you got? And I thought that was the most powerful thing, you know? Racism, it's not just in America. You know, racial discrimination happens everywhere. Religious prejudice happens everywhere. I think it's been both good and bad to be involved in a sport and a lifestyle that has these racial differences.

There's black surfing groups that over the last couple of years have been more active and outspoken on things. And I think that's just what it takes - is for people to just sit down and talk and realise that we're all just people trying to do our best. And I think that's the most important thing that I've tried to do is just do the best I can with what I was given.

It's kind of cool that I'm unique. 

Maddi Leblanc: Yeah, I personally, I, I love that you are unique. I think you're one of those people that really is so inspiring, actually, to watch. Like, just the work that you do and the love that you have for the sport to kind of be It's a huge name, really, in our community. I know you said, you know, about like when you meet your heroes and they're just people, but you, you are exceptional in, in what you do for our sport and, and how you just welcome everybody with open arms and try to be as inclusive as possible.

So we need more people like you, Anthony. 

Anthony Vela: Thanks, Maddi. 

Holly Pye: It's also really nice to, there are so many people trying to push this sport, and trying to push racing and surfing and, you know, all the different kind of categories of paddling. But a lot of people, I feel like a lot of people are pushing it for their own personal gain as well.

And I really feel that you're pushing it for the true love of. Stand up paddling for the true love of the ocean and the athletes and the racing and you know You've literally been in it since day one and it's changed so much since then and it must have been really cool to watch So thank you for everything that you're doing 

Anthony Vela: You're welcome, and it's you know the ones that are doing it for the money, you know, they come in and out, right?

But you have like the QuickBlade’s and Jimmy's been making paddles since he's four years old, right? They were making paddles before stand-up. They're making paddles during stand-up and if stand-up went away tomorrow. They would still be making, you know they're the only ones that can literally come out with a paddle shaped like this, and all the top athletes and outrigger and stand-up are Are using those paddles, when people don't know, that's been in the works for the last six years, you know, and it comes from the heart from Jimmy and he's not making millions of dollars.

He and Lizzie are trying to raise two kids to be the best they can be, and he just happens to be. This genius at, you know, making and trying to break things. And so he's in it for, you know, he's not just in and out, right. A brand like, you know, Infinity where they got into stand-up because the parents, Steve and Barry, they're tandem world champions.

They'd been making tandem boards. So they knew where to get all the blanks and things to make stand-up boards, once that happened. And now it's, the son, Dave, who is just, you know, a guy, he gave up, you know, he's a marketing guy and was working in the surf industry and left a good job with benefits and a budget to take pros surfing and do cool stuff.

To work in his family business, and Dave paddles with our group, there's a lot of people making boards, right? But like Dave surfs at the highest level, he paddles at the highest level, he shapes at the highest level. So he's similar to Jimmy where they just love it. You know, Dave's not making a million dollars and living in a huge house, he's just somebody that loves and is passionate about the sport.

And I give those two examples because, I'm excited to have been paddling those boards and paddling those paddles for a long time and have been mentored by both, Jimmy and Dave. And I know there’s others out there.

Danny is another great example, right? Danny came in and has been in the sport since the beginning and created his own board brand. And, as they're like, not just having writing checks and having someone do all the work, you know, Danny is just one of the greatest ambassadors of our sport and and a good businessman in our sport.

And they're the ones still around, some of the brands that were there at the BOP and they'd have the big tents and all those brands are gone. 404 is still around, you know, Infinity is still around, and QuickBlade is still around. So that's where the sport will continue to grow is with you Holly and you Maddi and people that are taking time out of their day to share their love and passion of the sport.

I'm not making a million dollars either. I'd love to. So if anyone has an extra million that I had this rad idea for a tour, we just need a hundred million. And I promise you it will be the sickest tour that you've ever heard of, right? And so Apple or another brand, send us the money.

Holly Pye: Where would you go on this tour? 

Anthony Vela: Well, you know, the interesting part is I've got a couple of different concepts of the tour, but it would encompass all aspects of paddling, and no athlete would have to pay one cent to get anywhere. This is the first part of the tour. It's going to take every athlete’s board free. We, get your boards. You don't have to check a board or paddle or anything. We'll make a whole container of here's your river board, here's your surfboard, here's your downwind board, here's your board.

Boom. That just travels with us. That's the number one, first thing. Second thing is the production of the event. I love the production side of the sport to be able to go and have people watch it. And, you know, that's one of the things where the production company that works with the ISA. Especially in Puerto Rico, you know, had the resources.

A lot of places can do things, but you need money for this and money for that and money for this. And it all takes money. And so if we had that just think, you know, what we can do with that. So the tour would, would stop at some of the rivers, places that have white water that are safe.

We're not talking gnarly rapids, but there is a race that was in Idaho called the I'm blanking on the name, but the first year, two years they had it, they gave out this huge amount of prize money. So literally, people came from all over the world, and it was surfers, river people, non river people, all trying to do this river thing.

And it was really fun to watch everyone learn about water. So the tour would have downwinding, it would have river paddling, it would have flat water paddling. Of course, the highlights would be the surf. Surf races and locations, and it would have, there would be a window so we would choose the days for not the biggest surf, but the best surf to give the most fair and fun conditions.

So everyone would be on a big list and then, okay, three days out, we send your tickets out. You just show up at the airport. We have our concierge there to meet you. You know, imagine something that, that took. The athletes and put them and they, you just, you just show up, you don't even need a bag.

So it would encompass all of the types of paddling that there are because most of the people that do, you know, if you're a river paddler, you're so good at technical paddling, typically they would do well in downwinding after learning a little bit. The Piatt river games, which it was called in Idaho, it wasn't river paddlers that won that.

And it was a very technical combination of a time trial and a sprint race with other people. And it was surfers, you know, who won that, just learned how to, read the river and do these technical river moves. But then there was like Dane Jackson, who’s the best kayak, one of the best kayakers in the world.

He took a 12 foot 6 board, chopped off the tail and still did, I think it was like third because he knows the river so well. So watching athletes of different specialist disciplines or different discipline specialties all coming together to do each of the disciplines, this would be my dream tour.

Holly Pye: That sounds amazing. Let us know when it's up and running. 

Anthony Vela: We just, we're only missing the hundred million. 

Holly Pye: I'm sure someone's got some somewhere lying around. 

Anthony Vela: I know. 

Maddi Leblanc: Either that or I'm going to go out and buy a lottery ticket every week. Just start crossing my fingers at this point. 

Holly Pye: I mean, there's a lot of exciting events coming up.

Are you going to any of the events? Any of the events coming up this year, I guess you'll be at the ISA world championships in November, I think. 

Anthony Vela: So they haven't announced a world championship yet. I think they're working on a location for 2023 and 2024 also. I think the next, you know, major event that we've been working on is the Pan American games in Chile at the end of October.

So that's very exciting. It's at this location, the Santiago, Chile, there's kind of waves, but not really, but four hours South, there's this place called Pichilemu, which they have a big wave there called Punta Lobos. And so they have a big wave contest and it's this long left hand point break.

Well, this point break is on the outside, but then the coast goes all the way in. And so there's waves similar to some other places where there's a main break out the back and then a middle break and then a beach break. And it's probably, you know, a kilometre, where the big wave surfing spot is to where the beach is to get to the big wave spot.

You got to go down these rocks and paddle out and around. So I'm so excited because potentially, depending on the, the size of the waves where I'm going to place the buoys, a competitor may have the ability to catch a kilometer long wave, someone like Conor Baxter, right? Where, well, like I've done, like we did in China.

So in China, if you remember the technical race, it went out and in, and then went out to where the surfers were surfing at the point. And I placed the buoy to where you could safely round it and avoid going on the reef and catch a little bump. Or you can be brave and go into where the surfers were surfing, where the reef, but if you didn't have the ability to angle and go left, you were going to wind up on the reef.

A couple people did, right? But it was technical because where the buoy was placed, you could still do it safely because my lifeguarding background, safety is always a concern. Or you can go wider and then try to catch a wave. It was a similar sort of thing and Peru for the Pan American games. And I'm always trying to give the safety option, but if you are daring enough to go here, you can get away.

So in Chile, we'll have the buoy. People can play it safe and not catch any waves, or you can go into the main peak. Where there will, there will be an allotted amount of practice time for each of the disciplines. So tracers will have a chance to go and practice in this main break before the actual race too kind of get it dialed in.

But if you catch it from the outside, this wave can go all the way to shore on a 14” race board. Surfer can't do it because it's a little harder to get those in between sections. But someone like, again, Connor comes to mind because he's so good at catching bumps. He in theory will be able to catch a kilometre-long wave in a race and that may be the coolest thing that I've ever, I've ever seen.

So I'm looking forward to that. 

Maddi Leblanc: I personally love that. I love when you have courses like that because I think it really kind of helps showcase who are the paddlers that have a really high fitness level and they can just kind of power through and strengthen their way through. A course like that by playing it safe and by just kind of cutting in on the inside or who are the people who do have a little bit of a surfing background and know how to be even more technical on another level to be able to catch a wave to give them that advantage.

I think it's really neat when you set up courses like that. 

Anthony Vela: Yeah, same. I can't wait for that one. 

Holly Pye: We'll be watching. Awesome. Well, it's been lovely to have you on today and have a long chat about. All kinds of paddling, from start to finish, we, it's, yeah, I've really enjoyed, really enjoyed it, been looking forward to this.

It's been great chatting to you. We're excited to see what's gonna come in the next few months and the rest of this year. But yeah, where, where can we find you? So if anyone wants to come and train with Performance Paddling, you're in California. 

Anthony Vela: We're in California. Well first, thanks, thanks to you guys also, Maddi and Holly for you know, spreading the joy and awesomeness of paddling and sharing stories. I think that's also, you know, race directing is very hard. I love announcing cause you get to share stories and it's cool what you guys are doing. And so thanks and thanks, Paddle Logger for what they do to help the sport as well.

But yes, we're in Dana point. But we'll travel for work. Like I said before, I've gone to different places and helped different national teams. And so performancepaddling.com where we have a new website that's updated that's been vastly needed for a long time and also launching these during COVID, I created these web webinars that I did with my training club and have been doing those more and I've going to have this online series of webinars.

That’ll be launching as well, they dive more into the technical part. So I'm not so much that like get a training program from me, cause there are several awesome people that do that. You know, Michael Booth, I've done his training program as well, because I like to get coached.

There are a lot of places to get that, but I more dive into the technical. Sides of it with these webinars and specific things like, you know, where are you standing on your board and talking about that for a whole hour, cause it's an important thing. So performancepaddling.com and social media, or come and join us in Dana Point.

Holly Pye: Awesome. Oh, thanks so much for coming on today. And thanks Maddi as well. And yeah, we'll catch you soon. 

Anthony Vela: I'll see you on the water.

Maddi Leblanc: That's definitely our tagline at the end, Holly.

(Waves Crashing) 

Maddi Leblanc: We hope you enjoyed listening to this week's conversation with Anthony Vela. Tune in next week for another episode, and don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Glide. If you have any ideas for future guests, feel free to reach out to any of us from the Paddle Logger team on Instagram, at Paddle Logger. We look forward to hearing from you soon, and we hope you have a fantastic time out there on the water.

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