SUP’s up at Ilosaarirock
Standup paddleboarding has made its way into the beachhead programme of the Ilosaarirock festival for the first time. Our reporters gave this trending sport a whirl.
Paddleboarding at the beach. Photo: Terhi Hytönen
In the last few years standup paddleboarding or SUP for short, has been making big waves in Finland, and is now the newest addition into Ilosaarirock’s repertoire of activities, so of course it seemed right to be one of the first people to try it. Arctic Trainers, the activity organizers, are trying their hand at bringing this sport to a festival audience for the first time too, but SUPing seems like it was made for summertime celebrations.
The board used for SUPing resembles a longboard used for surfing, the difference being that a paddle is used to get around. The paddling can be done while kneeling or standing up on the board, hence the name of the sport. Because the board is broad and sturdy, all kinds of tricks or even yoga can be done while riding. The sport is very approachable and fits people of all levels of skill and fitness, provided they can swim.
The friendly instructors guide newcomers first hand into the basics, advising on how to wear the life jackets, how to mount the board and on proper paddling technique. For a newbie the board seems unstable at firsts but one quickly grows used to the small wobble. After a few practice rounds the paddling begins to feel right and after a while navigating with the board is quite easy.
The instructor demonstrates some advanced moves on the board, doing some tap-dancing, gymnastics and weightlifting movements. I’m inspired to try some simple yoga stances, but quickly go back to paddling and enjoying the scenery.
As the mood sets in, it starts to feel like a chilled out southern hemisphere vacation as the music from Rento Stage reaches the ears while gliding across the Linnunlahti bay. It’s not hard to see why this sport is quickly gaining popularity or why somebody thought to introduce it to Ilosaarirock in particular. The perspective on the festival area is totally different from aboard of the board and being on the water and away from the the dust and pressure of the crowds also feels really refreshing. Time really flies while SUPing and the 30 minutes on the board seem to go past in a heartbeat. I could definitely give this another try sometime!
Text: Suvi Koskela ja Camilla Hanhirova
Translation: Reko Laurilehto
Photo: Terhi Hytönen
