Danny Ching Wins: 2010 Ta-Hoe Nalu SUP Event

Lake Tahoe, CA (August, 24th 2010) In windy, cold and over-cast conditions, paddlers at the 2010 Ta-Hoe Nalu SUP event still took to the water. As the weather service predicted, a summer storm brewed on the lake resulting in consistent 25 MPH wind gusts. The event coordinators decided that the Elite SUP race would be run in a similar fashion to the world renowned Battle of the Paddle event. Athletes participating in the elite event were required to paddle .5 miles straight upwind, turn 180 degrees on the Quiksilver buoy, and surf their way back to the beach for a 100 yard beach run. This course was completed four times. As one of the premiere paddling events at Lake Tahoe, Vertra’s Paddlesports Team performed top notch! Vertra’s own Danny Ching paddled to an impressive and comfortable 1^st place finish in the men’s elite SUP race taking home 2500$. In his normal fashion Ching got out to an early lead, and built the gap on the rest of the field on each turn. “I just went out hard, and tried to hold on,” commented Ching. Danny is considered by his peers as being one of the sports best and is second to none in paddling in all types of weather conditions. This weekends 25 MPH wind gusts proved to be no different as he powered his way up wind, and used his surfing knowledge from years of paddling the OC1 to build a sizable lead on the rest of the competitors. The young sixteen-year-old Matt Becker battled his way in the top of the pack throughout the entire race. “It was tough to push it up wind,” commented Becker. Matt who just returned back to the States after a SUP surf expedition in Colombia found the best parks of the race surfing the .5 mile downwind leg of the race. “It was a great event today, a good starting point as I prepare for the Hennessey’s International Race and Battle of the Paddle in a few months.”