South from downtown Minneapolis, the City of Lakes’ most popular body of water, Lake Calhoun, is a choppy mess, with little swells and whitecaps whipping up as windsurfers drift by in the breeze. I’m standing on the water, legs spread out, feet solid on the deck of a surfboard.
Sunlight cuts through green water, seaweed gliding by beneath. My hands grip a paddle for propulsion, long reaches and pulls moving my upright frame through the wind, away from shore.
“You got it!” shouts Tara Krolczyk, owner of LakeSUP LLC, a local surfboard reseller. “As easy as standing on a sidewalk.”
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SUP’ing Minnesota-style: Landlocked surfer Jesse Daun digs in on Minneapolis’ Lake Calhoun.
It is a Wednesday evening in mid-July, and I’ve come to try a sport new to the Midwest. Stand-up paddle-surfing has roots in Hawaii, where the discipline was created decades ago as a means of flat-water transportation. Over the past three summers, stand-up paddling — often shortened to “SUP” — has sent waves through the surf industry.
“SUP is probably the fastest growing current trend in surfing,” said Sean Smith, executive director of the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association in Aliso Viejo, Calif.
Smith attributes the sport’s popularity to its versatility — it can be done when there are good waves or no waves at all. It’s also great exercise, Smith said.
Further bolstering the sport, surf stars like Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama have embraced SUP. ESPN recently reported that World Cup skier Julia Mancuso crosstrains standing up on a surfboard.
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Tara Krolczyk, owner of LakeSUP LLC, demonstrating the standup technique.
Hollywood types including Matt Damon, Jennifer Garner and Pierce Brosnan have been caught on camera SUP’ing, adding a populist fuel to the fire. “It is very trendy right now,” Smith said. “But it does have a lot going for it in terms of staying power.”
SUP in MN
Krolczyk formed LakeSUP LLC, based in Minnetonka, Minn., this spring after a family vacation to Florida. A former professional dancer and Radio City Rockette, Krolczyk, 38, fell in love with SUP after just two hours on a rental board off Key Largo. “It was an amazing core workout,” she said.
Established in May, LakeSUP now sells stand-up surfboards and paddles on its eponymous website, www.lakesup.com. Krolczyk runs free monthly demonstration clinics on area lakes and travels to give private lessons.
A handful of Minnesotans have bought boards, including Jesse Daun, a 34-year-old engineer from Minneapolis. “I was wanting a canoe or kayak for the summer, but they wouldn’t fit in my apartment.”
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