::  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ::

Watermans Paddle for Humanity heads to Lake Tahoe

Locals gear up for a community event.

Orange County, CA – The Watermans Paddle for Humanity is heading to Lake Tahoe July 7, 2012.  The third stop of the event series will feature fun in the sun for the whole family and a chance for everyone to checkout the fun and community surrounding the paddling.  The Paddle for Humanity is a not-for-profit event raising money for a variety of non-profit organizations, including the Navy SEAL Foundation.

The most important aspect of the Paddle for Humanity is that everyone has a good time and the event offers something for everyone.  The PFH features a 5K fun paddle for those who just want to get out and participate and a 10K for the more serious paddler who wants to see how they measure up.  The 2012 addition of the Chuck Patterson Rally, affectionately called the CPR by fans, is a spectator friendly event that promises to challenges the bodies and minds of competitors.

Patterson, the mind behind the CPR event, the son of local Tahoe resident Bitsy Patterson, is well known in the area for his Skiing exploits and is excited to bring the Paddle for Humanity to Lake Tahoe. “Lake Tahoe has been my second home, where I have spent half my life skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking and [for the past 7-years] Standup paddling. With Tahoe having some of the strongest and toughest Multi sport athletes in the world I felt this was the perfect place to have the CPR.  I look forward to seeing you all there!” Said Patterson.

Waterman’s Landing in Carnelian Bay, CA will host the Paddle for Humanity.   The business is proud to be a part of the event and happy to see the community getting so involved.  “Lake Tahoe is really excited for the PFH… The buzz is getting bigger and people are really starting to look at this race as a great time to get into the sport!   We even have some locals training specifically for the [10K) race!”  Said Jay Wild, local paddler and Co-owner of Waterman’s Landing. Paddlers can elect to have 20% of their registration fee donated directly to the Lake Tahoe Watermans Foundation; a non-profit organization founded by Wild and Tahoe fellow paddlers.

The Paddle for Humanity will feature a paddle clinic with Wild and Patterson, social paddle and pre-party Friday night.  The event kicks off at 7AM on Saturday morning with the first paddle at 9AM.

For more information including dates, locations and registration visit www.paddleforhumanity.org.

Support the companies that support the sports you love:  Kona Brewing Company, Ocean Mindedf, Futures Fins, SUP ATX/Lahui Kai Racing, Hobie Polarized, H2O Overdrive and Watermans Applied Science.

* The Paddle For Humanity is a sanctioned WPA event series.   For more information visit www.worldpaddleassociation.com.

Media contact:

paddleforhumanity@gmail.com

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About the Paddle for Humanity:

The Watermans Applied Science Paddle for Humanity has raised more than $50,000USD for charity since its inception in 2009 and helped galvanize paddling communities across the country.  The PFH is open to all paddle craft.  For more info visit www.paddleforhumanity.org.

About Chuck Patterson:

Chuck Patterson is an inspiring person. He is 6’2” and weighs 220 pounds. He competes at the pro level in five different sports: stand up paddling, tow-in surfing, kite surfing, skiing and snowboarding.  For more info visit chuckpattersonsports.com

Introduction to DOT format:

Paddling as a sport has seen a massive increase over the last five years, thanks in the most part to the meteoric rise of standup paddling, both coastally and on inland lakes and rivers.  Although equipment and technique have experienced profound change during this period of rapid growth the actual event format has largely remained the same – paddlers compete over a given distance and are judged based off of how quickly they complete the course. Beginning in 2012 the Paddle for Humanity event series will introduce a unique and revolutionary race format known as DOT, or Distance Over Time.

FAQ:

What is a DOT race?

DOT stands for Distance Over Time.  Unlike traditional distance and BOP style events which judge participants on their time over a given distance, DOT style events are time based, judging the performance of a participant on how much distance he or she can paddle in a set amount of time.  Participants will paddle laps on a course equal to or greater than one ½ mile in length.  At the end of the allotted time a horn will be blown signaling the final lap.  At this time all paddlers must finish their current lap, round a specific buoy, known as a turnout, and move directly to the finish line.

How long will the PFH events be? 

For the 2012 Paddle for Humanity will feature a one-mile course and a 1:00 (one hour) cut off. (more…)