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[notdevice]Season 2017: Men’s Schedule[/notdevice][device]Season 2017: Men’s Schedule[/device]

Click ‘Date’ to view in chronological order
Read the ‘Summary’ for more details

CategoryEventRatingMinimum³ScoreRegionDate
The MajorsPacific Paddle Games7 Star70%82.5%CaliforniaSeptember 29
The MajorsGorge Paddle Challenge7 Star70%70.0%OregonAugust 19
The MajorsCarolina Cup7 Star70%70.0%N. CarolinaApril 21
The MajorsMolokai-2-Oahu5 Star50%50.0%HawaiiJuly 30
APP TourMaui Pro-Am5 Star50%54.0%HawaiiMarch 11
APP TourJapan5 Starno min.47.5%JapanMay 6
Euro TourBilbao Paddle Challenge4 Star40%40.0%BasqueJune 10
Euro TourSUP Race Cup (St. Maxime)4 Star40%42.5%FranceMay 20
Euro TourSan Sebastian4 Star40%40.0%BasqueJune 17
Euro TourThonon-les-Bains4 Starno min.41.5%FranceJune 3
Euro TourHossegor Paddle Games4 Starno min.44.5%FranceMay 27
ISAThe Worlds: Marathon4 Star40%45.0%DenmarkSeptember 2
ISAThe Worlds: Beach Race4 Star40%45.5%DenmarkSeptember 7
ISAThe Worlds: Sprints3 Starno min.30.0%DenmarkSeptember 3
Regional MajorsSUP World Cup 5 Star50%50.0%GermanyJuly 1
Regional MajorsRed Bull Heavy Water5 Starno min.40.0%CaliforniaOctober
Regional MajorsGorge Beach Race⁴4 Star40%40.0%OregonAugust 19
Regional MajorsMaui2Molokai4 Star40%40.0%HawaiiJuly 15
Regional MajorsOluKai Ho'olaulea4 Star40%40.0%HawaiiApril 29
Regional MajorsKing of the Cut4 Star40%-AustraliaDecember 2
Regional MajorsBattle of the Bay3 Star30%30.0%CaliforniaSeptember 23
Regional MajorsNoosa Festival of Surfing3 Star30%30.0%AustraliaMarch 4
Regional Majors11 City Tour3 Star30%30.0%NetherlandsSeptember 13
Regional MajorsParis Crossing3 Star30%-FranceDecember 3
Regional MajorsSanta Monica Pier Paddle2 Star20%24.0%CaliforniaJune 10
Regional MajorsAir France Paddle Festival2 Star20%20.0%TahitiApril 8
Regional MajorsThe Japan Cup2 Star20%20.0%JapanOctober 14
Regional MajorsThe Lost Mills2 Star20%20.0%GermanyJune 17
Regional MajorsHong Kong International2 Star20%20.0%Hong KongAugust 26
Regional MajorsSanta Cruz Paddlefest2 Star20%20.0%CaliforniaMarch 24

 

 

[notdevice]Season 2017: Women’s Schedule[/notdevice][device]Season 2017: Women’s Schedule[/device]

Click ‘Date’ to view in chronological order
Read the ‘Summary’ for more details

CategoryEventStarsMinimum³ScoreLocationDate
The MajorsPacific Paddle Games7 Star70%76.0%CaliforniaSeptember 29
The MajorsGorge Paddle Challenge7 Star70%72.0%OregonAugust 19
The MajorsCarolina Cup6 Star60%60.0%N. CarolinaApril 21
The MajorsMolokai-2-Oahu5 Star50%50.0%HawaiiJuly 30
ISAWorlds: Marathon4 Star40%64.0%DenmarkSeptember 2
ISAWorlds: Beach Race4 Star40%58.0%DenmarkSeptember 7
ISAWorlds: Sprints3 Starno min.¹30.0%DenmarkSeptember 3
APP TourMaui Pro-Am4 Star40%40.0%HawaiiMarch 11
APP TourJapan4 Starno min.¹38.0%JapanMay 6
Euro TourBilbao3 Star30%30.0%Basque June 10
Euro TourSt. Maxime3 Star30%37.0%FranceMay 20
Euro TourSan Sebastian3 Star30%30.0%Basque June 17
Euro TourThonon-les-Bains3 Starno min.¹30.0%FranceJune 3
Euro TourHossegor Paddle Games3 Starno min.¹40.0%FranceMay 27
Regional MajorsSUP World Cup4 Star40%40.0%GermanyJuly 1
Regional MajorsGorge Beach Race⁴4 star40%40.0%OregonAugust 19
Regional MajorsBattle of the Bay3 Star30%33.0%CaliforniaSeptember 23
Regional MajorsSanta Monica Pier Paddle3 Star30%33.0%CaliforniaJune 10
Regional MajorsOluKai Ho'olaulea3 Star30%30.0%HawaiiApril 29
Regional MajorsMaui2Molokai3 Star30%30.0%HawaiiJuly 15
Regional MajorsKing of the Cut3 Star30%-AustraliaDecember 2
Regional Majors11 City Tour3 Star30%30.0%NetherlandsSeptember 13
Regional MajorsSanta Cruz Paddlefest2 Star20%20.0%CaliforniaMarch 24
Regional MajorsThe Japan Cup2 Star20%20.0%JapanOctober 14
Regional MajorsThe Lost Mills2 Star20%20.0%GermanyJune 17
Regional MajorsThe Paris Crossing2 Star20%-FranceDecember 3
Regional MajorsHong Kong International2 Star20%20.0%Hong KongAugust 26
Regional MajorsNoosa Festival of Surfing2 Star20%20.0%AustraliaMarch 4
Regional MajorsAir France Paddle Festival2 Star20%20.0%TahitiApril 8

 

SUMMARY

Here is the updated schedule for Season 2017, which lists all the big international races along with their star ratings and Race Index minimums that will have a big influence on this year’s SUP Racer World Rankings.

Below you will find a list of 33 races that we know are going to attract a lot of top ranked paddlers in 2017. This list is based primarily on feedback from the top 50 men and top 30 women via the recent SUP Racer Athlete Survey, where we asked each of the world’s best paddlers which races they planned on doing this season and in doing so allowed the paddlers themselves to help shape the race season.

(If you’re new to the World Rankings: The ‘Race Index’ is the foundation of the system that ranks every race in the world from 0-100% based on the level of competition on the start line; the more competitive a race, the higher its Race Index score and the more world ranking points that are on offer.)

The goal of the SUP Racer World Rankings has always been to provide an accurate and unbiased leaderboard of the world’s best paddlers, while also highlighting the world’s biggest (or at least, most competitive) events.

With the combination of World Rankings, Star Ratings and Race Index, SUP Racer also aims to provide the fragmented international race season with some much-needed structure, while making it easier for everyone in the paddling community (fans, athletes, brands, events and all other stakeholders) to follow and analyse this great sport of ours.

We now group the big international races into five categories. The star ratings tables below are colour-coded based on these groupings.

 

THE MAJORS

These are the four biggest and most prestigious races that combine to form a ‘Grand Slam of Paddleboarding’ (similar to what you find in tennis)

APP TOUR

This is the elite, invite-only circuit of six races that rebrands the old Stand Up World Series that is expected to feature the most competitive races outside of the Majors

Late July Update: There have been some major changes to the APP World Tour season, with the athletes voting to boycott the APP at the SUP World Cup and run that event as a standalone race; shortly after, the New York APP event was cancelled while the China event is still to be confirmed. Therefore we’ve removed both New York and China from the Season 2017 schedule.

EURO TOUR

This is the well-established, regional tour in Europe during the summer that will see highly competitive ‘prime’ events run back-to-back over six week period from late May til the end of June

ISA WORLDS

The sport’s showcase event for national teams is set for Denmark from September 1-10 and will feature three separate points races this year

REGIONAL MAJORS

These are all of the great standalone events around the world
 

We’ve produced separate star ratings for men and women this year to give the women more time in the spotlight. This is also because many events are simply far more competitive on the men’s side (or vice versa), so aligning the star ratings between genders (as we did last year) would greatly skewer the ratings.

There are 33 men’s events and 32 women’s events with star ratings in season 2017 (there is one men’s-only event), however any other event can still qualify for the World Rankings system if it scores 20% or above on its own; the more elite paddlers on the start line, the higher an event’s Race Index score.

We’ve also introduced the First Year Rule, which gives all brand new events a provisional star rating but no guaranteed minimum. This is because new events have the greatest uncertainty in terms of anticipated attendance (there were a lot of ‘maybes’ in the athlete survey), so it’s quite risky to give them a guarantee. This rule is also a way to show respect to the established events that have already proven to be great events. Or in other words: These new events have to prove themselves first. The First Year Rule applies to 3x APP Tour races, 3x Euro Tour races and the 1x new ISA race.

We don’t expect any significant changes to this list, however it may be tweaked throughout the season if specific races fluctuate or if any big new events are announced.

 

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

¹ First Year Rule: Brand new events will receive a provisional star rating but no guaranteed minimum. Based on athlete feedback, we expect these events will score close to their star rating anyway, however unlike the established events there are no guarantees. This is because the first year events have the most uncertainty in their scores. It’s also a way to show respect to the established races that have already attracted top talent year after year. Or in other words: The first year races have to prove themselves first.

² Any event not listed above that scores 20% or more will also qualify for the World Rankings system.

³ Star ratings are directly aligned with the guaranteed minimum Race Index score, eg. a 7 star event is guaranteed to score at least 70%, a 6 star scores at least 60%, and so on (except for first year races; see abve). These star ratings guaranteed *minimum* Race Index scores, not maximums; any event can still score up to 100% (though the Pacific Paddle Games is the only race that will get anywhere near that level).

⁴ The Gorge Paddle Challenge and ISA Worlds are the only two events where individual races will count as separate results. For the Gorge, the 7 star focus is on the Double Downwinder, which is the showcase race of the weekend. However there will still be points on offer for the ‘beach race’ style event, which will count at a maximum of 0.6x the score of the Double Downwinder (so if the Double Down is a 75% race, the beach race will count for 45%). This is to ensure paddlers receive credit for their performances while ensuring this one event doesn’t skewer the overall season rankings.

⁵ We may make slight adjustments to the star ratings throughout the season if we believe certain races are set to fluctuate.

Late July Update: There have been some major changes to the APP World Tour season, with the athletes voting to boycott the APP at the SUP World Cup and run that event as a standalone race; shortly after, the New York APP event was cancelled while the China event is still to be confirmed. Therefore we’ve removed both New York and China from the Season 2017 schedule.

 

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