Video-Slideshow: Locals Shine at Battle of the Paddle

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Compiled by Steve Breazeale

The seventh annual Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle was held at Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point for the first time in the event’s history from Oct. 4-5. The move from Doheny State Beach, where the event had been held in years past, caused many to learn the new layout on the fly.

Nevertheless, hundereds of the world’s most elite stand-up paddleboarders, and amateurs alike, descended upon the Dana Point shoreline to compete over the two-day stretch.

The Battle of the Paddle also features one of the largest prize purses on the SUP racing calendar. This year’s total purse was over $26,000.

There were several strong showings from San Clemente residents at the event.

San Clemente’s Candice Appleby won the Elite SUP Elite division with a time of 46:55, taking home the $3,000 first-place prize.

Rob Rojas finished first in the Distance SUP Individual event. Rojas, a San Clemente resident, looped the roughly 10.25-mile course in 1:18:55, nearly two minutes ahead of the next closest competitor.

Scroll to the bottom to watch a video of the day’s events.

Here is a list of the top three finishers in each division, separated by gender:

Men Distance Paddleboard Individual

1. Canon Smith 2. Max First 3. Ismael Garcia

Women Distance Paddleboard Individual

1. Jo Ambrosi

Men Distance SUP Elite

1. Danny Ching 2. Travis Grant 3. Beau O’Brian

Women Distance SUP Elite

1. Lina Augaitis 2. Annabel Anderson 3. Fiona Wylde

Men Distance SUP Individual

1. Rob Rojas 2. Brennan Rose 3. Bart De Zwart

Women Distance SUP Individual

1. Karla Gilbert 2. Silvia Mecucci 3. Marie Buchanan

Men Elite SUP Elite

1. Kai Lenny 2. Jake Jensen 3. Danny Ching

Women Elite SUP Elite

1. Candice Appleby 2. Lina Augaitis 3. Annabel Andersen

Elite SUP Relay

1. Team Go Big or Go Huge 2. Team Lahui Kai 3. Team Rouge

Boys SUP 8-Under

1. Blake Scheel 2. Curren Springer 3. Dash Springer

Girls SUP 8-Under

1. Shyanne McWilliams 2. Abby Baker 3. Malaya Ring

Boys SUP 9-11

1. Jonas Graham 2. Matix Springer 3. Keagan Lamar

Girls SUP 9-11

1. Payton Springer 2. Belah Ellis 3. Zoe Carter

Boys SUP 12-14

1. Ryland Hart 2. Patrick Cleveland 3. Ryan Funk

Girls SUP 12-14

1. Erika Benitez 2. Isabella Gomez 3. Kalia Alexiou

Men Prone Paddleboard

1. Jack Bark 2. Shane Scoggins 3. Brian Murphy

Women Prone Paddleboard

1. Julia Garcia 2. Morgan Hoesterey 3. Jo Ambrosi

SUP Relay

1. Team 15! 2. Team Boga Paddleboards 3. Team McPhillips

Here is a video of the 2014 Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle, courtesy of Tony Tribolet/www.xpsphoto.com