Chip Bock

2011 Battle of the Paddle California

2011-10-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

So another BOP California in the bag. Learned A LOT (again) and had a blast!

The new custom hand shaped 12'6" SUB9 Battle Board from Dave Parmenter was amazing (just wished I had more than an afternoon to train on it the day before the race, but I have all year to get it dialed in for 2012). At 18lbs with all new lines (taken from Travis Grant's BOP - HI winning board), SUB9 race boards will be a design to be reckoned with in 2012 and beyond.

Had a good start in my 2011 BOP - CA Elite Heat (Green Shorts - Orange Board) / Photo: C. Randazzo

The new S9 and C4 boards will start arriving at shops nationwide between now and December...light, fast, HIGH performance. I will try and bring some with me for demos to the Right Coast races, so hit me up on Face Book for more info...wait until you see their new sick Blow Up (and I mean BLOW UP) inflatable SUP's and Surf Boards...size of a small duffle bag, inflates with included pump in less than 3 minutes to 15psi and is as rigid as fiberglass when inflated...their new patented Cuddle Fish fin mount on the iSUP and iSURF boards will let you set them up with your own high performance fin systems too!

Headed to beach exchange - 2011 BOP - CA Elite race / Photo: C. Randazzo

Got to spend some time training and hanging out with one of my C4 team mates Travis Grant and the rest of the C4 crew. Had a great start in my Elite Trial Race and was in the top 30 headed into the last lap, but took a wrong line at a buoy turn and got hung up with five other boards (while watching about 15-20 paddlers blaze past us around the buoy on the outside by the time we got "un-stuck")...but THAT is what the "Battle" is all about...Hero to Zero in one wrong move or mishap...gotta love it!

Huge Mahalo to Ty; C4's new Global Sales Manager. Ty ran boards back and forth for the HI and AU team riders and made sure we all had a place to park for the event (as many of you already know, C4 parted ways from their multi-year relationship with Boardworks about 2 weeks before BOP-CA, so myself and the rest of the team were nomads for the event this year). The separation has now spawned 12 x new SUP Surf and Race designs under the S9 logo and will also include all of the legacy shapes we have all grown to love under the C4 logo. More on that soon...

I want to thank Sean Cook and the crew at Premier SUP Apparel for letting myself and Travis grab some sand at their tents the first day of the Elite races. Premier is a new clothing sponsor of mine this year and seriously have THE BEST boardshorts on the planet. If you want subtle bordies that are so stretchy and comfortable you would swear you were naked...click on Premier's logo on my Blog page and order a pair. I surf them, race them, run in them, train at the gym in them and relax on Sunday's in them (my wife has started to ask if I burned all of my other shorts...lol).

Headed to beach finish - 2011 BOP 10 mile race - 14ft Class / Photo: C. Randazzo

Larry Allison (Allison Race Fins and Pro Box Fins) and I hung out at his "Lair" while I was in CA and it was so cool to see his "covert" operation. His fins have made a HUGE difference in my performance over the past year and I now see why NO ONE can copy what he does. Hand Made, Hand Engineered, CUSTOM all the way. Each fin a work of art and performance. As his new Team Rider shirts say..."Perfection in Direction"...Nuff Said.

Check out Larry Allison and also SUP Race Fins on Face Book and find out what FAST is all about.

Lastly, big thanks to On It Pro, Indo Board, Connected Fitness Sports Performance Training, Watermans Applied Science Sun Protection, H2O Audio, SPY Optics, GoPro Cameras and Hammer Nutrition for their sponsorship and support as always. Without them I could not continue to compete at a Pro/Am level in SUP.

2011 BOP - CA Buoy Turn / Photo: C. Randazzo

As always, my wife Nancy and Daughter Gaya (my biggest fans) allow me the opportunity to attend events like BOP-CA each year and express my passion everyday. I love you.

Training now for the 2011 22 mile Causeway 2 Causeway in Cocoa, FL on November 5th. This will be my 5th C2C (2007 was the innauguration of this 1st class event). It is on the Indian River Lagoon in FL. No current, No swell, sometimes head wind for 1/2 of it (hate that), NO support boat. You carry what you need and paddle flat out for 22 miles. Each year I am asked; "was it fun??"

NO.

But it is one of the BEST tests of who you are and what you are made of in SUP racing. I HATE EVERY minute of it and will be back every year...lol.

More updates later this week on the training and prep for this type of extreme enduro "Paddle Battle" race later this week...

Aloha, see you in the water...

Cadence

2011-09-02T06:18:00.000-07:00

Holding Cadence Pace at the 13 mile 2011 Key West Classic - 10 mile mark

ca·dence (kdns) n. pl. ca·denc·es 1. Balanced, rhythmic flow, as of poetry or oratory. 2. The measure or beat of movement, as in dancing or marching.

About 4 months ago I was with my wife at Island Strides - a Triathlon specialty shop in Indialantic, FL helping her learn more about CHI running (more on that later) and got into a discussion with a friend of ours who runs the shop about Cadence. He said that it was something that was becoming very big in Triathlon training.

He showed me a small Metronome that they sell (and that many athletes are using) that clipped to your waist or could be bike mounted and would let out loud "beeps" at different beats per minute. It was a product that had been adopted from the music community (a lot of drummers, etc. now use them). I was intrigued.

It occurred to me that Cadence has been used in Crew boat racing and training for many years and also used by ancient cultures on large paddle powered vessels including ancient outriggers; especially during long distance voyages (Drums, Wood Blocks, etc.). Cadence allowed for consistent paddling to be maintained and in most cases became autonomic subconscious pace for the paddlers.

It has already been proven that the beat of music helps endurance athletes maintain pace and perform at a higher level. In Triathlon however; due to safety, headsets are prohibited in competition so Triathletes are only allowed to use audible metronomes without a head set (hence the loud "Beeping" device that I was being shown in the shop that day).

I have been a Pro sponsored team rider for H2O Audio since 2009 and have been training and racing with music since 2007. A problem I had noticed early in the 2011 SUP race season was my playlists. If the music was too fast paced (or a particular song), I noticed my heart rate would go too high and I would become winded. Worse, my pace would be all over the map because of the different song rhythms (I became aware of what my subconscious was doing to me physically listening to the different rhythms).

Prior to learning about Cadence that day in the shop, I wasn't clear on what to do to fix it. I didn't know what BPM (Beat Per Minute) would be right and even if I figured that out, what music would consistently match the BPM for an entire play list (or go crazy listening to just one song over and over...lol).

At that same time, Jim Terrell with Quick Blade posted a video on Face Book that he had just completed on paddle stroke analysis. In it, he used a special video software that dropped vertical white lines at set intervals over the top of a select group of paddlers that he shot in slow motion paddling past a giant white and black lined "Ruler" floating in the water. Using this technique, Jim was able to analyze proper stroke; reach, catch, power phase and...How many strokes per minute the paddlers were paddling at!!

Ah-Ha moment #2! I now could see how many strokes top paddlers like Rob Rojas took per minute. Rob is about my size and paddles an Unlimited race SUP so I knew I could use Rob as a set point (or a pace to achieve give or take a stroke).

Next was how to get a Metronome beat on or around me while paddling. Searches for a water proof small audible Metronome came up blank. Even the one used for Tri's was only used on the bike and run portions (not the swim) and it was not water proof at all.

MP3's was the next step, but also hard to find. Finally I found one that sounded great except that the lowest BPM I could find anywhere was 60BPM and Jim's analysis showed Rob Rojas at 46 Strokes Per Minute.

iPod Shuffle H2O Audio Case with Surge Sport Wrap Head Set

I realized that 46 complete strokes per minute was 92 "In and Outs" per minute. Sink the blade (Catch) was first beat, the blade coming out to go back to the Catch was a second beat. I downloaded a 90 and a 95 BPM Metronome MP3 to my iTunes and loaded it as solo track on my iPod Shuffle. I set the iPod to do a constant loop and Ta-Da, I had a Water Proof Metronome that only I could hear.

Once on the water the first day of "Cadence Training", I realized that trying to focus on setting the blade on one beat and getting it back out by the next was...well...arduous. I did notice however that if I focused on every other beat setting the blade, I could get a very nice rhythm going.

WARNING: When you first start doing this, expect consciously to go a little "crazy" with the steady beat pounding away in your head. However; after a couple of days of using it (and finding a good low, but audible volume) you will find that your sub-conscious begins to tune it out (like White Noise), but when needed you can focus on the beat when you feel yourself starting to slow down.

Set, Pull, Release at the Feet, Repeat

I cannot tell you how many times this new paddling aid has helped me in a race. For example at the Carolina Cup this year on the first leg of the Intra-Coastal section I was trying to stay with the lead pack, pass a few top paddlers and gain some distance on the rest of the field. Focusing on the Cadence in my headset, allowed me to catch John Becker who slid in behind me to draft. Being able to hold a set pace (without faltering through psychological pressure; you all have had those "race moments"...lol) allowed me to out pace John and break away from his drafting. It also allowed me to catch and pass Matt Becker as we exited the Intracoastal. (NOTE: I swung too wide when we hit the ocean and Matt and John's superior ocean downwind skills allowed them to pass me and get about a 1-2 minute lead, which they maintained the rest of the race when we re-entered the Intra-Coastal).

Bottom line; I am always trying to get better at SUP. Faster, stronger, better training, bigger waves, radical manuvers...it is what has made the world of SUP be so exciting and continually challenging in my life (and what more could you ask for in a personal sport). Give "Cadence Training" a shot in your SUP racing training/racing. Who knows, you might just find a Slater or a Chuck hiding inside of you.

Remember, have fun, spread Aloha and see you in the water!

"Re-Build"

2010-11-26T09:22:00.000-08:00

22 Mile - 2010 C2C Challenge

Where have I been...

Its been month's since my last Blog post and many people have been asking; "What happened?"

Many of us have been competing in different sports for most of our lives. For most it is in our DNA. We turn just about ANYTHING into a competition. It's one of the things I truly enjoy about the SUP community. At every event, at home or while traveling, on or off the water, we make the simplest thing a contest. Even when my wife, daughter and I go shopping in the grocery store; my 6 year old daughter Gaya and I will at some point in the first 5 minutes begin the chant "I'll race you to (insert target)...Ready Set Go!". My wife Nancy realizes the start of this activity when one of us slams our hand in to her backside with a resounding "Beat you!" (Mommy's rear end is a regular finish line for many of our shopping race comps).

However in 2010 I started to lose my "Race Mojo". With advancing SUP race technology this past year and the rise of incredible new comers of all ages taking down wins at events, it became hard to keep up.

Chuck Patterson and I have talked by email and at events about this and it is frustrating for seasoned full time Pro's like Chuck; but even more debilitating for "Jugglers" like myself (see my early post for a definition of "The Juggle").

Standing by my Winston Churchill mantra of "Never, Never, Never, Quit", shortly in to the 2010 season, I set out to look at what I had been doing in '07, 08', and '09 and see where changes could be made.

The 2010 Key West Classic race I switched to a completely different race board design that proved terrible results. In the 2010 Gulf Coast Championships, I returned to my BARK 18 board and switched paddles...more terrible results.

I messed with my nutrition and hydration management; some success and some failures.

I decided towards the end of the season to completely change my "land training" which resulted in a drop of over 15 lbs in body weight and an increase in strength and endurance (Ala; Connected Fitness Sports Performance Training).

Just prior to the 2010 Battle of the Paddle - CA, I sold my 2nd 18ft Unlimited BARK and had Joe Bark shape me a new custom 14' race board that I used for the very first time the morning of the 10 mile distance race. I had trouble finding the "sweet spot" , but what I felt as I approached the second 5 mile leg, began a low flicker of excitement. Returning to the Right Coast after the BOP, the performance of the new BARK board in the 22 - Mile Flat Water 2010 C2C Challenge in Cocoa, FL made the flicker grow to a slow burn.

Further nutrition changes in October and November along with a change in race paddles has turned the slow burn back in to a FIRE.

So what does this all mean??

SUP surfing and racing gave so much to personal life when I first struggled to stay standing in the surf for more than 15 minutes back in late 2006 on a 12ft Surf Tech Laird. The grom like stoke and fun along with a host of incredible people in the SUP community began a whole new chapter in my competitive personal life and helped to further expand my waterman lifestyle.

I hope that most of you continue to grow and push yourselves in this incredible life we lead. Whether you just want to be able to cruise and explore further distances on your local waterways or travel to new spots around the globe to SUP explore. If you would like to push yourself in to entering competitions or even if you just want to see if you can move to a smaller SUP...whatever your challenge; Never, Never, Never Quit.

We (the surfing community) are a family, a tribe. Our love and enjoyment of the water bind us in ways that span continents. Try new things, go new places, reach out to schedule paddles with new paddlers in your area, borrow each others equipment. This is what SUP is all about. Spread the Aloha...let a child at your local beach hop on for a ride or offer that grumpy local short boarder to try out your rig...

Most of all, if you ever feel like I did in 2010; take a step back and "sharpen the sword" as it will...

Better yet, reach out to one of the tribe..remember we are a family and the stoke we share can never be extinguished. Just let someone pass their "stoke torch" to you and re-light.

So....

Tomorrow (Sat 11/27/10) is my first race since this first "re-build". I don't know what the result will be, but it really doesn't matter.

I am proud to be part of this global SUP family...so as we approach 2011...READY, SET....GO!

(Beat you!)

-See You in the Water

"Working Man's SUP Racer/Surfer"

2010-04-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is my new title...
Dad, Husband, Regional Manager (for a large global surgical device manufacturer) and...a Waterman.
Open any of the new crop of SUP specific journal's and you will see much of the same...pictures of exotic locals, amazing surf, globe trotting athletes all enjoying the amazing growth of this new obsession we have all fallen in love with...Stand Up Paddle Boarding.
As with any new love though, there comes the "reality phase"...how do you keep the stoke when "real life" rears its head...
This is the plight of the "Working Man's SUP Racer/Surfer".
Or what I am coming to know as "The Juggle"...lol
Back Story:
In 2006 I had no idea where this would all go. I had been a surfer for many years, played on an NCAA National Championship football team and grew up competing in one design sail boat racing from the age of 5 on. I tend to "create" competition in almost everything I do...guilty.
Spring of 2006 I read an article about Laird Hamilton biking from Paris France to the English Channel and then crossing the channel on his new signature SurfTech Laird SUP. I had never seen it before and no one I knew had heard about it. So I dove into the internet to explore. A month later I laid down a deposit at my local Surftech shop for an as yet to be produced Laird 12'1" SUP.
After many delays, in January 2007 I finally took delivery of one of the first 6 x Laird SUP's to ship East from Santa Cruz.
Fortunately I had already found Todd Bradley with the then virgin C4 Waterman company and after several calls with Todd had secured a new paddle as the originally promised "paddle included" price for the Laird, did not materialize upon delivery (I was told last minute negotiations between Laird and Surftech did not leave room in the Pre-order price to include a paddle anymore).
The next 3 weeks I was a Grom again...laughing, falling, noodle legged...the works...lol
Then came "the glide" and I was hooked...forever.
Late summer of 2007 I learn of an Innaurgural Paddleboard Race to be held on the Indian River Intracoastal Waterway in Cocoa Beach, FL. 22 miles from the Cocoa Causeway to Pineda Causeway and back (11 miles each way).
3 weeks before the event I begin training.
My sister had been battling Ovarian Cancer at that point since 1999 and I immediately saw an opportunity to do somthing else by competing in this race.
In October 2007, I completed the now annual 22 Mile C2C Challenge...paddling the final 11 miles into a 20 mph headwind, finishing 3rd place in 6 hrs 52min (all of the other SUP paddlers behind me dropped out and were picked up by chase boats 10 minutes into the 11 mile headwind return).
I personally raised $2,000 for LIVESTRONG that first race through my watermanforhope.org site. (Over the past 3yrs, I have raised for LAF a total of over $7,000 personally competing in the C2C)
I was also hooked on SUP racing...but the boards for racing...well needless to say needed improvement.
From there I switched to the first 14ft C4 Waterman Vortice (epoxy version) for the 2008 paddleboard race season taking 2nd Place at the Florida State Championships, 3rd at the Eastcoast Championships and 1st or 2nd in additional races that year.
I then met Jamie Mitchell and Kyle Mochizuki during a Quiksilver Edition clinic tour through Florida the summer of 2008 and that led to talks with Joe Bark and his Unlimited race SUP designs.
I won the 2008 22 mile C2C on my first 18ft custom carbon fiber BARK race SUP (finishing in 4 hrs) and that led to more top two podium finishes in the 2009 race season and a 2nd BARK design upgrade board.
So why the "back story"?
Because at 43, father of a beautiful 5 year old daughter, married to an AMAZING beautiful wife, a Covidien Regional Manager overseeing Florida, Louisiana and Texas...how do I stay competative in this exploding sport with new "Young Guns" coming up everyday who have tons of time to train (not to mention the raw talent).
So 2010 for me is the birth of the "Working Man's SUP Racer/Surfer".
In the coming weeks I will explore what this means more and provide some tips as to how I get around "The Juggle".
See you in the water, - Aloha

2010 Quiver

2010-02-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

Between training sessions, my daughters swim lessons, dog walking, home projects, quality time with my wife Nancy and my "Real Job"...I finally had a chance to reorganize the garage. Juggling real life and dropping everything to chase a swell or squeeze in a training session can get your gear really out of wack.

So I took the opportunity to lay out the 2010 Quiver for a portrait. (It is amazing how I fit all those boards, especially due to their sizes). Worst is I still have a custom shaped C4 12'6" flat water race board (a new design from SUP/surfboard guru Dave Parmenter) on it's way...where am I going to put that??

Included in the Quiver line up photo is my Sector 9 Long Board Skate Board and the wood Kahuna Creations "Big Stick"...it is great for cross training and so fun for runs to check the surf, hit the grocery store and take along to races and contests...check it out if you have not tried it yet; "Land SUPing"! http://kahunacreations.com/

See you in the water (or coming down the sidewalk!..lol)

Ocean Training Day (one of many)

2010-02-01T07:57:00.000-08:00

Forgot how much different ocean paddling can be when you are not running downwind. NE wind and chop, E swell; washing machine conditions and pushing through it all while paddling parallel to the coast...what a mess.
But nothing is better for training! Add in a pod of LARGE Dolphin racing around under the board and it adds up to just another day of challenging yourself in the water and that is what I live for.
Took some shots with my new Go Pro HD camera at the begining and the end (had to concentrate on the actual "training" the rest of the time...lol).
More training ahead this week with weather difficulties adding to the mix (25 mph + winds and rain) and having to travel for my "Real Job" is difficult, but being creative keeps you in tune. When on the road, I travel with my TRX Suspension Training System and fold up Perfect Push Up handles that allow me to train just about anywhere including inside my hotel room (more on those items in upcoming blogs).
See you in the water!

My Watermans Sunscreen keeps me protected all day long and my H2O Audio gear keeps the miles jammin by!

Nothing like an 18ft BARK SUP race board; sooo smooth...

2010-01-26T07:39:00.000-08:00

(Shot with Non-HD Go Pro Camera - Sept 2009)

I finally got back in the water yesterday around 5pm for the first time since the Cold Stroke Classic race in North Carolina earlier this month. No pictures from yesterdays late day session but if you look at the picture above, lower the temp about 25 degrees, add westsuit rubber and booties the pics would be the same...lol. Not as brutal as the Cold Stroke conditions, but cold for Florida. Surpisingly fun session, not a soul in the water with brisk offshores. Pulled off some HUGE chucky floaters with my new 10' quad C4 Waterman Sub Vector. Felt great to drop in to a few shoulder high sets with the sun vanishing behind the dunes. The late evening light in Florida is incredible no matter what time of year.

I have been doing a bit of weight training the last couple of weeks including cardio and some "custom" cross training specially designed by my amazing wife Nancy ala her sports performance training business Connected Fitness (will be sharing more of that in the near future).

Pressure is on with the first big race of the Florida 2010 season on Feb 14 in Deerfield Beach, FL. The Deerfield Beach Founders Day Paddleboard Challenge is a 7 mile Prone Paddleboard and SUP race (Men and Women's stock and unlimited for both).

Today started cold and grey (not too motivating to get on the Unlimited BARK to train), but the sun is coming out and it is getting a little warmer. Its crunch time now for the next couple of weeks to get alot of miles under the BARK to be ready for the race. We used to have a nice break from November through March in the race season, but with limited weekends available in a calendar year combined with the explosive growth of SUP racing in the US, event coordinators have decided to add "cold weather" to the list of challenges for the Right Coast ocean/flat water racer. Cant' wait to put my wesuit away for the year...

See you in the Water!

2009 22 Mile Causeway 2 Causeway Challenge Paddleboard Race

2010-01-11T18:11:00.000-08:00

Another video shot on my 18'6" BARK Unlimited Carbon Race Board to help promote the LIVESTRONG fund raising I do each year competing in the 22 Mile Causeway 2 Causeway Challenge in Cocoa, FL. As of October 2009 I have raised over $6,000 for LIVESTRONG racing in three C2C's. I finished 3rd Place in 2007, 1st Place in 2008 and 2nd Place in 2009.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G53CBTi_3NI

Hurricane Bill Video

2010-01-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

Video I shot and edited during the passage of Hurricane Bill off the coast of Florida in the Fall of 2009. Shot this using a one of my Go Pro Fish Eye Digital Camera's...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHA-7qLodYc

The Blog

2010-01-11T16:27:00.000-08:00

So I decided to join the "Blog Fest" and start recording some of the daily, weekly and annual highlights of my passion for Stand Up Paddle Boarding and the "Waterman Lifestyle" as it has been coined...remember that just Stand Up Paddling does not make you a "Waterman/Waterwoman"...immersing your life, family, mind, body and spirit in activities on, in and near all bodies of water will get you pretty close to that qualification...respect and support of the ocean's enviroment and sustainability is also a requirment to even consider being made part of this distinction...Live with Aloha...see you in the water