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The story of Black Dog Paddle in Central Virgina... One day while paddling stand up with my wife Camille and our black lab Emmy, we encountered a strong headwind. I looked down at Emmy with her feet gently crossed. She looked back towards me as if to say "Dad, your gonna have to paddle really hard to get me home!" I responded to her look and said, "Hey Black Dog....Paddle". Immediately without hesitation Camille stated, that's the new name of our company". It took almost a year to get things up and going but Black Dog Paddle is now Central Virginia's leader of stand up paddling. When you think of Central Virginia being 100 miles from the coast, you don't think SUP, but inland SUP is growing just as fast as coastal. Camille and I quickly realized Richmond, and the Surrounding James River held a huge potential of people ready to get on an SUP for fitness, flat water, racing, and whitewater SUP. Camille, after surfing for 8 years, quickly became Brody Welte Paddle Fitness Certified and we both just became ACA National Certified SUP Instructors. The first and only in our area. I add this certification to my 16 years of ACA whitewater kayak instruction, and let me tell you, whitewater SUP is intense! Camille and I have recently taken to SUP Racing, and everyone that we have met and learned from have been outstanding and just incredible people to associate with and learn from.
After the Carolina Cup, we took Paddle with the Pro's from Karen Wrenn, and Brody, and received some fin advice from John Denney of Jupiter Kiteboarding! These tips helped Camille finish first female in only her second race, a non WPA race in Richmond's unique canal system, where Doug Ellis won on the mens side. In her third race she finished fourth female SUP in the 10 mile WPA Jamestown Island race, behind very powerful and proven female racers! She is quietly gaining positions. We are glad to be surrounded by such wonderful people from the stand up world, and appreciate every one's support and enthusiasm of our dream, Brody's Stand Up Paddle Fitness, John and Bari of Jupiter Kites, Yolo, Global Surf, Boardworks, NRG, SUPlove, SeaSpecs, NRS, Appomattox River Company, ACA to name just a few, and our new friends at supsurfmag.com We look forward to being around for a long time and growing our passion in the Central Virginia area! We are completely mobile in this first year but we can be found at www.blackdogpaddle.com We welcome you to our facebook page at facebook.com/BlackDogPaddle. If we have not already met, I hope we do soon!
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June 25, 2011
98.204.193.163