Did y’all watch the ICF (now Paddle Worldwide) SUP World Championships that took place in Sabaudia, Italy?
934 athletes from 59 nations participated, and 18 of those athletes came from both the USA and USA SUP community.
That’s outstanding!
And yes, your SUP Auntie Chi (that’s me) watched and rewatched (and is still rewatching) every event and every moment on YouTube. In fact, I…might have screamed at my iPad like a raving fan (much more than) a few times.
Okay.
I did!
I loved watching the joy, excitement, and camaraderie between the racers and their families. There were plenty of hugs, fist bumps, and high fives. Also the partnership between Matthiew Astier and Rob Cynowa plus other guests did well to make even the most distant viewer feel like they were on the front lines of the World Championships.
And please let’s give an honorable mention to Matthieu's classic line: “He’s making a move!!”
I also tip my hat to Chattajack.
31 miles long and going strong for 15 years and counting!
Massive congratulations to the athletes and the volunteers for their hard work.
As I excitedly looked through the photos, reels, and YouTube vlogs that captured amazing moments from both events, two things stood out to me.
The first was that most of the athletes mentioned having the opportunity to see friends and make new ones as one of their reasons for racing.
The second was a word.
That word is ‘community’.
USA SUP’s mission is ‘To grow the sport of SUP by engaging and informing participants and championing safe, inclusive and fair communities and events.’
Safe, inclusive and fair are in bold letters on the website.
But behind them is that word again, only plural: Communities
It got me wondering, what exactly IS community?
Honestly, I never thought that deeply about it. I only thought about community when it didn’t apply to me or, as mentioned in my last confession, when I didn’t feel like I was welcome in it.
For example, residents in my neighborhood receive a newsletter every month. That newsletter says, in its header, it is for the ‘community’. In one column, the newsletter encourages the residents “to support the community-minded spirit of assisting neighbors…” In another column, the resident is instructed to submit “your community award nominations”.
Despite living in that neighborhood, I don’t feel like I am part of that community. I simply live there.
On the other hand, I consider myself to be part of a community that is in a different neighborhood. I volunteer and socialize in that neighborhood. I paddle in the water that passes through that neighborhood. I contribute financially to that neighborhood. I feel welcome in that neighborhood. Last but not least, people know me by my first name in that neighborhood despite my not living there.
To get some clarity on what a community is, I decided to do some research with the help of my new friends. Their names are Google AI and Claude. And yes, I also asked real humans to help me understand what community is.
What is community?
At its core, a community is a group of people that share something in common. That something in common is what connects the people and it also can attract new people. That “something in common” could be a goal, values, or an activity.
In addition, a community is active. The people in that community take some sort of responsibility for each other’s experience of it. And for a fun fact, small, repeated actions such as extending an invitation, saying hello, or saying congratulations to a fellow paddler make the biggest impact. These actions help people feel connected to the community.
What is community, not?
I immediately thought of two responses to this one.
My first is that a community is not only about paying a membership fee. Paying a fee typically makes you a member that is a customer with a consumer mindset. And if that fee is connected to a community, then that fee only gives you access.
The second response is that a community is not exactly gathering a group of people for an event, taking a group photo, and posting that photo to social media with the caption that reads ‘community’. Photos and videos don’t show the true nature of that group experience. In other words, just because a caption has the word ‘community’ in it doesn’t mean one exists.
But the best response to this question comes from Linda McCoy, USA SUP’s President. She said, “A community is not exclusive.”
For me that was a mic drop, and I felt the mic hitting the floor.
She also said: “When a community starts putting parameters on who is welcome, it starts the imminent decline of that community.
That response shifts community to commUNITY.
What are the benefits of a commUNITY?
Because there are numerous benefits to commUNITY, I’m going to highlight a few.
Social connection: When something we share in common draws us together, magic happens. We see each other. We learn from each other. We look out for each other. This is what connection is about, and it is beautiful. And as the connection deepens, we naturally become co-creators of the commUNITY.
Resources: Specific to SUP, shared resources could include knowledge about water conditions, gear, paddle technique, fitness, and more. Human capital in the form of volunteers, local leaders and future board members also become available. Resources are plenty when there is commUNITY.
Safety: People tend to look out for each other, which creates a feeling of security. A person that feels secure can focus on developing their skill as an athlete and also show up powerfully as a member of the commUNITY. This especially matters for those that are newer to SUP. They should feel safe to show up, and, in the process, grow.
Diversity: Diversity is not only about race and gender. It also includes age, abilities, regions, cultures, knowledge, points of view, and ways to participate such as volunteering, being a sponsor, or racing. In general, a wider range of people leads to a larger group of participants, which further amplifies social connection, resources, safety, and so much more. The ICF (now Paddle Worldwide) SUP World Championships is the best example of diversity in action. Honestly, diversity as a benefit deserves its own article.
In the last article I confessed that I haven’t always felt welcome in the SUP community. Now I must also confess that I didn’t really understand what a community is, let alone commUNITY. Therefore, I appreciate having this opportunity to learn and share.
Finally, our SUP community is not only about racing. Our social paddles and complimentary activities, such as beach clean ups and coffee socials also create commUNITY.
And speaking of social paddles, I loved seeing the various photos and reels of your Halloween community paddles. The costumes, coordinated colors, and face paint were fantastic!
In the posts ahead, I'll shift from defining community to what building it looks like in practice. I look forward to building commUNITY with all of you.
Cheers to commUNITY!
Chioma (aka Chi, your SUP Auntie)
IG handle @TalkingSUP
