Boards specifically designed for the new watersport didn’t
yet exist in the area. Colclough used a Mickey Munoz Super
Glide, a surfboard designed for speed, and had to separately
order a paddle from Jim Terrell.
“The production of actual boards began around 2008,”
Colclough says.
Fast-forward to 2018, and paddleboarding has gone from
oddity to mainstream. Twelve years ago, just a handful of
pioneers paddled around Wrightsville. Today, it’s unusual to
cross the Banks Channel Bridge, drive on W. Salisbury Street
alongside Lees Cut, or cruise the Intracoastal Waterway or Motts
Channel and not see paddleboarders. On weekends, they can
be seen putting in under the Heide Trask drawbridge or at
Wynn Plaza, usually outnumbering kayakers.
Nationally, paddleboarding was the top outdoor activity for
growth from 2012-15, increasing participation an average of 26
percent a year, a report by Outdoor Foundation states.
It’s easy to see why. Paddleboarders get a full-body workout.
They can surf the waves, fish, and explore parts of marshes and
estuaries that boats cannot access.
“The sport attracts all walks of life,” says Jarrod Covington,
a lifelong surfer who joined the growing group of SUPers at
Wrightsville Beach and founded the town’s first paddleboard
shop in 2011.
Not only does the board’s usage vary, but there’s also differ-ent
forms of exercise that can be performed on the water. To
match a growing culture and clientele, paddlers now have an
even greater opportunity to switch up an already intense work-out
by doing yoga and pilates on the board.
“It’s so dynamic,” Covington says.
As SUP’s popularity increased, so has its inclusivity. While
hardcore athletes and racers will pay anywhere from $2,000-
$4,000 for elite equipment, the average person wanting to get
out on the water has affordable options.
Beginner boards can range anywhere from $300 to $800. Boards
stretch from 7 to 14 feet long and weigh from 15 to 30 pounds.
“It’s crazy because back then, we didn’t even have boards,”
Colclough says. “Now you can get them almost anywhere.”
Paddleboarders range from the beginner who rents through-out
the summer but will never own a board; the intermediate
who traded in his gym membership for the scenic route on his
5-mile workout; and the advanced athlete who is in the water
year-round and competes.
The reason the sport has exploded is a no-brainer. For some,
paddleboarding is a chance to try something new, and for
others it can be a low-impact way to actively recover from an
injury. Some are drawn to the competitive aspect. Just about
everyone simply enjoys gliding along the water.
Jarrod Covington paddles
the creeks around
Wrightsville Beach on an
early morning in May.
19
ALLISON POTTER
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM