Laura Scully has the same last name as founder and driving force behind Live Love SUP, Jen Scully. Another similarity is their passion for the sport of Stand Up Paddling. We connected with Laura through twitter and instantly realized her devotion to our beloved SUP'ing. She's a home grown girl who is taking a new perspective of her surrounds because of stand up paddling. She's also devoted to building the grassroots through the Central SUP Club and ensuring that SUP touches all people within her local community. She's just finished first in her category at the 10 miler Battle of the Thames (female, 12'6 inflatable division), just behind Jamie Mitchell reportedly :) , and took fourth in the Midlands SUP winter series. Live Love SUP is proud to be a part of the Central SUP Festival August 2-4 and stand side by side, board to board with her and her club.
Location
I was born and still live in a town called Tamworth in Central England.
Favorite place to paddle
The canals and rivers around Central England because SUP has give me a new way to explore and appreciate where I was raised.
Describe your frist SUP experience
An incredibly fortunate one.
I've always had a deep love for the ocean and ocean sports - despite being totally landlocked in Tamworth. In 2010, I took myself off travelling around the world by myself. During that time, I went on a month-long visit to Hawaii, a place most water lovers dream of. After surfing, canoeing and trying my hand helping out with a tourist ocean rigger canoe, I was invited to try SUP. So my first time on a SUP was in crystal clea Hawaiian waters on a bright sunny day, with 3-4 ft clean surf and a gentle cooling breeze. After paddling a half mile out to sea and surfing a couple of sets, I was totally shattered by totally blown away.I didn't touch stand up paddling again until 2012 when two amazing guys called Scott Warren and Chris Kenyon founded Central SUP, a club for landlocked SUP'ers and people who want to get into the sport. Meeting these gus and joining the club was life changing and from here I started to refocus my life around SUP.
Why do you keep paddling?
Stand Up Paddling is incredible and there are tonnes of reasons it keeps me paddlign. My top 3 are:
- Most importantly, it allows me to enjoy being on the water where I feel at home as I always have.
- Some people say that stand up paddling is easy but i find that it really challenges me physically and technically. Every paddle out is rewarding and enjoyable but I know that it will take me a lifetime to even begin to master it.
- There's so much about it to enjoy - you can paddle at home on the river, in the ocean, race, surf, downwind... Paddling has a huge history and culture to read about and explore. All the time, you meet more and more friendly and like-minded people.
Everywhere there is water. It has transformed how I look at the world, there are opportunities to SUP anywhere you have safe (and legal) access to a body of water.
How are you involved with your local SUP community?
I've recently started helping out at my local club Central SUP with their marketing and press and I've just finished my qualifications as a SUP instructor. I also enjoy racing and will be taking part in some UK races this summer. I just finished the Battle of the Thames 10 mile race with Jamie Mitchell.
Tamworth has been described as the obesity capital of the UK. Our aim is to promote the Central SUP Club as a culture of activity, a community that is socially and physically active. We at the Central SUP Club want to be ambassadors for our wonderful sport of Stand Up Paddle showing it's breadth, depth and the friendliness of its participants. We want to showcase the SUP lifestyle and encourage others to be a part of it, to want the same lifestyle.
Why are you excited about LLS?
Tamworth has been described as the obesity capital of the UK. Our aim is to promote the Central SUP Club as a culture of activity, a community that is socially and physically active. We at the Central SUP Club want to be ambassadors for our wonderful sport of Stand Up Paddle showing it's breadth, depth and the friendliness of its participants. We want to showcase the SUP lifestyle and encourage others to be a part of it, to want the same lifestyle.
Why are you excited about LLS?
I'm so pleased to be able to get on board (excuse the pun) with the incredible work you guys do bringing the worldwide community of SUP'ers together and supporting companies like charity: water in 2013. I'll always have my LLS shirt on and a sticker on my board and paddle to get the story out there in the UK!
We are super stoked that we have recruited another Scully to join the family. (Anymore out there!?!?) Our choice of recruiting Laura reflects Live Love SUP's values of developing local communities as Laura is doing in the middle of the UK island.
