It was a successful day in the results field, a fantastic First place was thoroughly deserved by fellow Breeze Sup Wear Team Rider, Rich Pearson while I managed to get on to the podium with a Third Place finish in the final.

What really got me excited though was the experiences I gained just from entering and it got me thinking that entering SUP events (surf, race or others) is something that everyone should do and can realistically do fairly early in their development.

Learn from others - Being on the water with, and watching the heats of other paddlers, you get to see how they approach the break. You can see where they sit in the line-up and how they approach maneuvers. It is such a great opportunity to sit back, observe and gain the benefits of other people's experience out there in the surf. Sometimes when we are just out surfing we don’t take a holistic, mindful approach to our surfing as we can get pretty blinkered as we only see what's in front of us. Sit, watch, observe and take this knowledge back onto your own board.

Meet other Surfers - There is such a broad spectrum of SUP surfers out there of all ages and skill levels. This competition brought them together in an amazing, inclusive fashion. Competitors were able to judge in some heats and truly feel part of the process and the scene. It meant plenty of social interaction both on and off the water, hints and tips passed on and contact details swapped. The tiny Scottish SUP scene got to grow healthily right in front of our eyes. SUP being so relatively new, everyone is sharing the stoke and it's an exciting time to be involved.

It was a really empowering day from which I will take away not only a Bronze medal (a really cool Beach Stone, tippexed on with Banff Open ‘17 , 3rd - simple but effective!) but also plenty of knowledge, contacts, great memories and the desire to organise similar events in order for others to gain this too. No matter your skill level, hit up your next event, watch, compete, get involved!.