Snappy Towels Helps Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) Racer Save the Ocean & Compete Internationally
May 9, 2016. Toronto, Ontario. Snappy Towels Inc (http://SnappyTowels.com/) is proud to announce our partnership with stand up paddle board (SUP) racer, Brandon Lourie of Ottawa, Ontario. We’re helping Brandon realize his dream of going international as a racer and his mission to support ocean conservation efforts. Brandon is currently raising money for a 220 km race in The Netherlands this September. Half of the money he raises through his GoFundMe campaign will be donated to The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. For every donation of $100 or more, the donor will receive a free Snappy Towel Swim & Travel Towel.
https://www.gofundme.com/c5x29sbz
Brandon was born and raised in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, and remembers watching wind surfers and wave surfers (collectively known as water men and water women) from his family home overlooking the water. At age 10 he caught his first wave.
“I flew out west one summer to visit my uncle in Duncan, BC. He took me to Tofino where I surfed for the first time. I was hooked!” says Brandon . At age 16, Brandon and his uncle toured up western Canada on a windsurfing trip through Yukon, Alaska and the arctic circle.
As an avid windsurfer and kite surfer for the past 15 years, Brandon saw stand up paddle boarding develop as a sport into what is now the fastest-growing sport in the world. He knew that other watermen were training on SUPs during times of low wind or low waves. But it was on his honeymoon to Peru in 2011 where he was surprised to see how popular wave-riding was on stand up paddle boards. He tried SUPing for the first time and loved it.
The following year on a visit to India, Brandon paddled an inspiring 200 km down the Ganges River. He began SUP racing two years ago, competing in local Ontario events. In 2016 Brandon has decided to take his racing international and plans to compete in The 11 City Tour, a 220 km continuous race in The Netherlands that sees paddlers going non-stop day and night. He trains every day, and just returned from an event in South Carolina.
Wherever he goes, Brandon is just as passionate about ocean conservation as he is about water sports. “As watermen we need to protect the water we are in,” says Brandon . “It’s more than just water quality, it’s a matter of survival for all of us. Ocean life is the foundation of so many ecosystems that we depend on.” His stand up paddle board is proudly emblazoned with the Sea Shepherd logo, helping prompt discussions of the need for ocean conservation efforts with other watermen and SUP racers.
His board also displays the logo for Snappy Towels, a new kind of wearable sports towel. “I love the towel! It’s an essential part of my SUP gear now,” says Brandon . “I’m always rushing in the morning to get in and out of my wetsuit. My Snappy Towel saves me 5 minutes because I can just snap it on and change without wrestling to keep a towel or blanket on while changing by my truck. It’s never been so easy to get out of my wetsuit. That extra 5 minutes in the water is precious time.”
For every donation of $100 or more given to Brandon's GoFundMe campaign, the donor will receive a free Snappy Towels Swim & Travel Towel
###