SUP Man Nomination Winners & The Final Begins!

Shane Perrin

 

Mike Vaughan Zane Schweitzer Ben Friberg Chris Stephan

SAN DIEGO, California - The first phase of the 2012 SUP Man of the Year Awards came to a close last night at midnight pacific standard time.  There was a flurry of action as hundreds of votes came in on the last day to finalize which great SUP Men would be added to the list of 20 pre-seeded elite sup athletes to compete for the prestigious title of the 2012 Supconnect "Sup Man of the Year"!

 

So let's cut to the chase! The top 5 men with the most votes from the open nominations who have automatically advanced to the final are:

1st - Shane Perrin with 376 votes

2nd - Mike Vaughan with 326 votes

3rd - Zane Schweitzer with 294 votes

4th - Ben Friberg with 274 votes, and

5th - Chris Stephan with 244 votes

A huge congratulations to all of these men for being part of this select, history making group.  Each one has been truly inspiring on the water but has also really rallied and shown great stoke throughout this nomination process.  Also a huge thank you goes out to all the fans and supconnectors who helped by voting!

 

Along with the automatic advancements, 5 other men have also received honorary positions in the final based on several criteria such as their performances, skill level, ambassadorship, grassroots involvement in stand up paddle, and stoke.  These men are 1. Fernando Stalla, 2. Larry Cain, 3. Noa Ginella, 4. Slater Trout, and 5. Michael Tavares.  This means that in total there will be 30 men who will be contenders in the 2012 SUP Man Final which begins right now! 

 

The final will run from today, July 20, 2012 through August 31, 2012 ending at midnight pacific standard time. Voting will start at zero for every contender, however this time the winner will not be exclusively determined by vote count.  The selection criteria is multi-faceted and will depend on the following:

Selection Criteria:

1. Ambassadorship:  Conveying the cheerfulness and inclusiveness characteristic of the sport.

2. Involvement:  Attending events and gatherings, having a finger on the pulse of the sport.

3. Performance:  Showing proficiency in the sport, though top results are not a requirement.

4. Support:  Having a following and votes to show you have some support to validate your credibility.

 

Good luck to all 30 SUP Men. It will be fun to watch and see who becomes the 3rd annual 2012 Supconnect SUP Man of the Year!  See all contenders and place your vote here: Sup Man of the Year

 

2012 SUPCONNECT AWARDS SCHEDULE:

Sup Man of the Year:

Final: July 20, 2012 - August 31, 2012

SUP Grom of the Year:

Open Nominations: August 1, 2012 - August 31, 2012

Final: September 1, 2012 - September 30, 2012

SUP Woman of the Year:

Open Nominations: September 1, 2012 to September 30, 2012 

Final: October 1, 2012 to October 31, 2012

SUP Shaper of the Year:

Open Nominations: October 1, 2012 to October 31, 2012

Final: November 1, 2012 to November 30, 2012

SUP Photo of the Year:  

Final: December 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012

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