Lella Heathcote joins to the Loco SUP Race Team

Lella Heathcote joins to the Loco SUP Race Team - We first bumped into the Heathcote family a couple of years ago when we were down exhibiting at the National Water Sports Festival at Hayling Island where Dad Richard came over to demo one of our carbon racers which were attracting a lot of interest even back then. We hoped that he might buy one on the day but he never returned so we’d pretty much written off seeing him again.

It wasn’t until team rider Phil May started paddling socially and racing with Richard and his daughter that we knew anything about Lella’s potential. After a quick try of fellow Loco Hannah Ramsay’s kit (who’s Dad happens to be headmaster at Lella’s school) it looked like the green brushed carbon 12’6” would be the perfect size race board for her first proper season so the necessary arrangements were made.

Anyway over to our new race grom…

Hi I’m Lella I’ve been paddling for the last few years, but really got into it in last 9 months or so with my dad, who is addicted to the sport. I’ve started to do a few races this season which I have really loved, starting with the National Sup Club Championships at Eton Dourney which was great and really well organised by Sam Ross.

I came 5th junior overall and managed to come first girl in one of the distance races. I then did a UK SUP 6 km race on the Hamble river, coming 3rd lady and 7th overall. My hopes are to try and do some of the frostbite races in Bournemouth with Bay sup, using my new Loco 12’6 race board. After that I will enter as many races as I can during the summer, depending on my GCSE’s, but when I’ve finished them it will then allow me to have the whole summer to enter as many races as I can.

It certainly sounds like this young lady has caught the SUP bug?! We look forward to reporting on her progress as the race season unfolds and feel confident we’ll see another Loco grom start to shine, giving the adults something to think about!

Lella Heathcote joins to the Loco SUP Race Team - With the onset of the 2016 Loco Motion Boards, it’s great to see more racers coming over to Loco recognising that it’s 80% athlete and 20% board despite what anyone else wants to tell you!

With that in mind we’d love to hear from racers serious about competing in the 12’6” category of the UK SUP Clubs for this coming season. We’re also keen to support grom racing in general and with the arrival of the first 10’6” Motion Race SUP designed specifically for kids there’s no better time to get your children outside having fun (peppered with a little competition) and with a proper hard board under their feet they’ll soon leave the iSUPs for dead!