Q&A Iain McCarthy & Molly McKibben of SUP Hub Northern Ireland

Interview: Sarah Thornely
Photos: SUPjunkie, Anna McNeil, SUP Hub & Dillon Osborne­

Over the years, I have constantly been encouraging paddlers to have a go at SUP racing, but more recently, it’s the youngsters I want to push! The grassroots of our sport need enthusiastic young people to get involved, not solely with racing but to get on the water and realise the fun you can have. Hopefully, they will then make the transition. All kids of whatever age love water, from splashing about in puddles as a toddler to messing about on the beach as teenagers. 

On last year’s visit to the ICF World Championships in Poland, I met one young paddler from a club in Northern Ireland. I knew I wanted to find out more, and joy of joys, it’s not just Molly McKibben who is a rising star at SUP Hub NI, but the club is encouraging all youngsters to get stuck in! 
Let’s first hear from Iain McCarthy, founder of SUP Hub NI in Bangor.
 
Iain, can you let us know what your water sporting background is? 
Thanks, Sarah, for starting by exposing my imposter syndrome – honestly, I was a part-time waterman, a hobbyist, a little bit of surfing, sea swimming, and kayaking, but mostly SUP. I started back in 2008/9 down in Croyde/Saunton/Putts, and when we were in the line out, we saw some guys with ‘sticks’! My friends and I went to the local surf shop the next day, and I spent a £1000 inheritance from my Nan, who had recently passed, on a Surf Series 10’6 board and a 100% carbon Werner ‘Spanker’ paddle (both of which are still in use today) and named Madge and Ginger after my grandparents. Since then, I’ve loved the adventure side of paddling, completing the Thames Source to Sea in 2011 with family and friends in 4.5 days, River Bann in 2020, but the best one must be the North Channel in 2019 which a few years later got me a Guinness World Record Certificate! (The machine that is Sam Rutt came and smashed it recently, but I still have that certificate on the wall). 
 
When did you open SUP Hub NI? 
We moved to Northern Ireland (where my wife is from) in 2016, and it shocked me how few paddlers there were in an area that was so perfect for paddling. So, I set it up out of the back of our campervan in April 2019 with eight boards and plenty of enthusiasm. 

What was your vision for the club , and has this changed over the years? 
This was a five-year project for which we had set the following targets: 

• Get 5,000 people on the water. 
• Promote our local area. 
• Coach/train/develop a junior to get to a world championship. 
• Bring a SUP champion to NI. 
• Promote water safety and support our local lifeboats (Bangor & Donaghadee). 
• Promote the physical and mental health benefits of the sport. 
• Create a race series/league to promote the sport. 

By September 2022, we had achieved every single objective we set. 

Speaking openly, this hasn’t come without cost and significant sacrifice. Whilst I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved, these accomplishments have forced us to re-evaluate what we want for the next five years and ‘how’ we want to be that too. 

How long have youngsters been involved in the club? 
From the start. From the perspective of the ‘target audience’, I have three young children, and with the sea 200 yards away, it has been extremely important to me that they are confident yet respectful of the water. SUP is such a fantastic step on the water confidence-building pathway. Furthermore, from the perspective of me not getting any younger, we need a crop of younger people to keep this going who love it as much as, if not more, than I do. 
 
When did you meet Molly, and did you spot her potential immediately? 
Molly came to us between lockdowns when we had an open community day. My colleague, Adam Collins, and I both looked at each other and said, “She could be pretty handy at this,” so after the session, we spoke with Molly and her mum Claire and said we think she could do well at this, would you be up for some further training, and it just evolved from there. 

Can you tell us how the club has catered for Molly and the other youngsters interested in racing? 
We’ve been super lucky with the most important thing; people. The internal support across the board between paddlers has been phenomenal. There’s always someone ready to go for a paddle, so there are plenty of training buddies; we all get along and want to be there.

It’s also been essential to expose ourselves to outside ideas and influence. I had much of my early coaching from UK legends Simon Bassett and Dom Moore. Still, we’ve always wanted the club to be an open book to various SUP coaches, as no one knows it all. We can always learn something, so we invited guest instructors Paul Byrne from Dublin, UK Champ Blue Ewer, who inspired our young ones to see first-hand.

We also convinced Michael Booth to come and play with us for a few days, which I don’t mind saying was a life goal completed for me! We also invested in some off-season training with Larry Cain at Paddle Monster, which has also been invaluable in helping us look at ourselves and analyse better how we are training and performing. Through all of this, we have encouraged and included the youngsters to bring them on the journey. 

Oh, and one thing that was a terrible financial decision but a fantastic pathway decision was that we bought a fleet of 16 race boards (mostly composites) of all different shapes and sizes for people to use. I’ve always found people very precious about their pride and joy boards, and I wanted an environment where if people had the basics down and were keen to learn, there should be no barrier to jumping on a £3k race board to give it a go. 

Have you had support from other clubs to help grow the racing side of SUP Hub NI?
The SUP scene in NI is evolving; several SUP-specific schools and clubs are now here. We are leading the charge/carrying the torch for racing in Northern Ireland. Still, we have tied in with Paul Byrne and Patrick McCormick, who run the Irish race league series, so it’s great to see the steadily increasing numbers of participants over time. 

How many international events did you attend in 2022? 
We attended the ICFs in Poland and the APP in London. We had targeted these for Molly just as an experience, we went with no expectations other than to learn, and she did so incredibly well despite several challenges. A huge thanks to Anni Ridsdill Smith, without whom Molly wouldn’t have had a valid competition board in Poland, as we travelled with a brand-new Infinity Candice Blackfish we’d got for her, only to realise upon registration in Poland that Juniors were I-SUPs only – always learning! 
 
Have you plans to return to those events this year? 
I’ll let Molly answer that; it’s a big year of study in her life, so we want her to focus on that, but we’ll be at various events throughout the year. We took 11 people to Scotland for the Great Glenn Challenge last year, and I suspect there will be more this year. 
 
Let’s chat with Molly now – can you tell us when you first took up SUP? 
I first took up SUP in 2020 at the very start of the lockdown as it was one of the only sports that could continue. Through a five-week course set up by Sup Hub NI for beginners interested in learning how to paddle board safely, Iain McCarthy and Adam Collins recognised that I had a natural flare for the sport. This was a tough time for me as all other sporting activities I participated in from a young age had been stopped due to Covid-19 restrictions, including my two main sports at the time, Taekwondo and hockey.

Although lockdown was an extremely tough concept to grasp and deal with, especially for someone who lives their life around sport, it was almost a blessing in disguise as it allowed me to focus on a new sport that I potentially wouldn’t have had as much time to focus on.  

Do you have friends who SUP or race? 
I never originally had friends who were interested in competitive paddle boarding. This meant I had to find my way into the paddling world, as I didn’t have a buddy who wanted to accompany me each time. SUP has allowed me to meet many new people and gain great friendships through the sport that will last a lifetime. One of the guys I have paddled with since day one is Josh Reddy, who was also at the APP in London; he is now one of my best friends and a training partner when he returns from university. I still enjoy the sport’s social aspect, and it’s a very close-knit community that supports and encourages each other. 

Are you a naturally competitive girl, and do you enjoy other sports?  
I am highly competitive with myself and others, not just in sports but in all aspects of life and have been for as long as I can remember. Being involved in sport since I was five years old has made me slightly ‘sport mad’, which is a good thing as I’d much rather spend my time doing something I love and is also good for my mind and body. Aside from SUP, I have competed competitively in Taekwondo since age five.

This taught me morals surrounding sports from a young age, such as being committed and dedicated and pushing myself to success, setting the footsteps for all sports later in life. I have travelled to many cool places with Taekwondo, including Holland for the Dutch open and Estonia for the European championships. After competing in these championships, I competed for Northern Ireland in the world championships, where I became the under-17 World Champion – this extremely successful and proud moment reflected my hard work and dedication to the sport until then.

I have also played hockey for seven years, playing on the top teams in school since I was 14, and I am now the captain of the 1XI. I have tried multiple sports, including football, diving, water polo and sailing. It’s confirmed that I’ve been a water baby since day one.  

How did you discover the racing side of sup?  
I was unaware for quite a while after I started paddle boarding that there was a competitive side to the sport, and many other people are the same. I was introduced to racing through Sup Hub NI, as they provided me with race boards and endless opportunities to improve my technique and performance.

Sup Hub is built on a passion and love for paddle boarding, and I saw that from the start through lots of conversations and discussions about the vast world of paddlers that I originally had no idea about. This drew me closer to the sport as I love trying new things outside the everyday ‘norm’.

Other than for leisure, SUP isn’t a popular sport in Northern Ireland, possibly due to the unpleasant Northern Irish weather conditions; only crazy people like me would go paddle boarding in winter over here. Therefore, I would have known how far SUP could go because of the guidance and endless provision from Sup Hub! My first racing experience was local competitions such as Sup Hub’s race series and racing in the south of Ireland.  

Do you attend the regular race sessions at the club?  
My first competitive racing experience was local competitions such as our race series, which consisted of seven races at our local beach in Ballyholme. There have also been races in the south of Ireland that I have done well in. In preparation for bigger competitions, I regularly trained with other teammates to help keep me motivated throughout the colder weather.

This helped me a lot as it enabled me to improve myself by always striving to keep up with the best of the bunch and learn new techniques through their experience. Iain ensured everyone had access to top tips and advice from the best of the best by getting the one and only Michael Booth over to take some workshops and sessions, as well as the UK champ Blue Ewer.   
 
When did the idea come about to compete internationally?  
I started paddle boarding a LOT, whether through instructing, training or for fun and with the experience and time on the water, I naturally began to improve. I began to train more regularly, improving my technique, speed and endurance, which interested me in seeing where I could compete using the skills I had been developing.

I went into the international paddle boarding scene quickly as my first big competition was the ICF world championships which was a big leap! The main reason for this is that there are few competitions for me to test my ability against the best locally, which meant I had to go straight into the big events. Therefore, it was natural to look for international competition when my skills improved, and I began working hard to become good enough at the sport.  

Were you nervous before the ICF World championships in Poland?  
Yes, very nervous! I only knew a little about what to expect other than it would be an extremely tough competition. I didn’t have a valid board to compete on to add more nerves to the mix, so I had to borrow an unfamiliar one (Anni Ridsdill Smith to the rescue!). I was competing in the junior sections and was also nervous that I would be the worst in the pack. I had confidence in the preparation I had put in before the competition and in my ability which helped my mindset a little before competing.

Due to being so competitive, I get nervous in any competition scenario; even if I’ve had years of experience in the sport, I still get nervous. Therefore, my nerves were heightened due to the ICF World championships being such a large and high-profile competition that I’d never been to before.

Being unaware of what to expect and how the competition would run made the whole experience a learning curve for Iain and me, but because of this, we will be more prepared and ready for what’s to come this year.  

Who did you travel with?  
I travelled with Iain, who was brilliant at making sure we were always at the right place at the right time, as well as taking pictures with all the best paddlers and my mum Claire, who I think needs a mention for her special talent of carrying all my equipment the whole time!    

How did you find the whole experience of competing with the best paddlers in the world?  
I loved every minute in Poland as it allowed me to experience the best standard of SUP and meet some fantastic and lovely people! Everyone I met at the ICF comp was kind and helpful throughout the week. The atmosphere and vibes made it such a good and enjoyable time while competing in a very smoothly run competition, considering how many participants there were. Competing at such a large-scale event was daunting and scary, but I’m glad I pushed myself outside my comfort zone and made the most of the event.  

We also saw you at the APP event in London – how did you find that as an experience?  
The APP event in London was super cool, especially as it was also the first time I’d ever been there, which meant I got to do some sightseeing once we had finished focusing on races. The London event was a lot smaller than Poland, although there were still some big names as well as some very talented paddlers that I was looking up to. A highlight of my time in London was undoubtedly paddling down the river Thames; that was an incredibly cool experience not many people can say they had!  

Do you have any SUP heroes, and have you met any of them? 
The ICF world championships were the place to be when meeting your SUP heroes! I got to meet so many awesome paddlers who I look up to and see them do their thing in real life! I have to say Fiona Wylde is my all-time SUP hero; she’s an incredible paddler and role model to anyone with type 1 diabetes like me, proving that nothing can stop you from doing what you want to do. Meeting and seeing her in person was incredible.   
 
What are your plans for 2023?  
My plans for 2023 are to keep paddling! 

I want to thank both Iain and Molly for sharing an inspirational and incredible story of the rise and rise of stand-up paddling in Northern Ireland; we shall very much look forward to Molly’s racing journey, whether in 2023 or beyond.  

To find out more information:
www.facebook.com/suphubni
@sup_hub_ni
Web: https://suphubni.com