Imagine five days all expenses paid, in a luxury resort with world champion SUP surfers and coaches, top of the line equipment and daily multiple surf sessions, including personal video reviews & analysis to boost your paddle surfing performance through the roof. That's what the SUP Vets powered by GenRation Xperiences is all about.
The SUP Vets is a newly hatched non-profit serving active duty and retired military men and women. It offers a full-scale retreat carefully constructed with GenRation Xperiences designed to immerse veterans in the healing benefits of the ocean, enjoy the camaraderie of their peers and learn how to SUP surf.
James "Bart" Bartelloni, co-founder and head stoke master of The SUP Veterans enjoys a tasty left in Punta Mita, Mexico. Photo by: Alam Garcia/GenRationThe SUP Vets offers Community, Camaraderie, Surfing & Wellness.
The SUP Veterans retreat, founded in 2019, is a non-profit launched by James “Bart” Bartelloni, “Top Gun” Naval Aviator, Wesley “Wes” Spence, former Navy SEAL with three tours in Afghanistan and Richard “Whit” Wittington, Army Infantry Officer with two tours in Iraq. Their mission: To bring together groups of United States active duty or retired military members for a one-of-a-kind experience to learn how SUP Surf.
For participants, all expenses are paid by The SUP Vets.
Laughter, communal meals and the healing benefits of the ocean plus coming together to learn a shared goal - in this case learning how to paddle surf - is at the heart of The SUP Vets program. Powered by the professional coaching staff with a deep retreat background at GenRation Xperiences (formerly SUPnSurf Retreats), SUP Vets offers an all expense paid week in the luxury-style setting at the Grand Palladium Resorts in Punta Mita, Mexico.
The SUP Veterans retreat powered by GenRation Xperiences brings veterans together in new and meaningful ways to celebrate the healing benefits of the ocean & learn how to SUP Surf. Photo by: Alam Garcia/GenRationThe SUP Vets & GenRation Xperiences present:
*Five days of multiple surf sessions,
*Individualized paddle stroke instruction,
*Daily personal video analysis with critique by elite SUP Surfing coaches
*All inclusive resort
PLUS
Top tier coaching from GenRation's professional surf instrutors,
Daniel Hughes,
Felipe Hernandez and
Top performance level gear supplied by GenRation's newly released lineup of surf SUPs designed by World Champion Sean Poynter and legendary shaper Bert Berger with Sunova Surfboards. Photo by: Alam Garcia/GenRationSUP Vets Seek to Support Transition to Civilian Life
When returning home after active duty, many veterans speak of an inability to develop the deep bonds experienced among their comrades while on deployment and/or in training. The SUP Vets program actively seeks to reinvigorate veterans by immersing them in the culture of their peers, sharing stories around a new experience, bonding them together by learning and mastering a new skill, and a daily immersion into the healing benefits of Mother Ocean.
Gathering the tribe to tell tales, recall hi jinx, and reconnect to their community is an important part of The SUP Vets experience. Photo by: Alam Garcia/GenRationHow You Can Help: The SUP Vets
The vision behind The SUP Vets program is born of a desire to give back to veterans who have offered their service through their military careers. It affords an opportunity for these men & women to reconnect with their peers, connect with the healing powers of the ocean and offer them a week of immersion into a new type of training. It is the 'service after service' that so many are seeking.
You can help. These retreats are driven by the generosity and donations of people like you. You can say 'Thank you for your service' and help a Naval Aviator get their wings ... on a SUP surfboard ;) Please see the information below:
To learn more about The SUP Veterans:
Website: www.thesupvets.org
Instagram: @thesupvets
Contact: info@thesupvets.org
DONATE DIRECT via PayPal: bart@thesupvets.com
GenRation (GR)
Website: https://genration.com
Instagram: @genrationco
Contact: info@genration.com
Read about Standup Journal's first hand account of attending The SUP Vets retreat as detailed in the upcoming Winter 2021 issue due on newsstands in December. In rich color & full detail, you'll get a glimpse of the mission these men & women are on to bring wellness and community (and all the waves humanly surfable) to our military veterans.
SUBSCRIBE HERE to receive 4 issues of the magazine.
