Stellar is pleased to announce Francisco Urena as a sponsored paddler for 2012. I first met Francisco in 2010  at the finish of the Blackburn Challenge. As I remember it, he wanted to know more about surfskis before he purchased one.  A few months later after doing his research on Stellar and other surfskis, he purchased an SE Excel from me.  Flash forward a year and Francisco not only completed his first Blackburn in a surfski but placed a remarkable 8th with a time of 2:50:29.  Francisco has gotten better every race, and I fully expect him to finish near the top of the chart this season in the SurfskiRacing.com point series. The  Stellar SE surfski provided a stable yet fast platform for Francisco to accelerate his learning curve in just one short year. This is no easy task paddling in the choppy waters off  Beverly, Massachusetts. Francisco has youth on his side and the benefit of the local surfski community, and a “can do attitude”. He also will be living only blocks from the ocean in just a few short weeks so his training time will increase over last year. Francisco will be paddling a 22 pound, pre-preg,  uni-directional carbon(Ultra) SE this year. This will give him even greater speed having a lighter, stiffer, and faster SE. Stellar is very excited to have Francisco on board as well as Reid Hyle as USA sponsored paddlers this year. Below is an article I posted last year from the Valley Patriot in 2007 about Francisco’s tour of duty as a Marine.   

 Hero in Our Midst

*Valley Patriot of the Month*

http://www.valleypatriot.com/VP090507urena.html

Francisco Urena
By Tom Duggan, (09/05/07)

 

Francisco,East Coast Surfski Championships

 

Francisco Urena 2011 Blackburn

 

Francisco at Finish of Blackburn 2011, 8th Place, Stellar SE Excel

 

 

Mark Ceconi, Richard Germain, Francisco Urena, 2011 Blackburn Finish

 

Francisco Urena, Photo Chris Chappell

 

Katie McDonough,Francisco, Mike McDonough, Nahant Race 2011

 

Veterans Day Parade, Boston, Massachusetts