You may know Indianapolis for hosting the first long-distance auto race (1911) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or the first professional baseball game that was played in Fort Wayne (May 1871) What you probably didn’t know, is that there is surfing in Indiana. Yup, you read that right… surfing in Indiana!
Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation installed the first, and currently only, FlowRider® Surf Simulator in the state. Community members, family, friends and tourist can now experience the thrill of riding a wave, even in Indiana (minus the sharks)!
The Monon Community Center provides something for everyone! On site, the grounds provide summer camps, camping, water slides, skate parks and more, to go along with the FlowRider Double wave simulator.
Carmel is a beautiful, peaceful and very welcoming area of the United States. The city is among the up and coming cities, soon to be known for inland surfing as they recently joined the FlowRider FLOW Tour.
As the 2015 FlowRider FLOW Tour traveled from Flow House Wildwood in New Jersey, the top flowboarders from around the country stampeded towards the Carmel Waterpark. “Carmel Clay was a great addition to the FLOW Tour season; they have a rapidly increasing rider base, a lively crowd and friendly staff” explained Tour Coordinator, Adam Muller.
With over 50 competitors, the entries filled up all thirteen divisions as we enjoyed action from Youth, Amateur and Professional boarders. In the Men & JR Bodyboarding divisions, spectators saw two riders from Australia (Nick Edmunds & Dale Proctor) break onto the competition scene and really put some pressure on the veteran competitors.
In the Pro Divisions, Brad Spencer (Flowboard) and Nick Sanchez (Bodyboard) who are no strangers to the finals, both claimed top spot on the podium, adding 1,000 points to their 2015 FLOW Tour Title Campaign and some cash money to their wallets.
“We were very excited to welcome the FLOW Tour to our wave, our local riders practiced every day in preparations for the contest!” mentioned Traci Broman, Carmel Clay Events Supervisor.
In addition to welcoming the best riders in the country, Carmel Clay also helped launch the first ever adaptive division. Promoting their Adaptive program and creating awareness for the special needs athletes around the country, Flowboarding League of the World (FLOW) sanctioned the contest and the riders put on a great show for spectators.
“I was very proud of our local riders and adaptive program competitors!” stated Eric Mehl, Assistant Director. “We look forward to working with FlowRider and FLOW to grow the Adaptive Program around the world.”
Carmel Clay Waterpark hosted FLOW Tour stop number seven of ten and is very likely to be featured on the 2016 FLOW Tour Prime schedule next season! For more information about FlowRider and FLOW Tour check out our social media followings (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and join the FLOWmovement today!
