Surf Reston Creates Innovative Equipment for Paddle Polo

Surf Reston has come up with a paddle that helps people play a fun water game called Paddle Polo. The new equipment is a cross between a paddle and a lacrosse stick.

Patch caught up with Surf Reston operator Steve Gurney Monday morning to find out how the idea came about. Gurney is a longtime Reston resident and a Certified Instructor with the American Canoe Association (ACA) & the Academy of SUP Instructors.

Patch: Is the paddle polo-lacrosse hybrid stick something you designed? If so, when did you design it and how did you get the idea?

Gurney: I came up with the idea when the paddleboard school I run, Surf Reston was supporting the Jim McDonnall Lake Swim in 2012. Surf Reston supports both the swim and triathlon with stand-up paddleboards for the lifeguards. I overheard a couple of the lifeguards chatting about lacrosse. I went home and zip-tied a stick to my paddle and threw around the ball by myself and it was a ton of fun, I could see how this could be helpful for teaching paddleboarding skills and playing games.

The problem was I couldn’t grip the paddle the right way. I was telling my dad, Jack Gurney, a retired engineer, about it and much to my surprise he came back to me with a brilliant design that offset the stick from the paddle. We made the first prototype out of wood and it worked great! My dad volunteered at Langston Hughes Middle School in a classroom with a 3D printer, he asked the teacher if the kids would be interested in seeing how we could use it to create a prototype and it worked great and gave the kids a better application for the printer than they had ever seen.

After that, through my brother, Wes Gurney’s connection, we had all of our prototypes printed at Nova Labs a local non-profit Maker organization. We had over a dozen modifications to the design in a year of testing to arrive at the design we currently have. This is truly a homegrown idea in Reston that utilizes some wonderful community resources.

Patch: Is it patented?

Gurney: Yes the product has a provisional patent and we are in the middle of a full patent application. The patent extends beyond just the game, we also have another version called the Clean Water Paddle which enables you to attach a net to any paddle to pick up trash. We are getting a lot of interest in this product and expect to be selling it shortly to help communities support keeping our waterways free of trash and debris. Here are photos of the Clean Water Paddle

Patch: Is this something you’re selling here in Northern Virginia? How are sales going?

Gurney: This past weekend we sponsored the Love Your Body Yoga Festival primarily to promote Surf Reston’s Paddleboard Yoga and Fitness classes and much to our surprise, we ended up selling a bunch of Paddle Polo sticks and getting several birthday parties scheduled for local kids who play lacrosse. Danny Barker of Penguin Paddling in Occoquan is planning some games and demonstrations at his location. Nearly every time we take a stick out on the water we make a sale!

Its important to note that you don’t need to be a lacrosse player to enjoy Paddle Polo - its a great skill builder just throwing and paddling after the ball. We play Paddleboard Golf with a frisbee disc as our “hole,” you can race your friends and make up games. The only limit to the possibilities is your imagination.

Patch: Are you getting sales outside the area?

Gurney: We have had sales from all over the country and we are currently working with a distributor in Canada. We are supporting the rapidly growing number of SUP (Stand Up Paddle) races and generally a bunch of sales follow after each race. Racers talk to their friends all over the country and the next thing we know we have orders coming in from a new part of the country! Paddle Polo was even featured on the Jumbotron at a San Francisco Giants game when some folks were playing next to the stadium! Paddle Polo combines two of the fastest growing sports: SUP (Stand Up Paddle) and Lacrosse!

Patch: Who is your main customer?

Gurney: Our main retail customers are kids/families that play lacrosse and other sports and Paddleboard SUP enthusiasts. Our wholesale customers are Paddleboard Rental operations, youth camps, retailers that sell SUP and Canoes, Lacrosse Camps and Tournaments.

Patch: Where is equipment made?

Gurney: Currently our product is assembled in my garage in Reston, we have different pieces that we purchase from a variety of suppliers and/or manufacture in the US. We are already facing supply and demand challenges and we expect that a portion of our manufacturing will be produced overseas before the end of the year.
I have two kids Asa, 12 and Ashley, 9. I like the fact that they are getting the opportunity to see the process of creating and taking a product to market first hand. I have started several businesses and organizations in my career, but this is the first one they are really getting to experience from concept to reality right in their own garage!