What
are SUP Crews?
A SUP Crew is typically a
small, social group of people that reside
in a similar location and share an affinity
for stand up paddle boarding. The crew is
started by one SUP enthusiast -the Crew
Founder- and with the help of Tower, can
grow into a much larger, yet geographically
convenient group. Instead of joining together,
crews can also compete. Whatever you decide
to do, Tower SUPports you! The first crew
in a designated city will be the Tower 1
Crew of that area with your specific area
code as the crew identifier (e.g., Tower
1 | 858). Others in the same locale will
have the choice to either join the crew
or compete against them.
SUP
Crew Benefits
-
Establish a circle of
SUP friends in your local area
-
Plan local SUP outings
conveniently
-
Earn rewards for being
active in your community by spreading
the sport of SUP!
-
Earn cash for referral
purchases made through you and your crew
- Special "SUP Crew Founder" pricing
on the Tower site (earn up to 10% off!)
- Exclusive access to VIP Tower news, events,
etc.
- Exclusive access to the SUP Crew Founders
online forum
- Direct access and input into Tower's product
development team
- Makes Tower sponsored fundraising available
to your group
SUP Crews are part of
the Tower family.
Requirements
We are very selective when choosing our SUP
Crew Founders. Though there are not specific
set-in-stone requirements, we look for certain
types of people to be part of this exclusive
program. We will let you know within a week
of filling out the
SUP
Crew Application
whether or not you have
been accepted into the program.
How
SUP Crew Numbers Work
"Tower 3 | 212" is the 3rd crew
established in the 212 area code (New York).
The lower your Tower number, the more "pioneering"
your stand up paddle board crew is in your
local area. Owning Tower 1 for your area code,
of course, comes with all the requisite bragging
rights. Claim your Tower # today!
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How
It Works
- We create and customize a Facebook group
specific to your SUP Crew.
- Upon request, we can help recruit members
for your crew (we have 40,000+ monthly website
visitors)
- Your crew has the opportunity to advance
up to 4 levels, each level having progressively
better perks and rewards.
- You are given the opportunity to recieve
a unique affiliate link to allow you to
receive credit for any referral purchases
you generate.
2
Easy Steps to Set-up Your Crew
Step 1: Get set up on Facebook.
Tower will set-up a Facebook group for
your crew and make you the administrator.
Your FB group page will act as your Crew
website and communication platform. This
is a key component of the program and where
all of your activity will be monitored,
reviewed and rewarded.
Step 2: Personalize your group
page and invite any local SUP friends you
already have to join.
It is up to you to personalize and effectively
manage your group page. Keep your members
involved through posts, discussions, and
event creation. It is also up to you to
approve member requests and invite those
you want to join. If you need help recruiting
members, just ask! Tower is here to help!
SUP
Crew Levels
Level 1: Grom Crew [Grom:
Noun; a young surfer]
Level 2: Barney Crew [Barney:
Noun; a beginner adult surfer]
Level 3: Local Crew [Local:
Noun; a group of surfers who have been around
long enough to be considered one]
Level 4: Big Kahuna Crew
[Big Kahuna: Noun; King of the beach; a
very skilled surfer]
Each Crew Level reaps different rewards
and benefits. Generally speaking, as you
move up the ladder, the value of being a
Tower SUP Crew Founder increases.
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Origination
of the
SUP Crew Concept
In surfing, crews are a natural phenomenon.
Over time, classmates, co-workers, and/or
neighbors that take to surfing will find one
another. Often times they'll start seeing
one another at the same local surf breaks
and naturally strike up a camaraderie. Thus
the initiation of a surf crew is geographically
oriented around some home base. A few surfers
connect and pretty soon it grows into a tight
crew of 4 or 5 like-minded individuals. This
is the core of a surf crew. For some crews,
that's where it caps out. Maybe there are
a few satellite members. Other crews develop
a loose network of 5-10 surfers.
In surfing, the tendency is to strictly limit
size of the crew because there's only so much
room at any particular surf break. If the
crew is out there, they kind of take over
the whole break and random non-locals may
find themselves getting boxed out on waves.
The attitude kind of becomes, "We live
here. This is our break." People from
other areas are kind of considered "guests".
It's not always an antagonistic thing, but
it just is what it is.
Once the core crew is formed, the implication
is that anyone else that gets introduced or
invited in as a guest has to be "vouched"
for by one of the core crew members. You don't
just invite anyone along for a surf, and if
you invite the wrong person in too often you
may soon find yourself on the outside looking
in. In addition to forming a group for the
purpose of surfing, most surf crews naturally
extend into one another's more expansive social
networks. The crew becomes the nucleus of
a larger social group - girlfriends, buddies,
family, and such. Out of the water, it's not
uncommon for the crew to spontaneously put
together a party with 20-50 people pretty
easily.
There's usually a home base - someone's house,
the dead end of a beach adjacent street, a
particular staircase leading down to the beach,
and often times a certain lifeguard tower.
This is the inspiration for the Tower brand.
Lifeguard towers are great geographic markers
on the beach and thus are a natural meet-up
spot. This local landmark can serve to sort
of identify and connect a surf crew. That's
our hope at Tower - to connect thousands of
SUP enthusiasts together to form their own
local SUP crews and to enhance their social
and active lives in the process. We understand
SUP crews, and with the help of modern social
media (we understand that too), we can help
you find your own crew... even if you're the
1st stand up paddler ever on your local body
of water. It's a pioneering sport. Help us
spread the word on SUP and we'll help you
find your crew!
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