ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Robert Martini

Robert Martini got into prone paddleboarding seven years ago while he was living in Hawaii. Since falling in love with the sport, Martini, a lifeguard on Siesta Key, has expanded his pastime to include feats such as paddleboarding the entire coastline of Sarasota County, 36 miles from Longboat Key to Englewood Beach, to raise money for the Junior Lifeguard Program. Last weekend Martini competed in the 11th annual Florida State Paddleboarding Championships and came in seventh in his age group.

Q&A

What is the difference between prone paddleboarding and stand-up paddleboarding?
Basically, you’re on your belly or on your knees using your arms to propel yourself through the water like a surfboard. It’s much faster on your knees than it is on your belly. With stand-up paddling, obviously you’re standing up with a paddle in your hand and propelling yourself through the water using a paddle, which covers more of a surface area than using your arms. But prone paddlers have been known to beat stand-up paddlers any day.

How often are you out on the water paddleboarding?
I’m getting back into race season form. I’ve been averaging about 24 miles of paddling a week. So, I’m in the water about four out of the five days I work. On my days off, I’m doing strength training at the gym and doing land stuff. Running and going to the pool to swim to build up strength in my shoulders.

What do you enjoy most about paddleboarding?
I really enjoy it because you’re out there and it’s so serene. You’re away from the hustle and bustle of urban life, and you’re out there in the environment with dolphins, sharks and stingrays. It’s so surreal how powerful these creatures are when you’re pretty much a small, little speck and they can just swim right by you so quickly. That’s why I really enjoy it. It’s just, being with the animals in the water and just chilling out with them and seeing it from their perspective how they live their life.

Do you have any advice for those who would want to get into prone paddleboarding?
The best tip I would say is get the right board and just hammer it out. Try to get used to it, balancing on it. It’s very difficult to balance on these things — they are so narrow. And if you really enjoy it and you want to excel at being a waterman, which is my dream to be a true traditional waterman, this is definitely a sport to get into. It’s very traditional. It goes back 2,000 to 3,000 years, when the Polynesians first introduced paddleboarding.   

Contact Rachel S. O'Hara at [email protected]