Oscar Chalupsky moves to Nelo

I have no doubt that Think and probably Stellar are delighted that Oscar has left Epic for a European focused company

I also find it amusing to think of anybody head hunting Mr. Chalupsky.

Stew wrote:

rhainan wrote: On the face of it, it seems like a terribly unprofessional action. It appears to have caught the rest of Epic by complete surprise. To top it off he moves directly to a competitor. We would call this a total douche move in America.

In any industry, people change jobs, change brands, are head hunted etc. To call what Oscar has done unprofessional or a douche move says more of your opinions than what he has done. He now has an exciting opportunity to build a brand with some huge backing. For the industry on a whole I think it's great, as everyone is going to have to work hard with another major player pushing hard. At the end of the day, paddlers are the winners here...

Well said Stew.

Some people (what we term as douche bags in Australia) cannot see the wood for the trees either.

All the very best for the future Oscar, from an ex Fenn, Epic and now Stellar paddler.

Mick

Wow. Have a heart. It is business. I for one hope that Oscar can redirect Nelo here in America. There is not a single dealer that stocks Nelo K1s, or even has a website. I also don't think Epic will implode upon Oscars exit. They will survive because they make good boats, period. No harm or foul seen in my corner. Shit happens Cliff Roach, Goodboy Kayaks

Well, if none other than Cliff feels the need to call me out I am obligated to respond as I depend on his V-Bars and do not want to be blackballed

I retract the "douche move" comment. That was unprofessional of me. It was a rough colloquialism that sounded less harsh in my head.

For those of us that represent Epic professionally, it was such stunning news I would be more likely to believe Jesus himself had returned than Oscar switched sides. Yet there it was on Twitter.

I am sure that it is a win-win for most everybody. However, Oscar was the biggest cheerleader (literally!) for the brand that I sell. Now he is a cheerleader for somebody else. When you have had such a larger than life presence on your side, its absence will be felt.

I apologize if I ruffled some feathers. I just wish he would have done this after he won Molokai one last time on an Epic.

Its all about the $$$. Oscar isn't getting any younger and is probably thinking of for his retirement years and lack of superannuation etc. This would especially be the case if he still has his a*rse hanging out being with Epics ups and down.

I wish him all the best but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do for the benefit of yourself and family!

As I noted on a Facebook thread, I find it amusing that Oscar "stability before speed" Chalupsky would take the reins of Nelo "speed before stability" Kayaks. It would seem more likely that Greg Barton would go to Nelo before Oscar. It's hard to imagine Oscar paddling an ICF boat!

Oscar has paddled and raced ICF boats-and has had an olympic tour.

I'd take a guess that Nelo already has plenty of K1 experience...

It makes more business sense for them to bring someone in to give them expertise in an area they don't seem to have quite got right yet - making user friendly surfskis.