Friday September 16th, 12 women ranging from age 15 to 55, from CO to PA, to West VA, descended the Lower Gauley together to raise money for American Whitewater. The morning was chilly and wet, the perfect setting for a day on the river. We were greeted at Swiss, the take-out for the lower, by Lila Menzies and Shannon Christy, the paddling representatives from AT Paddles and Confluence. Lila brought demo paddles for the women to try out. The rest of the crew trickled in and we were all present by 9:30 and ready to suit up and load up for the river.  Lots of women took advantage of Lila’s offer, checking out the cool bent shaft AT Paddles.

Once we made it the put-in with the help of Lee, Angie and Stewart (huge thanks!!) we played a fun “get to know you” game, learning a little more about each of the women and their experience with the Gauley. Anna then led us in some great “Yoga for Kayaking” stretches which warmed our bodies and boosted our confidence for a great ride down the river.

We put in at Wood’s Ferry, so we were able to punch through Back Ender and some other fun warm up rapids. We then reached Kuntz’s Flume where we all rocked our lines and cheered for one another at the bottom. Anna informed us all that when you see the river curve around a corner, that implies that there is a big rapid ahead. So, we would paddle a rapid and then coast through the mellower sections, chatting and laughing and then gather together before each rapid to discuss the lines. Our group was small, fierce and fun! The river seemed quiet and uncrowded so we were able to relax and stay together easily.

We stopped to eat lunch just up from the ledges. During our lunch we were visited by a beautiful water snake and a teeny bright orange lizard, who looked like he belonged in a tropical place like Costa Rica.

We nailed all of the rapids and enjoyed every minute of it, making great friends and future paddling partners. At the take out we raffled off the awesome AT Eddy Paddle that Adventure Technology Paddles donated to the event. Angie Purcell was the lucky winner of this awesome prize! We also raffled off a Girls at Play tee-shirt and Girls at Play DVD of choice. What a wonderful start to a weekend full of water, friends, laughter and adventure at the Gauley.

We raised $400 for American Whitewater! Thanks to Kelsey, Lee, Brynn, Joanne, Julia, Angie, Heather, Lila and Shannon for coming out and contributing your dollars and time!

We were fortunate to be accompanied by Scott Martin, a professional photographer, shooting for AW for the weekend. He has shared with us many of his beautiful shots to solidify the memories. Thanks to Scott for donating his time and talents!! scottmartinimages.com

Why set goals?  Because goals are inspiring and give us something positive to focus our energy on, which, in turn, brings about positive change in our lives. Setting goals helps us to envision our best selves being at our best and accomplishing amazing things. According to Brian Tracy, an expert in business achievement consulting, “When we set goals, we develop direction, we develop focused and channeled energy, and we accomplish more in a short time than we could accomplish in years.”    Setting goals for your paddling will get you motivated to paddle, get you on the water more often, which in turn, means more time to enjoy yourself and have fun!

Goals are for everyone, not just high-end competitive athletes.  We don’t have to always set lofty goals like making the National or Olympic team.  Our goals may be simpler like getting in our kayak once a month, or once every weekend during the summer.  Maybe your goal will be to improve your forward stroke or build strength in your core for more effortless paddling, lifting and loading. Goals come in all shapes and sizes because we come in all shapes and sizes!

If setting goals is so awesome and brings about so much positive change then why doesn’t everybody do it?  There are a number of reasons, but ones that stand out in particular are lack of support and fear of failure.  Have you ever thought of a really cool idea that you were excited about and shared with a friend only to be told that it wouldn’t work?  I certainly have.  When I first came up with the idea of producing an instructional kayaking dvd for women and offering women’s only kayak classes I definitely got some negative feedback.  Luckily I didn’t let it discourage me and kept my focus on my goals.  Now I have a thriving business based on women’s kayak instruction, trips and retreats!

I’ve read a lot of business books and one of the most common threads in all of them is that entrepreneurs often get told that their ideas are crazy, silly, or unrealistic.  This was said to the founders of companies like Starbucks and Microsoft!  We usually only hear of people once they are successful and assume that they have some special talent that we don’t have that made them so successful.  That just isn’t true.  For instance, I started my paddling career working in the kitchen of a rafting company.  Most of the guides and paddlers never thought that I would ever paddle.  Their nickname for me was ‘kitchen girl’ and they wouldn’t give me the time of day.  But I had a goal:  Learn to kayak.  And I stuck with that goal and sought out people who would teach me and got on the water every chance I had until I was good enough to make the National Freestyle Team.

We all have amazing potential to be successful and good at something.  And becoming good at something like kayaking can skyrocket our confidence and self-worth in all aspects of our lives.  Setting goals is an important part of developing that success on the water and off the water.

You may ask:  What if I set a goal and then fail to achieve it?  Fear of failure is probably the biggest reason people don’t set goals.  Yet there is opportunity in failure.  Most successful people know this.  When I was competing on the whitewater kayaking freestyle circuit I always learned more from the competitions in which I ‘failed’ than the ones in which I made the podium.  Failure is in the eye of the beholder.  You can choose to see an opportunity to learn from your mistakes and experience or you can choose to allow ‘failure’ to hold you back.  It’s all in your attitude and if you have a strong set of goals then it’s easier to learn from the situation and then set those lessons in motion toward your goal.

Now let’s get to the good stuff of how to set goals.

1. Get a pen and paper (I wasn’t joking at the beginning of this article!) and write down the question:  “If money were no object I would…”  Write down your answers below in bulletpoints.  Write up to twelve answers.
2. Choose the ones that sound the most realistic to you.  This is important because to be achievable goals have to be realistic.  That doesn’t mean that you don’t write down the super lofty goals.  Please do!!  But it’s important to discern that winning the lottery tomorrow may not be the best goal to focus your energy on.
3. Take another sheet and make two columns.  At the top of the left-hand column write ‘Goal’ and at the top of the right hand column write ‘Steps.’  Write the goals in the left-hand column and then write down the steps or actions you are going to take to achieve each goal.  Start with an action you can do right now.  Perhaps it’s emailing friends to plan a kayak outing or maybe it’s starting a savings account for that new boat.  There is always some action, however small, that you can take right now.  Maybe it’s changing your attitude. Check the steps up as you go and modify them as you gain experience and momentum.
4. Post your goals in a spot where you see them everyday.  Read them everyday and only share them with people who support your goals, especially if you’re setting goals for the first time.

These are the basics of goal setting.  I encourage you to reflect on your paddling and set a few goals for the summer.  Start off small with goals and steps that you feel are attainable. Once you see the results from these then start setting loftier goals. Keep your goals in sight, take the steps and get ready for your potential on and off the water to explode!

For more inspiration and ideas on how to improve your kayaking and personal life, check out line of instructional DVDs.  Also, a Winter kayaking getaway to Mexico is a great way to build confidence and practice setting and working towards goals!

Interested in doing more yoga, or merging yoga with kayaking?  Check out our new Yoga for Kayaking DVD!  Also remember, all of our clinics and trips to Mexico and Idaho incorporate yoga into the daily schedule!

Check out another great blog post about yoga, kayaking, and THE BREATH!

Have you ever wondered what a kayak specifically designed for women would look like? A kayak that wasn’t just a smaller, narrower version of an existing design – a boat that was truly designed to fit and perform for a woman’s body? We have wondered and we’re very excited about an upcoming project that has the potential to produce a women’s specific kayak! Read on for more information about this potentially groundbreaking project spearheaded by Risa Shimoda and how you can be a part of the innovation!

Help us change a paradigm!

Nearly all kayaks today are designed by men. Not surprisingly, most models also perform better for men than for women, due to several physiological differences. While some paddling schools report equal or greater numbers of women in beginner classes, the male/female ratio among those who stick with it is 3 or more to 1. There are many reasons for this attrition, but I believe one relates to the design of today’s kayaks.

Newer models have reduced this gender inequity tremendously – produced in several sizes, and outfitted to accommodate multiple body shapes. However, one fundamental difference in the anatomy of men and women has not been addressed in kayak designs – their respective center of gravity (CG), contributing to the perception of many women that they are less able to learn basic skills, have fun as a recreational enthusiast and excel as an elite athlete compared to their male counterparts.

A kayak design concept for women that takes advantage of a woman’s structural attributes could reduce the gap between potential performance and mastery between men and women, and expand the paddling market in a new way. Addressing this CG-related challenge involves an investigation of ergonomic, volume/ displacement, and manufacturing materials.

After approaching several well-known university design departments for their agreement to put this quandary to the capabilities of future engineering product designers, Carnegie Mellon University has offered an opportunity to ask students this Fall (2011) to explore this design challenge and recommend a solution that could be applied to various genres of kayaks.

There is no guarantee that students will find a solution, and an unconventional solution might be impractical to manufacture. However, they might just come up with an elegant and practical concept! Either way, we will have advanced the pea so that another research project might get closer, and a kayak company might be encouraged to develop a great kayak for ladies (don’t hold your breath).

Here’s the crazy part of this project: class materials and students’ lab fees will cost $7,000 for the semester. I do not have the resources to implement the Carnegie Mellon project, and am asking for donations. You are not donating to a non-profit charity, and you are not purchasing a discount on a boat ‘if it comes out.’ You won’t see the $ again, though you will be part of a movement, whether the specific project succeeds or simply creates awesome awareness about the issue.

If the students develop intellectual property worthy of protection, they will be the owners of its patent. However, a non-profit organization tbd would own the licensing rights and could use licensing fees to encourage and reward women kayakers who want to contribute to the future of the sport. I will not benefit financially from the license.

Funds are due to Carnegie Mellon August 1^st. We are limiting each person’s contribution to $25 or $26.30 online (the extra covers the PayPal processing fee) at www.theshimodagroup.com/blog. Checks can be sent payable to “Carnegie Mellon University” to Risa at 601 Hudson Ave. #102, Takoma Park, MD 20912. If we can get 280 people to donate $25, we are there! If we raise more than $7,000, I’ll keep the balance in PayPal for use as a startup fund for the non-profit, return it to those donors who put us over the top, or take a booth at the 2011 Gauley Festival to further the discussion. Thank you for your support of this groundbreaking project!

I’m also seeking volunteers from Washington, DC area to help with an intro clinic for CM Students at the Potomac (late September or early October), and Pittsburgh to meet with them during the semester. If we can leverage Skype or webinar technology, we will include as many interested parties as possible in the project presentations. Email risa@theshimodagroup.com if you are interested in helping show the students how kayaks fit women, currently (or not!).

We love talking about gear and helping women chose the best pieces of equipment for their bodies, interests, and wallet.  To tap into our knowledge about purchasing new kayaks or other pieces of gear, check out some of our clinics or personal instruction!

When and why did you start kayaking?

What is your favorite river? My favorite river is the White Salmon River in Washington (Columbia River Gorge).  It has something for everyone . . . class I to class V.  Best of all, it’s at my front door.

What sort of cross training do you do? I have started training through a program called Crossfit. It’s sort of like a boot camp type of class. We train using 3 modalities – gymnastics (using your body weight to increase your strength), metabolic conditioning (cardiovascular exercises) and power lifting movements (lifting using resistance to increase power and strength). After each workout session, I cool-down and work on releasing any tension in my body and mind. Balance is so important to remain injury free . . . so, I will finish my workout with 15-20 minutes of mobility work and deep, relaxed stretching & yoga. My workout isn’t finished until this time, as it leaves me feeling calm, relaxed and re-energized.

Since crossfit workouts vary each session, it keeps me fresh and excited for the next workout. One thing I do have to mention about Crossfit training, is that it is very intense and to avoid injury, you must have a good coach to work with you on technique and form.

My favorite kayak specific training program is as simple as this:
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 squats
20 sit-ups
Continue through this cycle for 10 minutes (work your way up to 20 minutes) . . .
Finish with 5-10 minutes of full-body stretching or your yoga practice.

During the off-season (which is hard to find in the Pacific Northwest), I will train using Crossfit 3-5 times a week.  During periods of time where I’m paddling 5-6 days a week, I will back off of my crossfit training to 1-2 times a week and add an extra day of stretching and yoga.
*Please visit a personal trainer if you want to implement this program and have any questions about the movements.  And visit your doctor if you have any health risks associated with starting a fitness program.

How does cross training help your kayaking? Since starting this new training program, the most significant things I have noticed in my paddling are an increase in stroke power output and ‘boofing’. With a stronger core from the functional movements that I train with, each stroke I plant comes directly from the center of my body, giving me ‘more bang for my buck” in each stroke placement. That powerful stroke along with a strong core and legs have given me the power to aggressively “pull” when I need to during an important boof stroke.
Flexibility isn’t one of my “natural gifts”, so I have to make a conscious effort to make this a priority. Since stretching and yoga has now become a regular part of my routine, I have noticed that my torso rotation has improved, as well as my rolling technique.  So ladies . . . DON’T FORGET TO STRETCH!  Flexibility helps with the kayak roll
I can’t express how important off-river training is for paddling. I will say that a strong body does create a strong mind.  A strong mind creates confident paddlers!

What advice can you give women who are looking for a cross training program? My biggest pieces of advice are . . .
1.  “JUST DO IT!”  There is no excuse not to!  You know why? Because anything is better than nothing. Even if you have only 10 minutes out of your 24 hour day to run in place, do 10 push-ups on the wall or squat up and down off of a chair 20 times, YOU ARE MAKING YOURSELF BETTER! It doesn’t take hours and hours in the gym to get fit and improve your paddling. YOU CAN DO IT FROM HOME . . . “JUST DO IT!”  I like to tell my personal training clients to make a commitment to themselves for at least 6 weeks. Cross-training should become as “normal” as waking up and brushing your teeth!
2.  Working out doesn’t have to be painful! Remember that it’s all about balance. Strength training, cardiovascular training and flexibility are all needed to improve . . . don’t do one without the others.
3.  See your doctor or a personal trainer if you have any questions about whether a workout routine is right for you.  Don’t hurt yourself . . . if you do, you’re setting yourself back even further than where you started.

How do The River Angels promote women in kayaking? The River Angels consist of 5 women from 5 different countries – Ruth Gordon, Tanya Faux, Mariann Saether, Nouria Newman and myself. Our goal is to empower women through outdoor activities. The team of River Angels come from a variety of backgrounds – playboating, competitions, expeditions, motivational speaking and more. If there is one thing we hope to inspire women to do, it’s to “get out there and do it!” There are so many girls and women who feel limited by their physical, mental and/or emotional state. We’ve all gotten to where we are today by experiencing hardships, challenges and successes . . . every experience becomes “learning moments” to help us achieve our dreams and goals. We want to help others realize their full potential and forget about “perceived” limitations, and we do this through “sharing our stories” and encouraging women to get out and paddle. Visit www.riverangels.com to learn more.

What do you think it means to be a woman paddler? We like pink kayaks, pink helmets and blue drytops . . . haha! But seriously, I hear people say, “Woman are more timid than men!” Well, in a way that’s a bit true, as we don’t have the hormone “testosterone” as heavily in our body as men do. But, I think more than anything, women “voice” their fears more often then men. There’s nothing wrong with that . . . it’s just a different way of approaching the same situation. I don’t think men are used to this approach quite yet, as kayaking has been a male dominated sport since its’ beginning. However, with the increase in women paddlers over the past few years, I think the approach of “just paddle hard and go for it!” is being replaced and accepted as “if you don’t feel like running that particular rapid today, no big deal!”  . . . And, this is a great breakthrough for the sport.

What advice can you give to women who would like to be more confident paddlers?
1.  Paddle with people you feel safe and confident with and most of all . . . paddle with people you enjoy being with!!!  Kayaking is all about having fun. There should never be that negative pressure to perform. If you want to do something, ‘want to do it’  for yourself!
2.  Paddle with other women.  For the first 4 years of my paddling career, I was always ‘following the guys’.  It was only until I started paddling with other women that I became a more confident, individual paddler. Just go out there, be safe and have fun!
3.  “No one is perfect!”  You may watch kayaking video’s that showcase all these awesome paddlers and notice that each stroke is perfectly timed and executed and each rapid is navigated without a flaw. But, remember . . . these video’s are edited!!!!!!! Paddler’s don’t paddle perfectly ALL THE TIME! Everyone makes mistakes . . . every paddler swims! So relax . . . if you miss your line or your roll, remember that it happens to everyone! Brush it off and create your ‘learning moment!’

What inspires you to keep getting out there? The feeling of ‘satisfied accomplishment’ is what keeps me going. Whether it’s playing around in class III, learning how to slalom boat or paddling class V . . . it’s the feeling accomplishment and the look on my hubby’s face that says without words, “Nice job, I’m so proud of you!”

To paddle some of the rivers where Heather calls home, check out our Idaho adventure, or paddle with us on the next Summer Tour!

All good things must come to an end.  The GAP Colorado Summer Tour is no exception.  Mary Frances and I had our last few days of kayaking, and are wrapping up things here in the beautiful and burly state of Colorado.  We spent our last days of kayaking on the Upper Eagle (@ high water 3950 cfs) and the Lower Fryingpan.  Super fun, constant, and big water!

We celebrated our time together with a nice sushi dinner in Glenwood Springs, followed by a campfire with lots of reminiscing and wine!

Here are a few stats we’ve collected in order to recap our amazing Colorado Tour for y’all!

Total number of days on tour – 26

Total number of days we went kayaking – 23

Total mileage driven – 4,200

Favorite city – Em: Crested Butte       Mary Frances: Buena Vista

Total number rivers we paddled – 16 (Elkhorn, Lower Animas, Piedra, Cascade Creek, Upper Animas, Salida Wave on the Arkansas, Browns Canyon, the Numbers, the Fractions, Bighorn Canyon, Upper Taylor, Oh Be Joyful, Upper Snake, Upper Colorado, Upper Eagle, Lower Fryingpan)

Total Swims – 3

Clinics we taught – 5

Total number of women who participated in our clinics – 36

Nights spent at people’s houses – 8

Nights spent in the tent -17

Favorite Campsite – Horse Pasture Campground in Gunnison National Forest (on Kebler Pass)

Worst Campsite – A Cul-De-Sac in a neighborhood in Vail

Nights we payed for lodging – 1

Number of times we showered – 7

Best shower – Em: Jessa Davis in Louisville, KY (it was like showering under a waterfall, and they had great exfoliating soap!)   MF: Heather Woodward’s in Crested Butte, CO (lots of good smelling soaps, and she was REAL smelly)

Favorite Piece of Gear -  Mary Frances: Kokotat Meridian Gore-Tex Drysuit           Em: Zero Degree AT Eddy paddle

Favorite Meal -Pizza at the Secret Stash in Crested Butte

Least Favorite meal -Instant Oatmeal breakfast (which we had over 12 times)

Favorite River Snack – Baby Luna Bars & Snickers

Favorite Bar – Crazy Mountain Brewery (Edwards, CO)

Favorite Colorado Beer – Colorado Native Lager by AC Brewing Company (Golden, CO)

Most Beautiful Drive -Kebler Pass (Crested Butte to Marble)

Our biggest followers – Cara Stirts & Betsy Dragoo (statistically, they “like” stuff we put on facebook more than anyone else)

Most Played Album – Pink Friday by Nikki Manaj

Favorite Pump Up Songs – 1) Superbass – Nikki Manaj    2) I’m the Best – Nikki Manaj   3) All the Lights – Kanye West   4) I Follow Rivers – Lykke Li   5) My Life Be Like – Grits

Most Unexpected Fun – Everything about Omaha (Happy Hour through Kayak Polo on the Lake) & the Animas River Parade

Best Non-Kayaking Adventure – Tie between Mesa Verde National Park & March Fourth Marching Band concert at FIBArk

Most Commonly Used Phrases – “They’re not going anywhere” (referring to the boats) & “We need more protein”

Number of times we waved at cars with kayaks, and they gave us the Brown Claw: Way too Many

Total minutes Mary Frances and Em spent apart – Under 10

Overall, it’s been an incredible journey.  Mary Frances and I are both so grateful to have had this opportunity to enjoy Colorado in such an intense and fulfilling way.  We’ve paddled more whitewater than we could have ever imagined, and met countless wonderful people who participated in our clinics, took us kayaking, put us up in their houses, or were super friendly and made us feel like Colorado was our home.  To everyone we’ve encountered, thank you for making this an experience to remember!

I am headed back to the Southeast now, but Mary Frances is continuing with the tour out west!  She’ll be teaching in Hood River, OR on July 16-17, and in Boise, ID on July 23-24.  If you’re in the area, check it out!

Keep your eyes out for our short film we’re making about the Colorado Tour as well!  It’ll be up soon!

If you would like to join us for one of our other awesome on water adventures, please check out our weekend clinics, Mexico trips and Main Salmon, Idaho trip.

The Girls at Play summer tour in Colorado has officially found the most beautiful place yet.  As Mary Frances and I rolled into the town of Crested Butte over Monarch Pass, we were blown away and speechless at the immensity and grandeur of the mountains and scenery that lay before us.

We met up with some friends of Girls at Play, Heather and Chris Woodward (Heather came to Mexico with GAP in 2011) who graciously took us paddling, showed us the town, and put us up for a couple of nights.   Our first paddling destination was the Upper Taylor, the Woodward’s home run located about 20 minutes from their doorstep!  It’s a fun class III+ boulder garden run with lots of cool eddies to catch, waves to surf, and rocks to boof!

Mary Frances, Heather, and Em on the Upper Taylor

We also checked out the Secret Stash, which is my new favorite pizza joint of all time.  If you’ve ever in Crested Butte, it’s a must make stop!

Tuesday we woke up decided to check out the famous creek, Oh Be Joyful!  This run has been on my list since I first heard about it 3 years ago.  Seeing it in person was like meeting your celebrity crush.  My jaw dropped when I got my first sight, and I instantly knew I wanted it…bad.

We scouted the run, and I met up with some folks who were going to run it the next morning.  We set a time…I was committed.  MF and I headed back to town to run the Upper Taylor with the Woodwards again…so fun, can’t get enough!

I shot out of bed in the morning, knowing it was game time.  MF, Chris and I drove the short 30 minute drive to the OBJ campground where I met my crew and started hiking!  It was a long, hot, and tiring approach.  Just over a mile, uphill.

hiking up

My new friend Nathan showing me some lines

Mary Frances took some BEAUTIFUL scenic shots during the approach hike

Although there weren’t many people at OBJ this morning, there’s only one put in site.   You peel out and have about 10 feet till the first drop – a clean 18 foot autoboof.  Because only one person can go at a time though, I ended up waiting in anticipation for my turn, getting more and more nervous/excited every minute.

waiting to put on

Finally my turn came, and I peeled out onto Oh Be Joyful.  Such a surreal moment.

at the lip of the 18 footer

We boogied down what’s known as the “waterfall section” pretty quickly, since the run is so continuous and steep.  The eddies were small and hard to fit multiple boats in, so we just kept moving!

Another woman on OBJ!  Here’s Samantha Ruppelt after the first slide

steep creek boogie

The crux of this top section is the 25 foot waterfall…Oh Be Joyful falls.  The entrance is fast, but the line is clear and clean.  I hit my line dead on!  Didn’t take the greatest boof stroke, and ended up going pretty deep.  Still, the largest drop I’ve ever run!

Me feeling small on the 25 footer.  MF took this beautiful money shot!

After the waterfall section, the water was continuing to rise  as the day got hotter, and the holes in the slide section were looking pretty burly.  I had gotten my thrill, and decided to hike out.  I’ll be back next year for part 2 for sure!

This was such an incredible and fulfilling run!  MF and I had to keep moving though, so we packed up and headed through Kebler Pass to find a campsite to stay.  We came across the jackpot.

In the morning, as the sun came up, the lighting was so perfect we couldn’t help but take a little photo shoot.  We’re also sporting our Eddie Bauer First Ascent gear (Em in the fleece and MF in the down vest).  We love this stuff and wear it ALL. THE. TIME.

more fun up Kebler Pass!

Between the hospitality of the Woodwards, the beautiful scenery, and the great whitewater of the Taylor and OBJ, Mary Frances and I had a absolute blast in Crested Butte.

We’re now headed off to Vail & Glenwood Springs for our final weekend of clinics in Colorado!  See ya there!

If you would like to join us for one of our other on water adventures check out our weekend clinics and wintertime Mexico adventures!

Early this week we rolled into Salida, Colorado, home of the famous FIBArk festival (First in Boating on the Arkansas).  The Festival has  been going on for 63 years, and this small town has really come alive!  It’s the oldest paddling festival IN THE WORLD!

Mary Frances and I spent our first day in the area paddling Brown’s Canyon of the Arkansas (near Buena Vista).  It was running about 2800 cfs, making it an awesome class III-IV run through some big, classic  Arkansas River whitewater.

After enough goldfish crackers, frosted mini wheats, and string cheese to feel re-fueled,  we met up with Joel McBride (founder of Wave Sport) and headed to the Numbers section of the Ark.  I ran the river with Joel, and was glad to have a local boater who knows the run so well.  With the flow around 3000 cfs…and it was HUGE!  Despite the intimidation of this big, pushy class IV run, I paddled as hard as I could and styled the run!  Scary but satisfying.

We decided to camp near the Numbers, because the next morning was the infamous BoaterX race.

We slept outside under the full moon, with an gorgeous morning view of the Sawatch Mountains!

Traditionally this race is held on Pine Creek, but since the bus-eating hole on Pine Creek rapid is even bigger than normal due to the high water, they decided to move the race to Rapid Number 4 on the Numbers!  I was psyched about this change, and decided to get some guts up and race!

Rapid Number 4 is short, but fast and really big.  There were a couple of crux moves, and a difficult eddy to catch for the finish.  To make it even more interesting, everyone had to race in a PLAYBOAT!  Unfortunately, MF and I didn’t bring any Dagger playboats with us, so I had to borrow one.  Luckily the Demshitz crew was at the race and I was able to use Dave Fusilli’s Molan…thanks Dave!

Outside TV was there shooting a short film.  Here are some cool shots I took from their footage…

Taking the first stroke…

entering the crux

coming into the finishing eddy

women’s finals in action

There were 5 female competitors, which is more than expected!  Way to represent!  Some really awesome boaters like Nicole Mansfield came out.  It was cool to be competing with such accomplished paddlers!  I didn’t make the podium, but I had great lines nonetheless and tons of fun duking it out on the big water.

In the evening, we danced our little hearts out at the FIBArk festivities to one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen – March Fourth Marching Band.  They were like a traveling circus with stilt walks, fire blowers, and amazing percussion and horns!

Check ‘em out!          http://marchfourthmarchingband.com/

We spent the next couple of day paddling the Fractions (a super fun section below the Numbers), Brown’s Canyon, watching the some playboaters throw down in the freestyle competitions, and absorbing the beauty of Salida/Buena Vista and fun of FIBArk.

My Dad said there weren’t enough action shots on the blog, so here are a some more action shots from the Fractions and Browns Canyon…Happy Father’s Day!

Mary Frances at House Rock on the Fractions of the Arkansas

Em framing Mary Frances

scouting

big wave splash!

relaxing after Browns

To cap off an awesome day of kayaking, Saturday night we danced to Hell’s Bells…an all female ACDC cover band!  We think that since GAP and Hell’s Bells are both representing the female niche within traditionally male dominated scenes (kayaking and heavy metal) we should join forces and do something together.  If you have any ideas, let us know.

Sunday Mary Frances and I competed in one of the nations oldest whitewater races…the 26 mile downriver race from Salida to Cotopaxi.

preppin for the big race

The race took most people between 2 and 3 hours.  I finished first in the female non-wildwater boat catagory in 2:37, and was the second fastest female overall.  Mary Frances got 3rd in our catagory with a time of 2:42!  The race was long and tiring, but luckily the flow was high so there weren’t many still sections.  The river also kept us on our toes with a handful of class III/IV rapids we raced through blind.  We both had a blast, and made sure to do lots of yoga afterwards to help our sore and exhausted muscles.  Did I mentioned we paddled the race in our Dagger creek boats!?! (Em in the Mamba, MF in the Nomad)

GAP REPRESENTING!  Taking 1st and 3rd in the women’s 26 mile downriver race (plastic boat division)

Thanks for an awesome weekend FIBArk!

Salida and Buena Vista are truly paddling hotspots with so much access to miles and miles of Arkansas River whitewater.  This area has everything from awesome playboating waves, cruiser class III stretches, big water, and technical creeking!  We’ve had a blast here, and will DEFINITELY be back next year to enjoy the river and FIBArk, the coolest paddling festival around!

Off to our next destination, CRESTED BUTTE!

If you would like to join us for one of our other on water adventures check out our weekend clinics and wintertime Mexico adventures!

Here’s what Mary Frances and I have been up in Durango to when we’re not teaching.

Our first destination was Durango, where we spend 5 days kayaking big water, surfing big waves, getting to know the Durango hotspots, and living in a parking lot!  It was actually a very nice parking lot, and was located just behind 4 Corners River Sports, the outfitter we were teaching through.  Plus, we were right on the shore of the Animas!

We woke up the first morning and paddled parts of the Animas town run!  There were tons of good waves to surf, but since neither MF or I consider ourselves playboaters, we spent most of our energy just trying to catch the waves rather than play on them.

In the afternoon, some really nice guys from 4 Corners, Drew and Cruise, took us out to run the Piedra – a beautiful class 4 creek with lots of water and a stunning gorge section.  We’re quickly learning that class 4 in colorado feels very different than class 4 in North Carolina.  We saw some big holes, huge waves, and fast water!  Nevertheless, we had  a blast!

The following day I went out with some local boys to Cascade Creek (3rd gorge of the Lime) & the Upper Animas.   The hiking approach to the river was a couple miles, so my new friend Cruise let me borrow his kayak backpack!  It was harder to balance than I had expected, but still much easier than shouldering my Mamba the whole way down.  The creek was fast, continuous, reactionary, and SO MUCH FUN!  I was pretty gripped, but tried to relax a couple of times and look up at the towering, vertical, granite walls rising above on both sides of the river.  I LOVED how the Mamba handled the big water!  It’s incredibly stable and punches through waves and holes like it ain’t no thang!  I felt super confident in it, and am stoked to keep paddling it in this big water!  The Upper Animas was 8 miles of continuous, big BIG water.  Huge waves, and huge holes to avoid as well.  We didn’t stop the entire stretch.  Paddling in Colorado is a workout!

The weekend brought the annual Animas River Days festival!  MF and I taught both days (check out the blog post on how the clinics went!).  Saturday evening we decided to rally and participate in the RIVER PARADE!  We put on our matching GAP outfits, and paddled in the parade as the GAP twins!  So. Much. Fun!

We spent Monday taking rest day off the water, and decided to check out Mesa Verde National Park – the site of the prehistoric Puebloeans.   MF and I and learned a ton, and earned our Junior Ranges badges!  You’re never too old…

Thanks for an awesome week Durango!  We’ll definitely be back next summer!  Now we’re off to Salida & Buena Vista to paddle the Arkansas and hang out at FIBArk!

If you would like to join us for one of our other on water adventures check out our weekend clinics and wintertime Mexico adventures!

Go with the Flow

“Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.” – Bruce Lee

Anyone who has kayaked in currents whether they be strong or easy-going has witnessed what Bruce Lee is talking about.  When water comes up on a rock it flows around it, when water hits a fallen tree in the river it flows through the branches.  Eddies on the river are formed when water flows around an obstacle, such as a rock, and then flows back upstream behind the rock to fill the void that is created by the diversion.

Water accepts what is and continues on its path.  When we accept what is happening at this moment in our lives we are better able to go with the flow without creating suffering for ourselves and others.  This doesn’t mean that you just let life happen to you and become apathetic.  On the contrary, when we accept what is we are better able to take right action.  The water flowing down a river doesn’t resist when it hits the rock.  It doesn’t complain, feel victimized or react in fear.  The water simply changes shape and direction to flow around the obstacle.

We can refer to the same example as paddlers.  If we get stuck on a rock while we’re kayaking down a river we have some choices. We can resist and react in fear and tell ourselves a story about how we’re stuck and can’t get unstruck and about how scary it is.  Or, we can pause for a moment, accept that we are stuck and calmly lean into the rock and push ourselves off.  By staying calm we are better able to respond to the situation instead of reacting out of fear and creating unnecessary suffering for ourselves.  We wouldn’t just sit there apathetic saying oh well, I guess I’m stuck and I can’t do anything about it.  We always have a choice to respond out of a sense of acceptance or react out of a sense of resistance.  Acceptance allows us to go with the flow like water.

Effortless Doing

“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it” – Lao Tzu

I have a funny story that I feel illustrates this quote.  One day I was using a toothbrush to scrub out the shower — very vigorously – so vigorously that I was getting frustrated that the bits of mold I was scrubbing weren’t coming off!  I looked and noticed that the bristles of the brush were almost flattened from the force of my scrubbing so they weren’t really doing much.  At that moment I remembered the teaching of effortless doing and started to scrub more gently and guess what!? The mold came right off without resistance.  I had a good laugh at myself – especially since such an inspiring reminder came to me in such a non-inspiring situation.

I always tell my students that the goal of good, strong kayak technique is to look and feel effortless on the water.  There should be no power struggle or fight against the water, but instead an effortless dance with the water.  When we feel effortless on the water we’re actually embodying the powerful gentleness of water that Lao Tzu is talking about.

When I first started to kayak I loved it so much that I wanted to be good immediately.   There were days when I would spend hours and hours on the river trying to get better.  I would push myself hard and when I wasn’t paddling well I’d get frustrated and sometimes end up breaking down.  Now that I think back on some of my most frustrating and emotional experiences on the water I realize that I was trying too hard to force things to come to me.

Frustration and unhappiness with our progress in any aspect of our lives is a sign for us to take a step back and remember that gentleness, effortlessness and patience can generate amazing results.  We don’t have to push and do all the time. What I’ve come to realize is that sometimes it’s not about making it happen as much as it’s about doing the work mindfully and then allowing it to all come together – effortlessly.

Compassion Towards  Ourselves and Others

“We are both the wave, individual and unique, and the ocean. Both.  At the same time.”

– Erich Schiffmann

Each drop of water, each river, stream, lake and ocean is part of all the water there ever will be on this planet.  They are all unique expressions of the collective that we call water.  Just like we are individual, unique human beings that are a part of the bigger collective called the human race.  And all of us at our core want the same thing – to feel happy and fulfilled. Being human connects every human to each other and yet we often, too often, forget this connection.  This is more apparent when we feel wronged by someone else.  It’s easy to judge and lay blame than to set our egos aside and feel compassion towards another.

A wise kayaking student of mine recently told me:  “Never assume that you know someone else’s story.”  Maybe the woman who was rude to you was having a bad day.  Is that an excuse for her to be rude, no, but perhaps receiving some compassion will soften her mood and brighten her day.  It may not happen instantaneously, but it will have an effect. One of my favorite quotes attributed to Gandhi is:  “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, and it takes more strength and faith to be kind.”

And remember that compassion is not only reserved for others, but also it’s important to practice compassion toward ourselves.  Even though each drop of water in the ocean is small, each drop is an important part of the whole.  Appreciate your unique contribution to the world!

Pay Attention

“In rivers, the water that you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which comes; so with present time.” – Leonardo Da Vinci

Paying attention to the present moment has been one of the most transformational practices in my life.  The present moment is all we have because the past no longer exists and the future has not yet happened.  When we focus our attention on the past and the future we are missing out on the awesomeness unfolding right now.

One of the reasons I love whitewater kayaking so much is that it forces you to focus on the moment.  If you don’t pay attention in a rapid you could end up somewhere you don’t want to be.  People are addicted to whitewater kayaking because they feel that intense joy that comes with being really present, in the moment.  You don’t have to be a whitewater kayaker to experience this.  Sea kayakers experience this and lake paddlers who are able to get really quiet and pay attention to the beauty around them are also able to experience the present moment.

A really simple way to tune into the present moment that anyone can do is pay attention to your breath.  You can do it right now as you’re reading this article.  Notice the path of the breath through the body and stay with it for a few breaths.  See what happens.  I bet you’ll feel calm, relaxed and energized!  This is the cheapest stress-relief available to you anytime.

I hope you’ve enjoyed a few of the lessons I’ve learned along my kayaking way.  There are many more…  These lessons are not meant to be practiced only once.  Just like we enjoy going back to the water to paddle over and over again, these teachings are meant to be referred to over and over until they become second nature. This could take years, just as developing good kayaking technique takes years.  Enjoying each part of the journey is important.  I remember some really awesome moments from when I was a beginner kayaker – there is joy in every part of the journey.

Article by Anna Levesque

Photos by Paul Villecourt www.outdoor-reporter.com

If you enjoyed this article, check out our latest instructional DVD, Yoga for Kayaking. You might also enjoy our awesome weekend clinics and trips that blend yoga and kayaking.