The New Jackson Kayak Dynamic Duo

This week I finally got to try my Dynamic Duo! My Dad and I took it out on the South Fork of the American’s Chili Bar section with my Mom and our friends Colin and Hope Kemp. We had a blast! It was super stable and maneuverable and sliced through the holes like butter. We added two 200 bean Happy Seats and another set of hip pads so I could paddle it and both Dad and I were very comfortable. I started out kayaking class 2 rivers at the age of 3 in a tandem whitewater kayak and transitioned to my first Fun 1when I was 4. My parents were amazed at how I could eddy in and out and ferry on my own as well as read water which I had learned from kayaking in a Duo with my Dad. The Dynamic Duo is the perfect learning and training tool for anyone who wants to get on the water, and especially great for introducing your kids to one of the most fun sports a family can participate in!

American with the Girls

This week  I got to kayak the Chili Bar section of the South Fork of the American river with some of the greatest kayakers in the world!  My coach, world champ and Canadian champ Ruth Gordon, Australian champ Tonya Faux, my mom and dad, mom’s cousin Jessica, our friends Shelby and Brett and Ruth’s boyfriend Toby who was trying his shoulder out after surgery.  It was incredible watching Ruth and Tonya play at Maya and First Threat but the highlight was acing Trouble Maker with everyone watching me-Tonya even told me it was awesome!  One of the best parts too was the fact that we had more women paddling then men in our group.  That doesn’t happen very often.  See you on the river

Reno Home Town Throw Down #1

We had our first home town throw down and it was a big success!  These competitions are all about getting people out in the river to have fun and get wet.  Plenty of by standers stopped to watch as some people took it very seriously, and others were just there to have a good time.  I was the only junior but placed 3rd over all in the woman’s group-My Mom was last but had a good time too.  It was especially fun because my whole family competed and my Dad was also 3rd.  I hope to make the next one but might be on my way to Kernville for the Kern River Festival where I will race in my new Galasport glass boat for the first time!  Here is a link to the write up on Worldkayak.com.

http://worldkayakblogs.com/throwdown/2009/04/02/reno-hometown-throwdown-1/

Being Coached by World Campion Ruth Gordon!

This is turning out to be a very exciting year for kayaking!    It all started when I was asked to be on Team Reno for the Reno River Festival which meant I was going to be trained by the woman’s world champion, my adopted big sister Ruth Gordon.  I was going to be the the intermediate kayaker and there were 3 other people who were picked to be on the team who had never boated before.  Unfortunately, the sponsorship fell through and Team Reno was dissolved, but Ruth called me and asked if she could still train me to compete in the Rodeo!  I have been meeting her at the whitewater park on the Truckee river at least twice a week and am really getting good at spins and am trying to turn my plug into a loop.  It’s hard work but I am having so much fun.  I hope to have a loop and cartwheel by the Reno River Festival about a month away.  You can get information at renoriverfestival.com.

Why we love this place!

We love living in Carson City!  There are not a lot of places where you can ski on Saturday and kayak on Sunday, but that is just what we have been able to do.  Sage has started her Jounior Expedition Team skiing at Kirkwood Mountain Ski Resort in California and had a Giant Slalom race this weekend, competing with about 60 other kids and finishing in the top 20. It was a warm day and the racecourse was very hard and icy, but all the kids had fun.  Next competiotion is a Rail Jam in February so terrain park practice has begun.

On Sunday, we hit the Chili Bar section of the South Fork of the American River.  It had been about a month since she had run this section, so aside from a little first rapid jitters, she rocked it!  The highlight of the day was when Sage tried to paddle through first threat on the sticky river right side but was sucked back in and performed a few unentendo cartwheels before losing her paddle and flushing out, then doing a hand roll right in front of Mom and Dad–we were ecstatic.  After that high, the rest of the river was unimpressive and Troublemaker was just a bump in her boat.

With the super, unseasonably warm temperatures we are experiencing in the Sierra Nevadas, Skiiing hasn’t been that great but we have been able to hit the Reno White Water Park several days a week.  In fact, We just ordered a racing slalom boat for Sage for spring competitions!

Sage at the Moke and Feather races

I raced at the Mokelumne races in September and placed first in both the down river race and the slalom course in the cadets class.  I got to paddle with my friend Ben Young who is also a good kayaker.  He is trying to get a slalom boat too!  The next weekend I raced in the Feather river races where we had a very interesting course.  I placed first in cadets again in the slalom races and paddled with my friend Molly, who is the daughter of Dave Steindorf, our American Whitewater representative.  I also ran Carl’s Kitchen, the biggest rapid on the Rock Creek section.  It was lots of fun!  The races are over for the year, but I hope to continue paddling all through the winter.

Sage on the South Fork of the American River

Here is Sage running Satan’s Cesspool and Troublemaker on the South Fork of the American. She ran the Chilli Bar section while still 7 years old, and the Gorge shortly after turning 8!

Sage on the Pitt River

In August, 2008, I ran my first class 4 river and loved it!  Unfortunately it is de-watered most of the year, but thanks to American Whitewater we have a few weekend scheduled releases every summer.

Kayaking At The American River Festival

This weekend I attended the American River Festival where I paddled a plastic slalom boat for the first time in a race.  I placed first in cadet girls and managed to get all my gates on my second run.  The middle of the course was a bit challenging with a hard ferry over the river, but I had worked hard on the moves in practice and did them very well.  Then I did the topoduo with my Dad, It was pretty challenging but I managed to get second, my Mom and Dad paired up and beat me! I also did a topduo race with both of my parents, first my Dad and I did a run, then my Mom and I, but we didn’t place because they didn’t break it up in categories.  I hope to get a glass boat for the future, and look forward to taking some slalom classes from Jessica Subido.  Next stop-The Moke river races!