Canoe/Kayak/Restaurant
Concession Available in
Illinois
August
1, 2008
Illinois
Department of Natural Resources is seeking to contract a paddlesports operator to run the
restaurant and a canoe/ kayak rental operation, which
provides rafting trips on the State Scenic Middle Fork of
the Vermilion
River
, located in Kickapoo State Recreational Area Oakwood, Illinois. Interested
parties should contact Lisa
Wright for further details.
PIA
and TAPS Sign MOU to Guide Unification as One Industry
Assoc.
August
1, 2008
We
are pleased to announce that the Paddlesports Industry
Association (PIA) and the Trade Association of Paddlesports
(TAPS) are working to become a united industry community.
Today, the two associations agreed to sign a
Memorandum of Understanding that lays out a process for
unifying the two associations into one new entity.
There
are several reasons for unification.
-
Efficiencies
and greater effectiveness will come from working
together.
-
We
face increasing pressure from federal and state
regulators in the
United States
.
-
We
need to learn from each other.
-
We
believe we can improve the quality of both
business-to-business and consumer trade-shows.
Both
associations are committed to maintaining the core values
and programs that they have built over the past 30 years.
That means that programs such as the West Coast Sea
Kayak Symposium and the Paddlesports Pro conference will
continue. It
also means that the associations will value the needs of
paddlesports outfitters, retailers, and manufacturers.
We will develop and improve programs and 1services
that meet each sector's needs while continuing to build
programs, like the cooperative marketing program Let's
Go Paddle, that
meet the needs of the entire paddlesports business
community.
To
read the text of a letter to the memberships of the two
associations, click here.
Novice
Kayakers Get Closer to Nature – and Exercise Too
August
1, 2008
By
Bob Buehn, for My Clay Sun
Kayaking
continues to grow as a sport, and it's a healthy, quiet and
inexpensive way to enjoy
Clay
County
waterways.
The
recent experience of three friends illustrates how easy it
is to start kayaking. Carol Gay of
Fleming
Island
got a kayak in May as a birthday gift from her husband.
Although she had no experience, kayaking was something she
wanted to try.
She's
been paddling with two friends, Pat Swinehart of Middleburg
and Peggy Bazaldua, who lives in Ortega. Both are new to
kayaking, although Bazaldua had done some paddling growing
up in upstate
New York
. Her husband bought her kayak at a garage sale.
On
a recent Saturday morning, the trio paddled the south side
of
Doctors
Lake
and while afloat talked about how much they enjoy their
newfound sport.
Encouraged
by Bazaldua to try kayaking, Swinehart was
"immediately hooked." She went to a dealer and
tested a few kayaks, picked one out and "loaded it in
the car that day."
"Kayaking
is just unbeatable," said Swinehart. "You see so
much wildlife and paddling is great exercise." Read
more.
Whitewater
Rafting on the Blue Ridge Parkway
August
1, 2008
Virtual
Blue Ridge
has launched a brand new section on Whitewater Rafting to
add yet another valuable tool for anyone planning an
adventure on the
Blue Ridge Parkway
.
After
emails and requests asking for more information on rafting
on and off the
Blue Ridge Parkway
, we put together this brand new section to help travelers
and fun-seekers with the information that would be the most
helpful.
Features
include a glossary of the classes of rapids for even the
most novice of water-goers, and a growing list of places to
raft accessible from the Parkway along with the range of
classes available on each. You can choose from easy
floating family trips down the
Watauga
River
to wild and crazy adventures on the
Nolichucky
.
Families
seeking fun on the many rivers of the
Blue Ridge Mountains
need look no further. You can even learn to talk like an
experienced rafter with our whitewater lingo of rafting
terms. Read
more.
PIA
Member OKC Kayak Featured on NewOK.com
August
1, 2008
Kayaking
Provides Freedom to Explore Nature
By
Jacquelyn M. Farris, from NewsOK.com
New
outdoor adventures, especially those that allow me to meet
new people, are always a thrill. For years I have been
eyeing the sport of kayaking, but had been too timid.
Timidity
is uncommon for me. I am usually a girl who attacks all
adventures head on. Kayaking seemed like one of those
sports that would require vast amounts of skill.
The
whole concept of staying afloat in a tiny box-like
flotation device while trying to paddle with rhythm, and,
oh yes, not flip over and drown, didn't add up well in my
head. In fact, I had a cat-in-water scenario playing in my
mind.
This
past week I decided it was time to put my Girl vs. Wild
brave face on and paddle deep into the waters of kayaking.
With
fear in tow, I met with Dave Lindo of OKC Kayak at
Lake
Hefner
to try out my undiscovered kayaking prowess. OKC Kayak is
at NW 2 and Western in downtown
Oklahoma City
. Read
more.
See
How One Colorado
Outfitter is Using You Tube to Promote His Business
July
25, 2008
Colorado
River & Trail Expeditions is using a simple-to-create
video comprised of still-images, music, and graphics to
promote their company on You Tube.
With nearly 2800 views to date, this marketing piece
is a great way for the company to make an impression with
customers before they even arrive for their trip.
Check
out the video and learn more about this type of
marketing at Paddlesports
Pro 2008, the industry's national conference, November
9-12, 2008. We
will be running a session entitled "The New Marketing
-- Using You Tube, Facebook, and More to Promote
Your Business."
OR
Open Air Demo – Important Update
July
25, 2008
Important:
Utah’s great winter snow season means high water level at
Pineview Reservoir. As a result, waterfront beach space is
extremely limited! Outdoor Retailer is working to use their
best efforts to allocate beachfront and access space fairly
between all boat manufacturers and exhibitors. OAD booth
confirmations have been sent this week. Make sure you
check your information!
Another
Whitewater Rafting Course Could Come To The Mountains
July
25, 2008
Pike
County
officials believe another whitewater rafting course in
eastern
Kentucky
will boost tourism and the economy.
Officials
want to create a man-made whitewater rafting course in the
mountains at
Breaks
Interstate
Park
. They visited a man-made course on top of a mountain in Maryland
a few weeks ago and think they can do the same thing at the
Kentucky-Virginia line.
“With
our natural beauty, we have four distinctive seasons in
this part of the world, I think we could attract a fabulous
amount of men and women because this is a family oriented
facility,” says John Gatling of Pike County Economic
Development.
The
Maryland
course draws several hundred thousand visitors a year.
Officials are discussing the idea with
Breaks
Interstate
Park
managers. Read
more.
New
Johnson Outdoors Products Tout Latest Technology
By
Michael Burke Journal Times
July
25, 2008
Ah,
summer — time to play in the great outdoors.
And for those who hear the call of the wild at this time
of year, Johnson Outdoors has plenty of new, cool toys to
take into the wilderness or campground.
Among the Racine-based company’s newer recreational
product lines are tents that have electricity, a
super-smart sportman’s watch and kayaks made with the
latest space-age materials.
Here is a look at some of Johnson Outdoors’ newer,
noteworthy product lines . . .
If
you want the lightest, strongest kayak made, you probably
want a carbon fiber, or carbon composite, boat.
Last year Johnson Outdoors introduced carbon-fiber
watercraft with the Necky Chatham line of touring kayaks.
Read
more.
PIA
Member Kayak Jeff Opens New Store; Gets
Word Out
with PRWeb
July
25, 2008
Kayak
Jeff, a PIA member company, recently announced the opening
of a new kayak superstore using PRWeb.
PRWeb, a leader in online news and press release
distribution, has been used by more than 40,000
organizations of all sizes to increase the visibility of
their news, improve their search engine rankings and drive
traffic to their Web site.
Kayak
Jeff's new store is at
1857 South Dixie Highway
in
Pompano Beach
. With this exciting addition, Kayak Jeff brings his high
quality products and enthusiastic paddling instruction to
new and seasoned paddlers in this beautiful beach
community.
The
new Kayak Jeff Superstore was opened to serve customers in
Northern Broward county and
Palm Beach
County
. Its location on a navigable canal presents the
opportunity for customers to see hands-on demonstrations
and receive instruction on the spot. Check
out Kayak Jeff's PRWeb posting.
Braving
the Rough Waters
By Candus Thomson,
Baltimore Sun
July 25, 2008
After
hearing cheers in Athens and absorbing the spectacle that is the Olympics, kayaker
Scott Parsons wasn't sure he wanted to do it again. So he
took a year off, paddling just once a day to stay in shape
and have fun on the water.
The passion returned, and the Bethesda resident is on his
way to Beijing, the anchor of a team that consists of a
38-year-old woman dropped from the British team, two
gee-whiz teens and boyhood friends from Pennsylvania who
are finding success paddling together as one, and a
rail-thin Georgian with a literary bent who sets himself
apart from the crowd with black-painted fingernails and a
tasteful touch of mascara.
But make no mistake, this is Parsons' team and Parsons'
time. Read
more.
Trip
to Beijing
for Teen Combo Began on a Pennsylvania Waterway
By
Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette
July 25, 2008
It
was 13 years ago when two little boys met at a small
whitewater race in
Hummelstown
,
Pa.
The name of the event -- the Penn Cup Fiddler's Elbow
Slalom Race -- was practically bigger than they were.
Last
week, Casey Eichfeld and Rick Powell spent five days at
Adventure Sports Center International honing their skills
in a two-man canoe on the facility's artificial whitewater
course.
It
isn't all that many miles from their hometowns in eastern
Pennsylvania
to this mountaintop center in western
Maryland
, but the two have come a long way since they were 5 and 6
and their parents took the budding paddlers to that little
race. Read
more.
A
History of Whitewater Paddling in
Western North Carolina
July
25, 2008
Will
Leverette, grandson of famous early paddler Frank Bell, has
written A History of Whitewater Paddling in Western North
Carolina-Water Wise. The book is well illustrated with 60
old black and white photographs of wood and canvas and
aluminum canoes from 1923 to 1980. Essentially a memoir,
Leverette paints a colorful story of his having grown up at
Camp High Rocks in
Cedar Mountain
,
North Carolina
. It details his exposure to many remarkable whitewater
paddling pioneers and it is written in the style of telling
stories around a campfire. It is published by the History
Press out of
Charleston
,
South Carolina
and is available at Amazon.com and the
Nantahala
Outdoor
Center
’s online catalogue and outfitter’s store.
Ohio
State Fair to Include Kayaking Pond
July
18, 2008
Those
who plan to head to
Columbus
for the annual Ohio State Fair will be able to check out a
new kayaking pond, which will include paddle sports. The
pond is the centerpiece of the 8-acre
Natural
Resources
Park
that is part of the fair, which runs from July 30 to Aug.
10 at the
Ohio
Expo
Center
. Read
more.
North
State
Residents Beat the
Summer Heat in Kayaks
From
Redding.com by Joshua Corbelli
July
18, 2008
The
rash of north state wildfires is putting a crimp in many
residents' outdoor plans. But someday this summer the
fires will die down and people will get back out on the
lakes and trails.
A
growing number of north state residents are taking up
kayaking to get out on the water. And with the unforgiving
summer heat here, kayaking is a good solution for
unbearably hot days.
"It's
great to experience the lake from a different perspective.
Being on the water you see things from a different
view," said Susan Weaver, a park ranger at
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.
Garth
Schmeck, owner of Penguin Paddlers in Redding, says
kayaking isn't dangerous.
"Kayaking
can be for everyone," Schmeck said. "It's the
usual assumption that kayaking means white-water kayaking,
when, in reality, white water is the least common form of
kayaking available." Read
more.
Rafting
the Rapids in
Utah
From
The Washington
Post by Karl Vick
July
18, 2008
For
the first three days, you kind of assume you're in a
western.
The
rock is red. The sky is blue. The clouds, when they show
up, are puffy white. It all glides by at the languid,
satisfyingly informative pace of a panning shot. When the
gaze drifts above the canyon rim, what appears is the
signature iconography of a John Ford film: butte, mesa,
chimney rock.
And
then, on the fourth day, you look up and the oarsman is
gone.
How
odd. That looks like him downstream, swimming frantically
back toward the yellow raft no longer drifting
languorously on the famous Colorado River. Swollen by the
largest snowmelt in recent years, the waterway has
meandered to the point in southern Utah where there are no
more banks to wash over and simply enrich with silt. When
the Colorado reaches Cataract Canyon, the stone walls draw
closer, the bottom pitches forward and the river
accelerates, churning massive waves from left and right to
crash together in the middle. These waves are tall, angry
and of profound concern to Brian when he reappears, almost
magically, in the little boat, grabs the oars and takes a
long look downstream. Read
more.
U.S.
Forest Service Opens Door to Limited Boating on
Upper Chattooga
By
Anna Simon, Greenvilleonline.com
July
11, 2008
The
U.S. Forest Service released a preliminary decision
Wednesday to allow limited boating on the Chattooga
River.
The
public has 30 days to comment on the decision that has
followed years of controversy between fishermen, hikers
and campers who want to protect the solitude of the area
and whitewater enthusiasts who want it opened for kayaking
and rafting.
Boating
has not been allowed north of the State 28 bridge.
The
pre-decisional Environmental Assessment (EA) of recreation
uses on the upper Chattooga Wild and
Scenic
River
would allow boating from County Line Road Trail in
North Carolina
to
Burrells
Ford Bridge between December 1 and March 1 when mean daily
flow levels average 450 cfs or more, which is above those
levels considered optimal for fishing. Read
more.
Teens
Find Cool Refuge at River
by
Ariana Stobaugh,
Reno
Gazette-Journal (RGJ.com)
July
11, 2008
The
teenage mantra "There's nothing to do" has eased
somewhat with cool recreation opportunities on the
Truckee
River
.
The
Whitewater
Park
at
Wingfield
Park
has been busy this summer with teenagers and families
swimming, tubing, rafting and kayaking down the river.
"It's
great in the summer," said Zach Chatelle, 17, a
Reno
High School
senior. "Basically, anytime I'm free and if I don't
have plans during the day, I'm at the river. It's a good
meeting place with friends to just swim and hang
out."
The
half-mile course can be accessed from
Arlington Avenue
and
Wingfield
Park
, the city park that acts as an island in the river to
divide the flow. The city of
Reno
created the
Whitewater
Park
and course to provide a designated swimming and tubing
area and give a starting point for kayakers.
Teenagers
appreciate that the area gives them a specific place to
swim and tube with family and friends. Read
more.
Med.
Lakes
Woman Paddling for Cause Again
By Ed Moorhouse, Burlington
County Times
July
11, 2008
This
year's journey is shorter than last year's, but for Margo
Pellegrino, the cause is just as important.
Pellegrino,
a 41-year-old
Medford
Lakes
resident, is paddling an outrigger canoe 500 miles from
Little Egg Harbor to Washington
,
D.C., to support federal legislation called the Ocean
Conservation, Education and National Strategy for the 21st
Century, of “Oceans 21” for short.
Last
summer, Pellegrino canoed 2,000 miles — from
Miami
to
Maine
— to raise money for groups working to solve coastal
environmental problems.
On
Monday, she set out on her latest trip. Yesterday, the
mother of two arrived at a rest stop in Atlantic Highlands
in Monmouth
County.
“This
is very important to me,” Pellegrino said in a phone
interview. “Oceans 21 is what we need to keep our ocean
resources useable for future generations.” Read
more.
Pole,
Pedal, Patent? Ogden
to Host Outdoor Recreation Industry Innovation Contest
July
11, 2008
Ogden
City,
Utah, recently announced the “Concept to Company” contest,
which aims to attract new product ideas and new companies
to Ogden’s burgeoning outdoor recreation business environment.
With
the support of primary sponsors Zions Bank, Grow Utah
Ventures and USTAR, Concept to Company may be the first
competition in the nation to focus on spurring innovation
in the outdoor recreation products industry.
The
winners will be announced on September 27th as
part of the City of
Ogden
’s “Mountain to Metro” festival. The contest is open
to any Utah-based inventor or small business with a product
or service idea that applies to outdoor recreation. Ideas
should focus on skiing, snowboarding, cycling, climbing,
hiking, paddling, and other non-motorized, non-fishing or
non-hunting sports. The idea or invention must not yet be
introduced into the market and must have no sales revenue.
“Ogden
has gained a reputation as an outdoor industry-friendly
town,” Ogden City Mayor Matthew R. Godfrey said. “We
want to further that reputation by encouraging creativity
and product development that could impact a wide range of
sports.”
A
panel of outdoor industry experts will evaluate ideas based
on innovation and marketability. The winning entry will
receive a $20,000 award, comprised of cash and the
equivalent value in consulting or prototyping services to
help bring the idea to fruition. Two runner-up winners will
receive $10,000 awards, comprised of cash and services.
The
contest is open to individual inventors or to innovative
small businesses with less than $5 million in annual
revenues. Applicants must reside or be based in
Utah. Read
more.
Paddlesports
Pro 2008 Keynote Speaker Joe
Mornini Featured in Article About Team River Runner;
Wounded Vets Group Just Completed Trip to Colorado (Also
see below for PS Pro 2008 Seminar Topics)
July
4, 2008
Our
keynote speaker for Paddlesports Pro 2008, Joe
Mornini has spent a lifetime going from adventure to
adventure. His latest adventure, though, is nothing
compared to the journeys of the soldiers, sailors, airmen,
and marines he works with. You see, Joe and his kayaking
buddy, Mike McCormick, recruited friends and local paddling
businesses to support the idea of teaching whitewater
kayaking to wounded soldiers returning from the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Check
out the article below.
From
Steamboat Pilot and Today by Luke Graham
It was
hard to tell, anytime during the week, that Louis
Stamatelos once spent a month in a coma or that doctors
had pronounced him dead four separate times.
It was
hard to see the wounds war had caused. It was hard to see
Stamatelos’ right arm was paralyzed. It was hard to see
the after-effects of a sniper hit while he was on his post
in July 2006 in
Iraq
.
Stamatelos
certainly would fit in anywhere, but his ability to shed
the scars of war was never more evident than when he was
kayaking the
Yampa
River
.
He
looked, acted and played the part of almost anyone a
person would find on the river on a warm and sunny day in
Steamboat Springs.
That
could be said for any of the disabled veterans who were in
Steamboat this month with Team River Runner, an
organization that uses kayaking to help veterans recover
emotionally and physically.
The
organization, started in 2004, is designed to help
veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington,
D.C., and at other military and veterans’ hospitals
around the country, heal through whitewater boating.
“Just
the other day, we’re coming down the
Elk River
and I look over at a guy that’s lost both legs above the
knees,” co-founder Joe Mornini said. “He’s just
totally in control. I look at that and think — and
there’s dozens and dozens of others — that’s what
makes it worth it.” Read
more.
Paddlesports
Pro 2008 Seminar Topics Announced
July
4, 2008
The
Paddlesports Industry Association and the Trade Association
of Paddlesports, co-hosts of Paddlesports Pro 2008, have
announced the educational seminar lineup for the
conference. The conference will be held November
9-12, 2008, in Panama City Beach, Florida.
These dynamic
educational seminars provide vital business intelligence
designed to improve your paddlesports outfitting or retail
business. This year's seminars are:
-
What,
Me Worry? Planning Ahead for Your Future
-
Health,
Heat, and High Water – Are Your Recognizing These
Risks?
-
Foreign
Students – A Great Resource for Seasonal Labor
-
Hiring,
Firing and Everything in Between
-
Cooperation
– Using Strategic Partnerships to Build Your
Business
-
Get a
Life! -- How to Run Your Business and Manage Your Life
-
Developing
an Integrated Marketing Plan
-
The New
Marketing -- Using You Tube, Facebook, and More to
Promote Your Business
-
Tapping
Into Your Best Asset---Your Staff
-
A Hands
on Workshop on Employee/Customer Relationships
In
addition, the conference will continue its tradition of
peer-to-peer educational sessions, termed "cracker
barrels," that allow participants to control the
dialog. This year's cracker barrels are:
-
Creative
Ways to Deal with Rising Fuel Prices
-
Exit
Strategies for Family Businesses*
-
Embracing
the New "Green" Realities
-
Merchandising
and Store Design – Enhancing Your Specialty Retail
Store
For
more information about Paddlesports Pro 2008, keep
an eye on this website and your mailbox.
Celebrating
Whitewater Rafting
from
WSAZ.com by Melanie Chapman
July
4, 2008
Whitewater
rafting is one of
West Virginia
's most famous tourist attractions. It's also a major
boost to the local economy.
This
weekend in
Fayette County
,
West Virginia
, the industry is being celebrated.
After
four decades, whitewater rafting is still going strong in
West Virginia
.
"It's
a recreation that brings people in. When I first came here
back in 75, there were no motels, no restaurants, and
we've built just a great industry that's now nationally
and worldwide known," Frank Lukacs of the North
American River Runners said.
On
Friday, the folks who run the rafting companies got
together to celebrate the work on the rapids.
"The
New River is part of our heritage in
West Virginia
. And it's a heritage of which we can be extremely proud.
It flows south to north, and it has some very valuable
characteristics about it that truly make us proud as
West Virginians
," Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV 3) said.
A
short documentary of the history of whitewater rafting in
West Virginia
will air this weekend at the Fayette Theatre in downtown
Fayetteville
at noon and 1pm Saturday. Read
more.
Commercial
Rafters Riding Rapidly Toward Record Year
From
The Denver Post by Elizabeth Aguilera
July
4, 2008
Snowpack,
stream flow and enthusiasm for rafting are expected to
buoy
Colorado
's river outfitters this season to another record year.
"We
had a fantastic snowpack, which leads to great stream
flow, which will give us good numbers," said Tom
Kleinschnitz, chairman of the Colorado River Outfitters
Association and owner of Adventure Bound River Expeditions
in
Grand Junction
. The association includes rafters, kayakers and other
commercial users of state rivers.
The
state's river outfitters set records in 2007 — five
years after the disastrous drought year of 2002 — and
are on track to surpass those numbers this season,
according to the outfitters association.
Last
year, more than 539,000 people rafted in
Colorado
, a 5.7 percent increase over the year before, according
to a report by the group. That topped the previous high of
525,537, set in 1999.
In
2007, rafters spent $153 million during their trips, a 10
percent increase over the previous year.
Overall,
domestic visitors spent $9.8 billion in the state last
year, according to a Colorado Tourism Office report. While
rafting represents just a sliver of that spending, tourism
officials say it's a vital part of the state's tourism
economy.
"The
rafting industry is very important to the overall tourism
industry in
Colorado
," said Kim McNulty, executive director of the
state's Tourism Office. "With the great snowpack we
received, I know it has been a fantastic rafting
year."
The
Arkansas River
is on track to again be the most-rafted river in the
country, according to the association. Read
more.
Florida
Agency to Hold Meetings
on Safety Issues for Liveries
June
27, 2008
The
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be
holding three public workshops to which all persons are
invited. The
purpose is to obtain input from livery operators
(businesses that rent or lease boats to the public)
regarding safety materials and training procedures.
This is to establish size and contents of boating
safety information to be displayed for all-non PWC liveries
and establish size requirements of boating safety
information to be displayed at PWC liveries.
The location for each public workshop is listed
below.
DATE
AND TIME: Tuesday,
July 8, 2008, 1:00 p.m.-3 p.m. (CST)
PLACE:
Florida State University
,
Panama
City Campus, Auditorium, 4750 Collegiate
Drive
,
Panama
City, FL 32405
DATE
AND TIME: Wednesday,
July 9, 2008, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
PLACE:
Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Conference Room,
3200 N.E. 151 Street,
North Miami
,
FL
33181
DATE
AND TIME: Thursday,
July 10, 2008, 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
PLACE: South
Florida Water Management District Office, Shingle Creek
Conference Room,
1707 Orlando Central Parkway
,
Orlando
,
FL
32809
Please
contact Ms. Shelly Gurr or Ms. Ashley Dockery, Boating and
Waterways Section, at (850) 488-5600 for further directions
or information.
Changes
to OR Summer Market Events
June
27, 2008
There
will be a number of changes at OR this year, including the
new Paddlesports Lounge, hosted by PIA and the Trade
Association of Paddlesports (TAPS).
The lounge be a gathering spot for the paddlesports
world and a showcase for new products.
If you have a new product that will be introduced at
the show, we’d like to feature it!
Here
are some guidelines:
1.
Only one product per brand will be featured.
2.
Product must be entirely new.
(Please don’t bring us last year’s model now
featuring a new color!)
3.
Only signage that is attached to the product
(hangtag, sticker, etc) will be considered.
4.
The deadline for notifying us of the product you
want featured is July 18.
5.
We will be creating a schedule which will be
forwarded to all the vendors to advise you of times to drop
off your product.
6.
Space is limited, so please respond early. We’ll
do our best, but we cannot guarantee that all products will
be displayed. Boats
will be rotated daily as needed to accommodate as many new
models as possible.
Information
on new accessory product should be sent to Nikki
Rekman at nikki@gopaddle.org.
Please include any basic data that might be helpful
to us in knowing what the product is.
We don’t need names, just a description (pfd,
touring kayak paddle, drytop, etc.)
Information
on new boats should be sent to Joe
Pulliam at
pulliam.joe@gmail.com
. Please
include only the type of boat (kayak, canoe, inflatable,
etc) and approximate length and width.
This
is a great opportunity to increase exposure for your new
product! Please
let us know if you have questions.
We look forward to seeing you at the new
Paddlesports Lounge!
Congress
Moves to Safeguard the Wild Rogue River and Other
Oregon
Treasures
June
27, 2008
According
to the group American Rivers, tributaries of the lower
Rogue River and other recreational hotspots in western
Oregon
will be permanently protected by the “Oregon Treasures”
legislation introduced recently by Representatives Peter
DeFazio and Earl Blumenauer and Senator Ron Wyden.
The
legislation will protect 143 miles of Wild and
Scenic
Rivers
in the lower
Rogue River
watershed, an area of unparalleled recreational
opportunities. These rivers also provide clean, cold water
that is important for salmon and steelhead. Based on the
threat of harmful logging along these tributaries, American
Rivers named the Rogue one of
America
’s Most Endangered Rivers earlier this year. Read
more.
Women's
Whitewater Canoeing Heading to 2012 Olympics
From Belleville
News-Democrat by Rod
Kloeckner
June
27, 2008
Colleen
Hickey is on the fast track to the 2012 Summer Olympics in
London
, and she's using a canoe to get there.
The
19-year-old Okawville native is currently the No. 1-ranked
women's whitewater canoeist in North
America after winning
the Pan American Slalom Championships in
Charlotte
,
N.C.
, on April 27.
Competing in
the C1W (single woman canoe) discipline at the 2008 U.S.
Olympic Team Trials for Whitewater Slalom, Hickey and two
others were named to the U.S. National Team for their
performances.
If not for
the infancy of the sport, Hickey would be heading to
Beijing
,
China
, in August to represent her country at the 2008 Summer
Olympics. However, the 2012 Olympics will be the first
opportunity for women to compete in whitewater canoe.
Read
more.
Commuter
Kayaks
Los Angeles
River
June
20, 2008
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