Jackson Kayak master assembler, Jase, makes his own ramp- video worth watching!

March 7, 2005

Today was a sunny Tennessee Sunday, and Jase is breaking
in his new ramp he built in his front yard on the Caney Fork River (the
one I live on too that is Rock Island). The entire Jackson Kayak staff
was on hand to either tackle the ramp or watch and cheer. Dane, Emily,
Kristine, and I brought Baxter and Brennan to the ramp. Those boys live
in Nashville but their parents went to France for 10 days. That story
in a minute. John Dean comes with a cooler and pops open a beer and then
announces that he doesn’t drink and boat, so he’s out. That’s
OK, there are plenty of suckers ready to go.

Jase shows off his skills nailing just about any move
he tries; his air screw is perfect. Kurt, a very good photographer and
videographer did his rides before we got there, but then broke out his
video camera when we came.

Dane was first to go. The scene is pretty much a “Watch
this” Darwin awards type of scene for sure, with most people watching
for a while to see just what it is really about before jumping in. Dane
has done the ramp thing before so couldn’t wait. He hits the ramp
and immediately after getting going on a path of no return, Tobi, Jase’s
dog jumps on the end of the ramp to watch. Wham!! Dane hits him square
and launches the little dog in the air like a rag doll and together they
land 20 feet out and 15 feet down. Jase jumps in the water within seconds
to get his dog. Dane already had him on his lap and Tobi seemed fine.
A minute or two of checking him out and Tobi was just as good as new running
around like nothing happened. Check
out the video! (5.38 MB Windows Media File). Video
2 (2.19 MB Windows Media File).

I go in my Rocker Prototype, a poorly cooked linear
boat that I had already broken on Bear Creek. I do one Pan Am, and land
on the hull breaking it almost in half! I sunk before I got to the shore.

Then, Baxter, in my care until his parents get back,
gets on the ramp at the top. Well, he just didn’t push off straight
down the middle and missed the ramp all together! This is not a good thing.
He did the full tumble down the bank into the water, luckily with only
a slightly swollen face!

More staff runs, along with Team JK runs from Steven
Wright, Nick Troutman and Emily. Oh yea- Emily did one run and it was
a “screamer”! Yes, she screamed the whole way down the ramp
until she hit the water!

It was getting near dinner time and the Jackson Kayak
crowd dispersed to their homes, or to mine. Tomorrow is a work day, and
yes, a kayak day too.

Welcome to a Jackson Kayak weekend day at Rock Island.
(the Brave Wave was kicking too)

🙂 EJ