World Kayak Hometown Throwdowns underway!

As Jackson Kayak becomes a more popular choice for paddlers we feel a growing sense of responsibility for the paddlers and paddling scene as a whole. I have been a paddler for quite some time now and have seen fads come and go, seen paddlers come and go, and seen events come and go. One thing that always bothered me was seeing paddlers and events disappear. How can one possible want to do anything more than kayak, I ask? Well, I have been lucky in that I always manage to find fun paddling events and activities, even if I have to travel to find them. Many people can’t travel to paddle on a regular basis but want to have fun events to do locally, as well as a great social group. We decided that it was important enough for the local paddling communities, that we are putting our energies into helping create events across the globe for local boaters. Colin Kemp and James McBeath, of World Kayak, are leading the charge, while locally, ambassadors are doing the on site work to put these events on. The events are called, “Hometown Throwdowns” , as you can see by the logo. Instead of just having one event at any location, we decided that there should be a series of them and the number was set at 5 or more! We looked for sponsors to help us put together some cool participation prizes and swag, and help us with the logistics of it all. We now have 62 Hometown Throwdowns scheduled for 2008 in North America alone.
The events will be a gathering of paddlers at the river to compete at the amateur, local level, for bragging rights and fun. Prizes will be based on participation as much as competing well, and everyone is welcome. After event activities will happen at many of the events with video premiers, parties, cookouts, etc.. Each event is organized be a volunteer, known as a “World Kayak Ambassador”. These Ambassadors are your local heroes that make a difference in your community and are doing this for you. Their hard work is recognized by me and the World Kayak staff as, perhaps, the most important work that can be done for a kayak community other than protecting the whitewater rivers themselves, which is done best by American Whitewater in the USA. All ambassadors are also American Whitewater members, which shows what kind of paddlers they are.
The www.worldkayak.com website is your source of information for what is going on in the world of paddling events and activities. We have amassed a huge database of kayak schools, clubs, and stores so you can find what you need in any region of North America. (other continents of the world coming soon)
When looking at the website, notice the far right column is for upcoming events for the entire country. To narrow down to your area, click on a region under the globe that is closest to you. There you’ll see the events in your area, as well as area news, etc..
To REALLY take advantage of this incredibly well endowed website, set up your own blog with blog tools that are top of the line, for free. Want to take it to the nth degree? For $300 the designers of www.worldkayak.com will create a custom blog set up for you that rivals $2,000+ websites! For examples check out:

http://www.worldkayakblogs.com/ruthgordon

http://www.worldkayakblogs.com/billyharris

http://www.worldkayakblogs.com/throwdown

Your blog will be found under the region you are closest to, but visible to anyone that is interested. All videos, photos, blogs, etc. will be easy to find by clicking on your name and it is neatly kept for you.
Interested in helping your local ambassador? Interested in becoming a World Kayak ambassador? Contact colin@worldkayak.com.
See you on the river!

EJ