What an amazing year 2012 has been! In May, we bought a 36 ft RV and went on the road with our family of 14. We traveled through 20 states and kayaked dozens of rivers. Six family members competed in freestyle kayaking competitions throughout the U.S and our 12th child, Coby, was born in October!

Grady placed 3rd in the Jr. Men’s National Point Series, Kenny won the 2012 Cadet National Championship in freestyle, and Dally and Kady placed 3rd and 4th. Dan even managed to place 1st in the Point Series in the Men’s open class. But most importantly it was the time of our lives! Each one of us had some goals that we set for the year, including running the Gauley River at Gauley Fest, hucking some falls, and nailing freestyle moves, like the right and left McNasty, in a competition.

We have also made some waves in the public arena. We were featured on the front page of the Denver Post, on FOX 31 News and many local newspapers thoughout the country. We caught the attention of The Today Show and they are currently filming our family as we pack up and prepare to live full time in our RV in our quest for the ultimate adventure!

Here is a quick breakdown of our first full season of competitions:

Green River Expedition:

Grady – 1st Jr. Men’s Freestyle
Brody – 1st Cadet Freestyle
Dally – 2nd Cadet Freestyle
Kenny – 3rd Cadet Freestyle

Buena Vista Pro Am Rodeo:

Brody – 1st Cadet Freestyle
Kenny – 2nd Cadet Freestyle
Dally – 3rd Cadet Freestyle

Lyons Outdoor Games:

Brody – 1st Cadet Freestyle
Kenny – 2nd Cadet Freestyle
Dally – 3rd Cadet Freestyle
Dan – 3rd Men’s Open Freestyle

FIBArk:

Brody – 3rd Jr. Men’s Freestyle
Kenny – 1st Cadet Freestyle
Dally – 2nd Cadet Freestyle
Kady – 3rd Cadet Freestyle
Grady, Brody, Kady, Kenny & Dally – 1st Place in the Raft Rodeo

Montana Whitewater Championships:

Brody – 3rd Jr. Men’s Freestyle
Grady – 4th Jr. Men’s Freestyle
Kenny – 2nd Cadet Freestyle
Dally – 3rd Cadet Freestyle
Kady – 4th Cadet Freestyle
Dan – 2nd Men’s Open Freestyle

USA Freestyle Kayaking Point Series:

Grady – 3rd in K1 Jr. Men’s
Dan – 1st in K1 Men’s Open

Freestyle Kayaking National Championship:

Grady – 4th Jr. Men’s Freestyle
Kenny – 1st Cadet Freestyle
Dally – 3rd Cadet Freestyle
Kady – 4th Cadet Freestyle

Freestyle Kayaking World Cup Series:

World Cup #1 Rock Island: Grady 5th, Brody 8th
World Cup #2 Pigeon River: Grady 15th, Brody 18th
World Cup #3 Nantahala River: Brody 9th, Grady 11th
World Cup Final Results: Grady 8th, Brody 11th

We are looking forward to an even more fantastic year in 2013 as we hone our skills and become more familiar with competition. Look for us all over the east coast this winter as the kids train to compete for a spot on the US Freestyle Team!!!