Confessions of a MixMaster Convert by Anna Bruno | Sep 6, 2023 | Featured Post, MixMaster, Playboating, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesBefore I start this blog, two important disclaimers: 1. I’m terrible at stern squirting. 2. I was NOT stoked on the MixMaster when it came out, and I really did not see the appeal of slicey boating. However, I take it all back. Summer in the PNW has me embracing the...
Summer Highlight: Paddling with the Columbia Gorge Junior Kayak Club by Anna Bruno | Nov 1, 2022 | Events, Family Zone, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Kid's Kayaks, River Running, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesFor almost as long as I have paddled, I’ve helped get kids into kayaking. It wasn’t on purpose, and I’m not even really sure how it happened. I didn’t really start paddling until I was in my late teens/early twenties, so maybe it’s because I was one of the only “kids”...
Rockstar V: First Impressions by Anna Bruno | Apr 11, 2022 | jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, Rockstar, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesThe first time I sat in the V, I went, “Okay, okay… I like what we’re working with here.” The good news? The more I paddle this boat, the more I like it. I’m a slower learner, and in the past, I’ve felt like I really struggled to adapt to each new boat....
Kelly’s Whitewater Park: Worth A Visit by Anna Bruno | Nov 5, 2021 | Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, Rockstar, Rockstar 4.0, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW DisciplinesLiving in the PNW, in the land of cold water and waterfalls, does not make it easy to find consistent access to playboating fun. And while there is plenty of flatware around to play in, reliable features are few and far between. This is why, this summer, when the...
Whitewater Kayaking | Lessons from Covid-19 by Anna Bruno | Jun 8, 2020 | Antix, JAdventures Main Banner, Playboating, Whitewater, Whitewater FeatureI’d be lying if I said that the lockdown resulting from Covid-19 hadn’t disrupted my plans for the kayaking season, even if some of those plans were only in my head. I’d also be lying if I said that Coronavirus hasn’t seriously messed with my self-confidence and...
Freestyle Is Not Dead by Anna Bruno | Jan 30, 2020 | Antix, Playboating, Rockstar 4.0, Whitewater, Whitewater FeatureFreestyle Is Not Dead I saw a few posts on social media recently in the vein of “Freestyle is dead,” one of which was a comment that hated on someone else’s stoke. For me, it was a really disappointing attitude to see. While I get that competing at an ICF Freestyle...
WHATS THE BEST BOAT CHOICE FOR BEGINNERS? by Anna Bruno | Aug 6, 2019 | Internationalisation, United States, WhitewaterI recently received the following email from my mother, who just finished helping out with an Intro to Whitewater course with the Philadelphia Canoe Club, where many of her students were using Zens. The boat choice was a change from the Funs of recent years, and she...
Lessons Learned On My Road to Worlds by Anna Bruno | Aug 2, 2019 | Internationalisation, Playboating, Rockstar 4.0, United States, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesI recently fulfilled a long-time dream of mine: competing for Team USA at the 2019 ICF Freestyle World Championships in both the float and squirt boat classes. While I competed in both classes in Argentina as well, 2019 was the first time I made the team on my own...
Dealing With Dislocated Ribs by Anna Bruno | Apr 22, 2019 | Fitness, Internationalisation, United States, WhitewaterOwie! I bent down to untie my shoes for a yoga class in Columbus, Georgia, stood up and suddenly, couldn’t breathe. I had a sharp, stabbing pain under my left shoulder blade and my entire left side felt like it was on fire and simultaneously frozen. I couldn’t stand,...
VECTOR WERO WHITEWATER COURSE: PLAYBOATING ON NEW ZEALAND’S NORTH ISLAND by Anna Bruno | Feb 15, 2019 | Internationalisation, Playboating, Rockstar 4.0, United States, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesFreestyle sometimes seems a dying sport on the North Island of New Zealand, and while I had asked around to see if there were any fun freestyle spots at the recently built Vector Wero Whitewater Park, no one could give me a good answer. This January I decided to take...
My Year of the McNasty by Anna Bruno | Dec 3, 2018 | Playboating, Rockstar 4.0, Whitewater, WW Disciplines2018 has been “The Year of the McNasty” for me. Technically, I’ve been working on this trick for longer than a year, okay, longer than I would like to admit… but getting to be consistent and adaptable on both sides has been a significant goal of mine for the last...
High Tension by Anna Bruno | Oct 3, 2018 | Internationalisation, Playboating, rivers, Rockstar 4.0, United States, Video, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesI thought about writing a blog on surviving the Stakeout season in Canada since if there is anything I hate in kayaking, it is being cold, wet, and scared. But, I overthought, delayed too long, and instead, figured I would write about one wave that always makes cold...
