by Anna Bruno | Sep 23, 2018 | Internationalisation, United States, Whitewater
Flying with a kayak = Anywhere from $50-$250. Flying with a paddle = Anywhere from $50-$150 Giving the gift of gear to an up and coming paddler = priceless. Let’s be honest. Travelling with a kayak, paddle, and gear isn’t always easy. You are almost always guaranteed...
by Anna Bruno | Aug 21, 2018 | Instructional, Whitewater, Whitewater Instruction
Foot Rot Fundamentals Warm Water = Fun and Fungus? Summertime is in full-swing up on the Ottawa River. Low levels mean big waves, and warm water means paddling in shorties or skin to win! But warm water, warm weather, and long days in kayaks can also equal the dreaded...
by Anna Bruno | Apr 9, 2018 | 2015 Zen, Whitewater, WW Disciplines
For the past five winters I have chosen to make Okere Falls, on the banks of the Kaituna River my second summer home. You may have seen the Carpark of Dreams video showcasing the transient, summertime Kaituna community- and are already thinking about this dreamland,...
by Anna Bruno | Nov 24, 2017 | Antix, Family Zone, River Running, rivers, Whitewater, WW Disciplines
Growing up in Pennsylvania meant being privy to a surprising wealth of whitewater. There are plenty of rivers within a few hours drive of my parents house ranging from grade I-V. My favorite of these is a small, grade 2-3 creek called the Tohickan, or the Toh. It is...
by Anna Bruno | Nov 21, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Events, Internationalisation, Playboating, United States, Whitewater, WW Disciplines
This year I was forced to confront a longtime weakness in my kayaking skill set: Hole boating. For years, it has been easier to say that I just didn’t like it, that I preferred wave boating, or to make the excuse that there just weren’t any good holes near me. To be...
by Anna Bruno | Aug 2, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Instructional, Internationalisation, rivers, United States, Whitewater, WW Disciplines
Paddling in large groups can be stressful and hard to manage. Paddling with teenagers can also be stressful and hard to manage on occasion. At World Class Academy, I frequently got to do both, often on new and unfamiliar runs. What can make paddling in larger groups...
by Anna Bruno | Mar 11, 2017 | 2015 Zen, 2016 Rock Star Competition, Creeking, Reviews, rivers, Whitewater, WW Disciplines
Last year, my small Karma felt too small for me, especially on bigger volume rivers multidays and while racing. Often, it felt like my stern would catch and sub-out, or that my boat was slower than my competitors. Before heading to California last spring, I made the...
by Anna Bruno | Oct 11, 2014 | Whitewater
One of the most underrated skills in kayaking is knowing how to manage energy levels and body temperature to maximize performance and energy on the river. Everyone struggles to know what to wear and how to layer for a long day on the river. One thing I have learned...
by Anna Bruno | Sep 12, 2014 | Whitewater
The mark of a kayaker, more than the beat up hands or a twice broken nose, or even a vocabulary diminished to the adjectives of “brown” “stout” “sick”, would have to be the shoulders. The broad, muscular, possibly even overdeveloped, yet with a history of...
by Anna Bruno | Aug 18, 2014 | Whitewater
When we sit in a kayak, our hips are typically below our knees, and our pelvis is tilted forwards underneath our ribcage. This position causes your hipflexors your iliopsoas muscle strains to contract, and can put immense strain on your quadrutus lumborum, a muscle...
by Anna Bruno | Jun 27, 2014 | Whitewater
Exactly a year ago I ran some of the hardest whitewater of my life. It was a semi-intentional decision, influenced in part by the right time, the right place, and the right group of people. I had just finished a year of working for World Class Academy, where I spent...
by Anna Bruno | May 14, 2014 | Instructional, Team JK
Cartwheels, loops, spins, mcnastys, godzillas, tricky woos…. With so many different free style moves out there, it is easy to become overwhelmed when wanting to improve your play boating and learn new tricks, and it can be difficult to know where to start. In...
