Jackson Kayak’s Kids Teaching Kids Pt 1 Hand Rolling Made Easy

by teamjk | Nov 16, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Family Zone, Instructional, Playboating, rivers, Video, Whitewater, WW Disciplines

Jackson Kayak’s series on Kids Teaching Kids kayaking fundamentals.  So often, kids are intimidated by cold, sounds, texture, and a desire to please that they fall into the trap of not wanting to try.  When kids show other kids how easy skills and...

Why the Rockstar is Still the Best Playboat I’ve Ever Owned

by katelyngreen | Nov 13, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Playboating, Reviews, rivers, Whitewater, WW Disciplines

It’s been about two years since the release of the latest Rockstar, and I’m just as in love with it as I was when I first paddled it. My first experience in a 2016 Rockstar was in Ausable Chasm in upstate New York in 2015. As I practiced on flatwater in between...

M Wave Birthday Shred

by Riley Frank | Nov 12, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Playboating, rivers, Video, Whitewater, WW Disciplines

The M Wave is always a fun place to be, my birthday was no exception. We had an awesome crew of strong paddlers. Nathan, Cody, Paul, David, Ben, my parents Dave and Toni, and a quick show from Paul Paulmer. Mathieu came out on Sunday for his first time and slayed it....

A Year of Big Waves

by Brooke Hess | Oct 27, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Internationalisation, Playboating, rivers, Trip Reports, Trips, United States, Video, Whitewater, WW Disciplines

It’s been a rad year paddling some massive whitewater and surfing some big waves! Huge thanks to all the friends who set safety for me and laughed with me as I beatered my way through...

France Trip

by JK Little Shredders | Oct 21, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Family Zone, Kid's Kayaks, Playboating, rivers, Trip Reports, Trips, Whitewater, WW Disciplines

This summer was my 6th trip to France with Llandysul Paddlers, with a record number of around 100 paddlers going, including my mum. Getting there involved a 24 hour coach journey, including a ferry crossing from Dover to Calais. When everyone finally saw the sign to...

Freestyle Kayaking on Sky Sports

by Claire OHara | Oct 17, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Event Coverage, Events, Internationalisation, Playboating, rivers, Video, Whitewater, WW Disciplines

Earlier this year I had the awesome opportunity to film with olympic medalist Helen Reeves for the Sky Sports Go Canoe kayaking production. The feature went out as part of the world championship slalom and sprint Sky Sports show and featured all the main paddle sport...

Secret week on the Ocoee River

by teamjk | Oct 13, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Family Zone, Playboating, Trip Reports, Trips, Whitewater, WW Disciplines

The Ocoee River is a dam release river that sits just on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. It releases 3 days a week throughout the summer and on weekends starting in September. Through an agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority, there is also a draw...

Sullivan Falls – Tidal Reversing Falls Extraordinaire

by Jessie Stone | Oct 12, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Internationalisation, Playboating, rivers, Trip Reports, Trips, United States, Whitewater, WW Disciplines

For several years I had heard about Sullivan Falls from different sources – first it was Phil Urban, Dustin’s father, and then from Brett Cicotelli from the Atlantic Salmon Federation. Both Phil and Brett had told me how great it was, but it was not until this August...

5 ways Gauleyfest CAN be a family friendly event

by teamjk | Oct 4, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Event Coverage, Events, Family Zone, Kid's Kayaks, Playboating, River Running, rivers, Trip Reports, Trips, Whitewater, Wrap Ups, WW Disciplines

Gauleyfest is the largest paddling festival in North America. It is held in mid-September in the town of Summersville, West Virginia and is THE main fundraiser for American Whitewater Association (AWA) each year. Picture you and 4000 of your closest friends converging...

Facing Fears in Durango Colorado

by teamjk | Oct 2, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Event Coverage, Events, Playboating, rivers, Whitewater, Wrap Ups, WW Disciplines

This year I went to a competition called The Animas River Days in Durango Colorado. The whitewater park there is a series of big waves. I had never been on a wave before so I was exited to try it out, but when I got there I was shocked by the size of them. In my mind...

Positivity and How it Affects your Athletic Performance

by Maddie Kimmel | Sep 25, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Family Zone, Kid's Kayaks, Playboating, Whitewater, WW Disciplines

When you focus on the positive sides to paddling, your performance improves because you focus on improving not your mistakes. You should still pay attention and learn from your mistakes. However, you shouldn’t focus on the fact that you missed your trick or that...

My First time doing Stakeout

by Tom Dolle | Sep 19, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Playboating, rivers, Trip Reports, Trips, Whitewater, Wrap Ups, WW Disciplines

For the first time of my life, I went all the way up to Canada for what we called “Stakeout” as a kayaker. Stakeout is the ice melt in Quebec and Ontario at the beggining of the spring so after a long and freezing winter. So when the ice melt in May, the...