It’s all relative to me by teamjk | Aug 15, 2019 | Nirvana, WhitewaterRemember your first year of paddling? Everything was new, likely it all looked big and scary. You didn’t quite have the river experience you needed to make your way down the river stable in your boat, let alone have a dry hair day. It was all a completely new world....
Hip strength to improve your skills by samantharuppelt | Nov 15, 2018 | Fitness, Instructional, Video, Whitewater, Whitewater InstructionTo the general public, and new boaters too, the thought is that kayaking is back dominant. It’s not until you start to navigate whitewater rivers and you start spending more time on the water that you realize kayaking is, in fact, a full body activity. Maintaining hip...
What to think about when stepping it up by samantharuppelt | Jun 14, 2018 | Creeking, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesIt’s only natural in kayaking to get a taste of the water and want more. There’s no experience better (in my opinion) than a day on the river. Paddling has not only shown me places that I could never even dream of experiencing, it’s also challenged myself and my...
Back Basics by samantharuppelt | Apr 22, 2018 | Fitness, Instructional, Video, Whitewater, Whitewater InstructionYou know that moment when you hit a sweet boof… and then you land on a rock? What about that moment when you go to do a splat…. and then just plow your bow straight into a rock and jolt forward? (Oh that’s just me…) What abouttttttt when you go to load your boat on...
Antix Fun! by samantharuppelt | Apr 15, 2018 | Antix, Reviews, River Running, Video, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesWhat I love about the Antix is that it allows me to play and creek as much as I want, even on the same river! I have taken it down Tallulah, the Green, the Ocoee, and most recently the Tellico. I can avoid rocks if I want to, I can boof or splat them if I choose. I...
Injury Prevention and Rehab: Shoulder Stability by samantharuppelt | Mar 29, 2018 | Fitness, Instructional, Video, Whitewater, Whitewater InstructionShoulders tend to be the most common body part injured in the whitewater kayaking world. If you haven’t hurt your shoulder and if it doesn’t give you issues then chances are that you know someone who has had or is having shoulder issues. Labral tears, subluxations,...
Maintenance off of the water- stretching out the spine by samantharuppelt | Jan 24, 2018 | Fitness, Instructional, Video, Whitewater, Whitewater InstructionI’ve been seeing a lot of questions lately online about injuries, pain, and tightness in the body and how it impedes performance on the water. In response to this I wanted to do a series on ways to maintain the body while off the water. I, like so many of you, have a...
In the Spirit of Giving by samantharuppelt | Dec 16, 2017 | rivers, WhitewaterThis is the time of year in which we tend to think beyond ourselves. In the spirit of giving we begin to donate to other causes, buy gifts for friends, and become grateful for what we have. While you’re getting into the holiday spirit I would like to remind you not...
Winter is Coming by samantharuppelt | Nov 7, 2017 | Creeking, Karma, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesMost people I know do not particularly like this time of year. Aside form the holidays which most do enjoy, they hate the cold, dreary weather and everything else winter stands for. I, however, absolutely love the Southeast in the winter. Mainly because of the rain...
JK Dealer Summit from an Exploration Team Point of View by Samantha Christen | Oct 30, 2017 | Events, Recreational/Touring, riversA few behind-the-scenes shots from the 2017 JK Dealer Summit (JKDS)… Dealers, Customer Service reps, factory staff, Marketing staff, members from all JK Teams, you name it: every facet of the JK family was represented at the annual event this past weekend....
Early Morning on Lookout Creek by Samantha Christen | May 6, 2012 | JourneyI generally equate introducing favorite boating haunts to folks looking for new experiences to the process of setting friends up on blind dates. Talk about what could be a wild “Journey!” Things will either work or they won’t; though hopefully, at the very least, we...
