I’m off on a three week road trip that started with a Girls at Play Summer Tour event at Potomac Paddlesports in Washington D.C. It’s one of the coolest looking paddlesports stores I’ve been into. The owner, Sunny Pitcher, has great vision and has created (and is continually creating) a very forward thinking paddlesports business. I
When I’m teaching basic strokes women often ask me if it’s better to follow the blade through the water in the sweep stroke and stern draw or to look in the opposite direction of the spin momentum. In my opinion, torso rotation is the most important skill set for good stroke technique and following the
If you want to feel less fearful and more confident on the river it’s worth taking the time to visualize yourself feeling good and making the moves you want to make. Visualization is a technique that’s used successfully by countless high performing athletes, but seems to be overlooked by regular enthusiasts and weekend warriors. If
As the paddling season approaches many of you are probably hitting the pool to practice some rolls and get back in the groove before venturing out on the chillier rivers. Pool sessions are a great opportunity to practice your basic strokes. Even though it seems more fun to practice rolls and flatwater moves, basic
The most common problem I see women (and men) have with their roll is that they lift their head up first when trying to finish the roll. Some even have great roll technique up until the very last second, but because they then try to throw their head up, they don’t make it! Here’s a
The sculling draw is a stroke that will allow you to slide sideways in the water in both whitewater and recreational kayaks. In whitewater it’s useful for maneuvering in small eddies, for positioning yourself next to an eddie line in preperation for a ferry or for paddling out onto a wave. In recreational kayaking
The boof is my favorite river running move. It’s usually considered a must-make move in some class IV and V rapids, but it’s a move you can easily practice in class II and III. It’s really fun! The name comes from the sound that your kayak makes when it lands flat on the water after
Yoga and kayaking make a great combination. Yoga helps us focus and relax. The practice also teaches us to be more aware of our bodies and to take care of ourselves. If you feel physical pain or discomfort during or after kayaking you may want to try some stretching to see if it helps. Wide
I just returned from Boulder, CO today where I taught two clinics for Outdoor Divas. Boulder is one of my favorite U.S. cities and Outdoor Divas has a lot to do with that. It’s an outdoor gear store specifically for women and it’s awesome. Check them out at www.outdoordivas.com My trip started on Thursday when
The Girls at Play Summer Tour kicked off in Confluence, PA at Riversport. As I was driving into the area, Andy from Riversport called me to let me know that there was a tornado warning for the surrounding region. I kept my eyes on the skies ready to pull off and take shelter, but all
