Back in Ohiopyle

It was like seeing Ohiopyle from the drive-thru.

With only 2 days to enjoy being back, I had to keep hellos brief and loop runs minimal. There was, however, somehow enough time spent at the Pub. I even found myself pickin up the waitressing pad and slingin some pitchers.

Good thing I'll be back soon.

US Team Trials 2010

Yes, it was that much fun.

For me, this event really began back in December. Looking for a reason to be somewhere for the winter, I used the excuse of Team Trials being held on the Nantahala to move to Asheville for 3 months. It also helped that my dad and sister lived in the area and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to be surrogate mother to Hudson, Andria and Leland Davis' dog. (By the way, their new North America Guidebook is one of the coolest books any paddler can own)

The thought that the southeast might we warmer (and therefore more conducive to training on the water during the winter) also enticed me. After weeks and weeks of freezing temperatures and a ridiculous amount of snow, I have learned to never expect anything out of the weather anymore.

Yet, somehow I bucked up enough to gain a semblance of control over this craft, enough to stay in it and keep it relatively straight. I actually found using a wing blade to help a lot with this, in addition to the flatwater workouts I put myself through.

The race weekend turned out to be a blast. Something about competition is just really exciting for me, every time, no matter how much physical torture I know I am going to endure. I couldn't help but talk to all the other racers I hadn't met yet, just oozing with enthusiasm.

Sprints were first, 2 trials on a 80-90 second course through one rapid.

White-out in Patton's Run on the sprint course

I really just tried to paddle as hard as I could for the sprint. Considering that my boat control is still fairly non-existent I thought I might as well just rely on my strength for this one. Blasting through the top hole (as opposed to slicing to the right of it) slowed me down, but made for a great photo.

I placed 3rd out of the ladies in the sprint, only 1.67% off of Tierney-the numba-one lady. For those of you who don't get this comparison, that is REALLY close. Haley, second-place-jr-racer, was only 1.13% off Tierney.

Arggg! (i.e. I might puke)

Sunday's Classic race, a 12-15 minute race, was a bit more of my speed. Give me the longer endurance race and I'm a happy 'yaker. Of course, the tornado that threw me into the shore as I pulled away from the start, picking up water from the river to spit in my face, made for an interesting beginning to my first Classic event.

Every time I felt myself backing off, I made myself go faster. Every time I came out of a rapid, I made myself go faster. And every time I thought of Tierney a few spots behind me, I made myself go faster. Although I was barely breathing across the finish line, I think I could have gone faster.

I pulled it up a bit for the class, allowing me to jump to 2nd place for the final rankings. Amazingly enough I was still just 1.65% off of Tierney. What is with that number?

JP Bevilaqua, my Asheville training partner, and Tom Wier after the Classic

Mackenzie and I cheering the boys over the finish line on after our Classic runs

It feels pretty good to make the Team, even if I can't make it to World's in Spain this year. I'm looking forward to working out the kinks over the next 2 years and hitting an international event in 2012!

15 Pounds, 15 Feet and White Knuckles

How often do you get to genuinely feel like a true beginner again, after practicing a sport for nearly a decade? Almost never.

You can fake it, like letting a 6 year old catch you in a game of tag, or...

You can fudge it, like using only one arm to shoot hoops.

But rarely do you get to feel the excitement and anticipation of square one again.

If you have been kayaking for as long as I have try sitting in a wildwater boat and you'll know exactly what I mean. Throw everything you know about the forward stroke, torso rotation and edge control out with the trash. Get the slate as blank as possible, you're going to need it.

Chris Hipgrave flies under the bridge. Photo: Adam Elliott

Perhaps this doesn't sound like a very good idea? You spend years developing skills and techniques and reach a fairly advanced level within a sport. Why would you want to throw it all out the window.

To get better.

It also makes class III really REALLY exciting again.

JP demonstrating the kind of focus you need to paddle the boat correctly. Photo: Adam Elliott

Me, just holding on and trying to keep up. Photo: Adam Elliott

The boat is going to teach me a lot about kayaking that I might have assumed I already knew. Just trying to get a proper forward stroke is sometimes too much for me to think about. I find myself returning to taking it in pieces, just like how I recommend my students approach learning to paddle.

I continue to struggle finding a sufficient level of comfort in the boat so that I'm not just using correctional strokes the whole way down. A little padding here, a new seat from the Czech Republic and many, many more days on the water should help out a lot. I can only imagine what this is going to feel like when I have my ducks in a row and can work on paddling as hard as I possibly can. My sister did comment that the boat looked like a torpedo. I answered "that's because it is."

The three of us charging toward Nantahala Falls, a rapid that I would never imagine to bring me chills. Photo: Adam Elliott

Busting through the bottom hole...upright! Photo: Adam Elliott

Hope to get out many more days with these guys in the next month! Thanks!

Must Paddle

Happy Monday!

The snow and cold weather just doesn't seem to be going away. Getting out on the water means a few more layers, a pair of pogies and a whole lot of motivation.

Today we head to the Chatooga in GA/SC with high hopes for a run on Overflow creek tomorrow.

All the while praying for warmth.

Partner Poses: Kids Yoga Teacher Training, Asheville NC

Too many of us could use a little more help, encouragement, support and human touch in our lives.

In Yoga, practicing poses with a partner allows the body to connect with another's breath and strength. Sometimes this can awaken places within your own body that were hiding. With the gentle pull of another's hand, the slight pressure of their feet or even the warmth of their laughter, something allows you to go deeper into yourself.

Now imagine this with a room full of wonderful female yogis, gathered in this room to share their love for bringing yoga to kids. A playful and fun bunch for sure.

Rewa and Lisa make triangle look like it should be in a major dance production here. In this pose you may not be able to see your partner, but the increased stretch in the outer body and soft back support reassure you that you have a friend back there.

Cody introduced the "squish" pose, a favorite of her young students. Here the ladies took the squish to the next level, throwing in a backbend for the squisher. By using a connection in the hands both partners get a better back stretch from crown to sacrum.

From here, the top yogi can even lift her legs straight to the sky for a more challenging balance inversion. The bottom yogi gets the benefit of an even greater release of the hips toward the ground.

I think song birds should be released behind the partner pair that opens up their hearts to the sky in this pose. They clasped their hands and began to rotate up, using each other to open up the side waste more than anyone could do alone. At that moment, there was a uniform sigh-of-beauty from the audience. Everyone creates beauty in themselves withyoga.

From an assisted down dog to a flying partner balance. These ladies took a common partner yoga pose and mixed it up a bit. The great part is, there are no rules so anything is game!

Try simply flipping a normal yoga pose and balancing it on your friend's head. Here, Laura and Bonnie just turned staff pose upside down.
Suddenly your staff is floating in the air and those sit bones don't extend away from the crown of the spine as easily as when your friend gravity is there to assist.

Lisa, my partner for supported cobra pose, became my new best friend in only a few short minutes. Not only did she show me space in my lower back that I hadn't been able to reach, she lowered me to my mat with a gentle, yet exquisite shoulder/neck/back rub. Again, I love you Lisa.

Your arms are shaking, your legs are about to collapse and you are no where close to having your belly in the air. Then suddenly your partner rises beneath you. While supporting your back as she rounds hers to the sky, you are suddenly lighter and begin to feel your own strength again as you finally come into full bridge pose.

This is the narration I would have given if this partner pose were to be done in a dramatic, lifetime mini-series.

More than 2 friends? Easy. Here we just arranged ourselves equally and played with where we could balance ourselves using our neighbor's position. Add in a twisting, heart-opening stretch to the sun and there are instant smiles all around.

Jana isn't trying to knock down her friend Jessica here. Leg and core strength translate into a greater heart opening in this inversion. This opening can be difficult to feel when also concentrating on the balance and focus needed for a hand-stand. But that's what friends are for.

A confusing game of twister? Or just 5 creative yogis looking to incorporate everyone into the pose.

With many possible variations in hand and leg placement, even number of people, this pose could really go anywhere.

Bottom line: Grab a friend and see where you can go beyond your personal practice!

Be a Cool Kid

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Vasisthasana in Arkansas: I-40 Yoga Trip Review

Vasisthasana

Reading and pronouncing a yoga pose in Sanskrit are often harder than the actual pose. This is Vasisthasana, or Side-Arm Balance. To be more specific, it is Vasisthasana in Arkansas.


The vinyasa (a sequence of several yoga poses that loosens up the spine) that I practiced on the cold, stone Arkansas Visitor Center sign might have been the only yoga I have ever done in Arkansas.

While on our I-40 Yoga Tour, my sister and I outright neglected Arkansas' yoga opportunities. Instead, Megan got a lesson in driving a standard transmission and I rode my longboard around a parking lot. The state just had some bad luck. It was a long day behind the wheel and we decided not to stop between Oklahoma City and Memphis. Next time Arkansas.

This pose has come up several times since I've arrived in the Yoga Mecca of Asheville. Anusara trained instructors Meghan and Joe at West Asheville Yoga and Asheville Yoga Center clued me in to a different perspective on my alignment here. By drawing my hips back, as if to stick out my butt then curling the tailbone under I was able to pull in more stability from my core. This allowed me to breathe deeply and open my torso and heart to the sky fluidly, without loosing my balance.

It was exciting in my own nerdy-yoga way.

Moral of the Story:
Stability can originate in the center and spread throughout the body with the fluid connection of deep breath.

New Rivers: North Fork French Broad, Doe, Watauga

North Fork French Broad, Clog rapid. Photo courtesy Chris Bell

This Asheville living thing is going to be fun. The rain hasn't really stopped in the past week and new rivers just seem to be everywhere. First day out I caught Adriene before she headed off to Australia for an epic Kimberly mission. The Green was on the low side, but that just made the boofs bigger. Only a few days before temperatures were probably in the single digits, leaving thick ice coats on all the rocks and ledges. Lines were tighter and beautiful ice structures were everywhere. Check out her blog for some photos.

After another great run on the Green, Charley and I joined Chris and Harrison (C1) on the North Fork of the French Broad.

Harrison droping over Boxcar rapid. Photo courtesy Chris Bell

A little creek just outside of Asheville, this run provided some great drops, like Boxcar seen above. Even better, this was the third day of paddling with new locals. I can't get enough of kayaking's ability to creat instant friendships with some amazing people. Lucky me.

Charley on boxcar. Like a waterslide for big kids. Photo courtesy Chris Bell

Gotta take time to enjoy some beauty every once in a while. Photo: Harrison

Harrison dancing with danger under massive ice daggers. Photo courtesy Chris Bell

Me dropping into Suicide rapid (no worries, suicide is left...i'm going right) Photo courtesy Chris Bell

Charley and I headed out toward Boone, NC to get on the Watauga River at a higher flow. My good friends Drew and Jeff graciously showed my students and I down this stretch of river in the fall, but at much lower water. It was a creek then, today it was a full-on river. Some might go as far to say a high water river.

Charley sending it over a boof, Watauga River.

Stateline Falls, higher water than I've seen yet. Representing TeamSOG

Charley and Drew on Doe river, an unexpected canyon in eastern Tennessee, a secret wilderness beauty.

The Doe Canyon was an unexpected treat for Charley and I. With a severely broken Nomad (not mine luckily) and the constant desire to get on some new runs, Drew agreed to meet us here. This canyone is said to be one of the most beautiful, easily accessed runs in the region. The fog hung in the trees, provided the occasional glance to surprisingly large cliff faces on either side of this micro-creek. Mellow rapids with some great boofs and tight, technical lines made us happy. But then again, it doesn't take much to make us happy.

The next few months will be filled with good times like this. So many more runs in the area, many of which will push the envelope more and many of which will take the breath away.

Keep it comin!

More Canyon