A Better Way to Live

A few years ago while teaching a kayak clinic in Alaska, I passed a beautiful lake with a signage board and rack full of personal flotation devices (PFDs) just beside the boat ramp. I figured this was a summer camp but our host told me it was a public lake and the PFDs were available for kids to borrow whenever they play near or in the water. “Do people every walk away with the PFDs?” I asked. “Never, kids just put the PFDs back on the rack when they’re finished,” our host replied.

I often speak about the many positive attributes I’ve seen and observed in kayaking and around the water in Alaska but none more than “Kids Don’t Float,” an active water safety awareness campaign that reaches out to young people and promotes a healthy respect of the water. Two years since I learned about the program and thanks to a partnership with Safe Kids, “Kids Don’t Float” is growing nationwide with 38 new PFD loaner stations constructed at 19 locations across the country. Additionally, I am honored to join the campaign as a spokesperson and ambassador.

With the unofficial start of summer this Memorial Day Weekend, the team at Safe Kids launched the evolving “Kids Don’t Float” program in Savannah, Georgia alongside the Intracoastal Waterway. We had a great turn-out of students, media, and volunteers including my seven year-old daughter who launched her television career in good style with a great message: (Click "Video)

http://www.wsav.com/midatlantic/sav/news.apx.-content-articles-SAV-2008-05-23-0019.html

At its core, “Gold Medal Living” celebrates living better through enjoyment of outdoor and adventure sport activities. Supporting the efforts of and ideals behind “Kids Don’t Float” is simply one of the most effective ways I know to sustain a better way to live:

http://www.usa.safekids.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=25871&folder_id=300

The Last Word On Trials....

Although the Olympic Whitewater Slalom Trials concluded a week ago, I've been slow to recover from an emotionally draining weekend in Charlotte. Back at home in Tennessee, a few runs down the Ocoee River and a few mountain bike rides with friends have helped to re-energize me but I hadn't quite found the right way to resolve my own participation at the Trials - as a coach, spectator, and as part of the media.

For me, when it comes to the last word about anything whitewater paddling, it begins and ends with Jamie McEwan. Known in whitewater cirlces as the "living legend," Jamie won America's first-ever Olympic medal in whitewater slalom at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Equally impressive, he competed and competed well at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Charlotte at the age of 55.

In a weekend of huge emotional ups and down, nobody offered more stability and good in the world of whitewater racing than Jamie. Competing with vigor, passion, and respect, his participation continues to set the standard of what it means to be an Olympian in Whitewater Slalom racing. Check out Jamie's essay about his Olympic Trials experience.

http://jamiemcewan.com/unpublished.html

Well done, Jamie.

Eric Jackson's Chattanooga Olympic Zone Profile

Back home in Tennessee, I'm fortunate to work with WRCB TV, the NBC affiliate in Chattanooga. I host the "Chattanooga Olympic Zone" in which we profile Chattanooga-related Olympic stories for the evening news broadcast. Since my 1992 Olympic teammate, Eric Jackson, is competing here in Charlotte and houses his fabulous kayaking manufacturing company, Jackson Kayaks, just up the road in Sparta, we figured Eric was an obvious choice for our feature segment. Working in television shouldn't be this much fun and I couldn't be more thrilled that Eric and his daughter Emily will be competing here in Charlotte at the Olympic Trials. Click the link below to see Eric's Chattanooga Olympic Zone profile:

http://www.wrcbtv.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=2409907&h1=The%20Olympic%20Zone%3A%20E.J.%20Sparta&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=183900&LaunchPageAdTag=Olympics&activePane=info&playerVersion=1&hostPageUrl=http%3A//www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D8210608&rnd=84621745

The Big Mirror

This being the first Olympic Trials of the previous four in which I am not competing, I’ve been wondering what it is about these Olympic Trials that would appeal to spectators, internet users, or viewers of the MSNBC broadcast coming next month. Of course there’s the pure nature of a race, particularly a race of the magnitude where Olympic dreams either continue on or come to a close. There’s also the natural attraction to whitewater and the venue hosting this event, the U.S. National Whitewater Center.

But watching from the side of the river as opposed to being in it, I’ve come to see the Olympic Trials as that of a reflection of ourselves and our own lives. How do we identify with athletes and their competitive values? How do their athletic characteristics parallel our own life pursuits?

Watching a paddler like Benn Fraker gets you thinking about such things. More than any other single athlete in our program, Benn does not blink an eye at taking on challenges that are beyond him. Whether it’s the difficulty of his practice courses or the level of competitor he is chasing, his bar is set at the top. It is people like Benn who take on such challenges that put themselves in uncomfortable situations every day. They also know it is a special path to raising standards and performing better.

Maybe it has been a while since you’ve evaluated how effectively you throw yourself into your own “beyond reach” situations but watching Benn paddle makes you think about it. He and roughly 130 other athletes will be testing their competitive style here in Charlotte this weekend – against the river, themselves, and each other. For those of us watching, it’s like standing in front of a big mirror. Which reflection will you see?

Moving the Gridiron

The Olympic Trials season is upon us and over the next few weeks I will stretch far to make a case why top-contending U.S. kayakers such as whitewater competitor Scott Parsons and flatwater competitor Carrie Johnson ought to be as relevant to you as some of our well-known, mainstream sports stars such as Brett Favre or Mia Hamm. But before sharing the touchdown-throwing and goal-scoring qualities found in our country’s best kayakers, here’s a rare glimpse of the opposite – the effect of kayaking-centric qualities on a small-town quarterback-in-the-making.

On a recent trip to California’s Kern River, I paddled with a talented young kayaker, Evan Moore. At 12 years-old, Evan is a Kern River veteran – his family owns and operates Sierra South, a fabulous raft and kayak company. Even at such a young age, kayaking is a big influence on Evan and he has some impressive results to show for it including winning a medal at last year’s Junior Olympics in Colorado. Evan’s kayaking pursuits do not make the front of the local paper’s sports section (yet) but as the quarterback of his school football team, his mainstream sports pursuits do.

The culture of sport in America reserves a special place for the quarterback on a football team. We typically associate such a position with leadership, status, and success. There’s also a natural tendency to examine the qualities of the people who take on these jobs and compare them with our own choices, work ethic, and abilities. So from where do these traits come?

Not often does the answer involve kayaking. But, in Evan’s case, a clear sense of humility, personal responsibility, and willingness to take risk comes straight out his life-lessons on the river. Kayaking is a sport where with each paddle-stroke through the water, you’re constantly reminded that you’ll never be bigger or stronger than the river but working with its strengths and power can get you places that you never thought possible.

It’s a different twist for the type of person whom the rest of us would typically label as “Everyone’s All-American” but this 12 year-old with a great head on his shoulders does an outstanding job of positioning the attributes of kayaking in his life and the game of football is better for it.

Kayaking's Infectious Smile

For a few weeks every four years, Olympic-level whitewater slalom racing enjoys the bright lights and world-wide attention that only the power of the Olympic stage can deliver. From the athletes to media to sponsors to mainstream sports fans alike, it’s a short window in which a niche sport like kayaking enjoys pure sunlight and then tries to sustain that energy for another Olympic cycle.

So, as the 2008 Olympic selection gets set to start in the coming weeks, I begin to wonder what are the pieces from this Olympic run that will fuel this sport for another few years following the Beijing Games? Of course the U.S. program has a few bona fide medal contenders and genuine people like Scotty Parsons, who set an impeccable standard of performance and character. But, while observing “seriously good” racer after racer nimbly blitzing their 11-foot carbon boats through the slalom course at the U.S. Open Whitewater Championships this past weekend, I couldn’t help to feel that the already wide gap between kayak racing and kayaking had just widened out some more.

And then, something changed. First, Emily Jackson barrels down the course exuding happiness from ear to ear. A few minutes later, her father and my ’92 Olympic teammate, Eric, flexes his grin while making the tricky course look too easy. Finally, Dane, the youngest of the family, is happiest when changing the challenge of navigating whitewater and gates into a blissful learning on-they-fly pursuit. Together, these three are the heart and soul of kayaking’s infectious smile, the brand logo of the family’s world-class kayak company, Jackson Kayaks. The smiling symbol represents an attitude that has changed kayaking and redefined what fun is on the river. For a few minutes at one of the most intense slalom races of the spring, the three Jacksons have made me forget that whitewater slalom is an elite endeavor that is extremely hard in which to break in and belong. For a few minutes, the nervous anticipation of family and friends watching from the shore has turned into a simple and fun spectator experience.

The one brand that has profoundly impacted kayaking more than any other in the past decade is the one brand that whitewater slalom needs more than ever. The Jacksons acutely understand what their paddling stands for and they share it with others in connective ways that go far beyond what kayaking people thought was possible in this sport. Quite simply, nobody sells “smiles on the river” better than the Jacksons.

More than any other segment of kayaking, whitewater slalom racing could really use a few smiles right now and that’s about to happen.

While racing at the U.S. Open last weekend, Eric and Emily qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials next month in Charlotte, NC where their energy and approach will be a welcome addition to the biggest whitewater slalom event held in the U.S. since the 1996 Olympic Games on Tennessee's Ocoee River. Their approach and style will stand out and resonate with every touch-point of the event. While infectious smiles alone will not get the Jacksons to Beijing this summer, it’s reassuring to know their spirit will be a part of the “Olympic journey.” And maybe for the first time in a long while, the gap between kayak racing and kayaking becomes a little smaller.

(photo courtesy: Bob Hollifield of www.ColemanRoadProductions.com)

PaddleStrong

In the mid 1990s, a junior kayaker named Brad Ludden from Montana would regularly travel with his family to Idaho’s Payette River during the summer time. On one such occasion, I had the opportunity to coach Brad during a national-level competition. The Olympic side of kayaking tends to quickly “size up” young athletes for their potential to be top performers on an international stage. From that standpoint, Brad had all skills you look for in a blue-chip competitor and the potential to go as far as he wanted to go in the world of Whitewater Slalom racing – World Cups, World Championships, even the Olympic Games. But Brad did better – he did none of the above.

From a very young age, Brad was one those people who was “wise beyond his years” and no matter how well he could paddle, you knew he was headed for bigger and better things. Polite, grounded, humble, and connective – the words that fit Brad then still fit him now. Using these qualities, he started “First Descents” in 2001 as a way to promote healing through kayaking for young adults with cancer. Seven years, later, Brad and a passionate group of friends and family have grown First Descents into one of the most significant and impacting kayak programs in the world. In each of this year's nine sessions in four states, First Descents participants will immerse themselves in the outdoors and gain new perspective on life.

Christian Knight was fortunate enough to accompany a First Descents outing and writes a fabulous article about his experience in the latest issue of Paddler Magazine – take a look at:

http://www.paddlermagazine.com/issues/2008-2/article_.shtml

The work Lance Armstrong has achieved for cancer patients and research is nothing short of amazing. Better yet, the platform for getting this work done was built upon Lance’s success on a bicycle. You can’t do much better than that – applying your world-class talent and passion for doing favorite activity into your life’s most important work for the benefit of others. Nicely done, Brad.

For more information about First Descents, please visit their web site:

http://www.firstdescents.org/

Beyond Judgment and Perspective

Kayaking is a sport that is naturally associated with risk. In fact, for many, accessing and taking risk is a part of the sport’s appeal. To me, the opportunities and challenges associated with kayaking are far more about judgment and perspective than they are about risk. This is as true when I’m driving a car or walking in a city as it is about paddling on rivers 200 days each year.

One of the truly great people with whom I shared the river is a major contributor to my own judgment and perspective on the river and the larger society around us. John Mullen, who tragically lost his life on the river in 2005, is the subject of a touching article written by his brother, Kurt, in the latest issue of Paddler Magazine:

http://www.paddlermagazine.com/issues/2008-2/article_319.shtml

My family and I came to know John, a writer and editor for the Washington Post, when he traveled to the Ocoee River in 2002 to cover my training for the Olympic Games in Athens. John was an aspiring and enthusiastic whitewater kayaker himself at the time but while in Ducktown, he wanted to “live and learn” my daily pursuits as an Olympic hopeful. While living in our home with us for four days, he paddled, ran, lifted weights, and mountain biked with me never missing a workout or an opportunity to engage further into the subject at hand. He just naturally “fit in” with the people with whom he wrote about and valued them, often better than they valued themselves. The great “students of life” seem to have a unique way of doing this.

John was much more than a great writer although his “Outside Line” columns every Sunday were among the best written pieces in a top-flight newspaper. His passion for living and willingness to keep asking himself, “can I do better?” became the fuel that brought him to the 2004 Whitewater Olympic Trials in South Bend, Indiana – not as a journalist covering the race but as a competitor racing in the event.

It’s been said that great writers often possess great conflict. In my opinion, here was John’s - in a world where so many are living a pursuit of “understanding” themselves and the world around them, John understood others and their world around them in a deep, personal, connective, and profound manner much better than he understood himself.

The ironic part of this is that while his path of self exploration may not have resolved all of his own questions, his process of getting there brought purposeful clarity to many others in his circle. And coming up on three years since losing John, not only is the spirit of John’s pursuits alive and well, I believe his circle of influence upon others is growing and stronger than ever.

Thank you, Kurt, for the great article and reminding us of the good for which John stood – John would be proud.

An Experience Worth Repeating

Ask a few kayakers what they enjoy about their sport and you’re sure to hear more than a few times, “Getting away it from all.” Certainly compared to the busy work-driven lives of many, rivers can deliver on removing you from the masses and bringing you solitude. Here in southeastern Tennessee, that experience is a little different. Sure we have a great river running through the heart of a National Forest and the nearest town is small even by small-town standards with just two traffic lights and a few stop signs. Removed it is, but a wide open river it isn’t.

Within a three and half hour drive of more than 20 million people, the Ocoee River is one of the primary centers of whitewater culture and rarely a place you’ll find yourself alone on the river. My river friends in Chicago routinely drive 20 plus hours roundtrip for a weekend on the Ocoee and that’s not as uncommon as you might think. And in addition to the many kayakers, you’re paddling among rafters too. Not just a few rafters either, lots of them – more than 300,000 last year.

So I started thinking about it, “Why do paddlers keep coming back to the Ocoee?” After all, more remote rivers are flowing not too far away and for that matter, other activities and people are competing for your time, attention, and resources.

For kayakers, as much as people like getting away from it all, paddlers enjoy sharing their river pursuits with other like-minded paddlers. It is an intensely personal sport but one that’s very easy to share with friends on the river, particularly one that attracts so many different styles of paddlers from so many different places. The Ocoee is a special river that does cut across those lines.

But after living here for 15 years, I’ve observed something else too. If the Ocoee was a river where people just enjoyed the activity of kayaking, then the numbers of paddlers would have dried up years ago. After all, the rapids, rocks, and water flow on this river remain unchanged. But, more people kayaked this river last year than ever before and many of them were the same people I see paddling this river every year. Why? In a sport that loves its unpredictability and not exactly knowing what’s around the next bend, there’s something pleasant about something familiar – whether it’s the river itself or another a paddler you’ve been seeing on the same river for many years.

It’s a powerful perspective on change – not necessarily change in the sport, equipment, or the river but how a lifestyle pursuit becomes the lens for how we see the changing world around us.