Kayaking Bolivia: Tracking Climate Change Where Carbon Emissions Are Low

http://www.dagger.com

USA Today highlighted the awesome work that the First Descents program.  It is doing amazing things through giving hope to cancer patients.  Team Dagger member Brad Ludden is featured in the story talking about his work there.

excerpt

“….First Descents, a Colorado-based group that helped young adults cope with their cancer through outdoors adventures. Lebret-White didn’t give it a lot of thought, but when he later found a brochure for the group while undergoing chemo, he knew it was his destiny.

Last July, he attended a First Descents kayaking camp with former world champion paddler Brad Ludden in Montana’s Glacier National Park. He left with a new nickname and a new outlook on life.

Read the entire, inspiring article over at USA Today’s website.

]]> http://paddlesportsportal.com/daggernews/?feed=rss2&p=354 http://paddlesportsportal.com/daggernews/?p=350 http://paddlesportsportal.com/daggernews/?p=350#comments Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:47:55 +0000 webmaster http://paddlesportsportal.com/daggernews/?p=350 From April 1, 2009 through August 31, 2009, Dagger (a Confluence Watersports brand) will roll out a brand new program designed to support local organizations, introduce more people to paddling and establish a platform for a long-term sustainability initiative. The program is called “Paddle It Forward.”"Paddle It Forward” is a simple concept in which everyone gives a little, and receives a lot. Donate your used hard-shell kayak or canoe to any 501(c)(3), outdoor or environmental educational organization and bring the proof of donation to a participating Confluence dealer. With this proof of donation, you will receive nearly 20-percent off the cost of a new kayak or canoe.

Participating local retailers will give an immediate 10-percent discount off the price of a new Wilderness Systems, Dagger, Perception or Wave Sport kayak, or a Mad River Canoe. A mail-in rebate to Confluence will garner an additional, manufacturer-sponsored, 10-percent discount off the net purchase price.

“‘This program engages the whole paddling community in supporting local charities and schools that may otherwise be seeing a dip in donations right now,” said Sue Rechner, CEO of Confluence Watersports. “It offers us a unique opportunity to support the re-use of boats and directly influence the growth of the sport at the local level. We’re very excited for the community-wide charitable potential; and we also believe consumers and our dealer partners will benefit. It as a winning proposition for everyone.”

Confluence has an unyielding commitment to encouraging a sustainable participation in all forms of paddling. “Paddle It Forward” can be a major proponent for this initiative, all while supporting the charitable efforts of local and regional not-for-profits.

To participate in the “Paddle It Forward” program, please contact your local Dagger specialty retailer.

It’s also very important that the management care about the sport, and are easy to work with. It makes me feel good to promote a company that cares about our sport, the environment, and their employees. I believe that as an athlete or as a consumer I can influence a company’s decisions. That’s because ultimately it’s the consumer that decides whether a company remains solvent. We all decide this by our choice to purchase, or not purchase, a company’s product. I’ve learned the hard way that working with bad management is almost never worth it.

Check out the full article at:

http://playak.com/article.php?sid=1396

In the scene below, the kayakers find themselves in some trouble as they approach a massive whirlpool on the Congo that starts to pull them in quickly.

 (featuring the Dagger Nomad 8.5)

Check out this new website from USAFK, with how to pages and training videos for tons of freestyle kayak moves.  Or if you already know your stuff, maybe share your skills with others.

www.freestylekayakmoves.com

Announcement below:

USAFK Makes Learning Fun for Beginners and World Champions

Multimedia Moves Library Conceived to Train Judge Skills Brings All Moves to All Paddlers

(Takoma Park, MD) - USA Freestyle Kayaking has announced their commitment to promoting a broader understanding and appreciation for freestyle kayaking by creating a Multimedia Moves Definition Library, a resource for paddlers created by the community.

“What started as a competition judge training concept has evolved into being a versatile library of moves people are performing these days,” says USFKA Rules Subcommittee Chair and multiple-time US Team member Clay Wright. “We encourage paddlers to upload videos of themselves and their friends doing freestyle kayak moves and will match them to the moves recognized by the International Canoe Federation. The videos that do the best job illustrating moves will receive comments posted by members of a multi-national group of experts (including Peter Csonka (SL) Ingrid Schlott (DE) and Mathieu Demolin (FR) so that both the video producers and other viewers can gain a better understanding of how competitors are scored.”

“This is a training resource that, while it will not replace live training will be a good tool for many events around the world to help us grow the sport,” notes Simon Hirter, organizer of the 2009 Freestyle Kayaking World Championship in Thun, Switzerland.

“The Library should help us move away from relying on athletes to judge themselves because they are the only ones sufficiently familiar with the moves,” adds Jimmy Blakeney, former US Team athlete and USAFK Steering Committee member. “Best of all, kayakers will have a new way to learn and understand the moves and the rules regardless of their plans to compete.”

For more information about this project, contact Risa Shimoda 00+1+301-502-6548 risa@theshimodagroup.com.

Congratulations to Team Dagger member Tao Berman for taking the 2009 Reel Paddling Film Festival’s Best Whitewater Film for his awesome Pulse video. Check out the details below and all the winners this year!

http://www.reelpaddlingfilmfestival.com/component/content/article/63-intro-2.html

Details:

Pulse
Duration: 36 min
Year Produced: 2008
Year Released: 2008
The latest action whitewater kayaking film starring Tao Berman, from the creator of the renowned TWITCH films. Pulse follows Berman and friends around Chile, Lake Superior, Mexico and Washington and includes stunning footage, interviews and three unique action segments.
Director: Tao Berman
Producer: Eric Link
Website: www.taoberman.com/videos

>> Official National Geographic Site Page

Overview

What would more water than the Mississippi at flood, raging between cliffs only 1,000 feet apart look like? What would paddling huge whitewater in a country at war with only a few hundred miles of paved road feel like?
Could a team of kayakers handle bringing 150 pounds of scientific equipment on a five-day first descent? What discoveries could this team of kayakers make while collaborating with some of the world’s best hydrologists and biologists?

At 1.25 million cubic feet per second, the lower Congo rapids are the highest volume rapids in the world. During the summer of 2008, a team of kayakers from the Epicocity Project set out to answer these questions and more. They were successful in descending these rapids and learning much about the Congo River, the people that live on its banks and the breeding ground for species that exists beneath its surface.

The crew escaped an attempt to take them hostage at gunpoint and whirlpools the size of school buses. They emerged successfully with never before seen scientific data and footage of the epic adventure.

The National Geographic film “Monster Fish of the Congo” tells the tale of this adventure and their discoveries. It airs at 7pm and 10pm on the National Geographic Channel on Tuesday February 10th.

A third showing will happen on Saturday February 14th at 4pm. A perfect Valentine’s Day date?

2009 Tour Dates