2019: A Kayaking Retrospective

2019 was another amazing year of kayaking.

Attending an Independent Study school at the base of Squaw Valley has been an awesome experience, especially for middle school. I spent 6th, 7th and now 8th grade excelling at school, skiing what has seemed like endless powder days, and traveling to kayak. I have loved Creekside Charter School and will miss the freedom when I go to high school next year.

The Futaleufu
Last school year, in 7th Grade, I kicked off 2019 with an amazing trip to the Futaleufu. Our friends at BioBio Expeditions have a beautiful camp, with delicious food and some of the best kayakers in the world. My favorite parts of the trip were kayaking Bridge to Bridge and the Wild Mile and rafting Inferno Canyon. As usual, my dad got some odd responses from folks who thought maybe I shouldn't be out kayaking or rafting those sections at 12 years old. Fortunately for me, Nouria and Ben did not hesitate to show me the lines. And once I did it safely, then other kids started realizing that they could do it too. I think their parents finally got excited about it after they saw that we actually had the skills to do this.

Bridge to Bridge with Nouria 

Love the Futaleufu

This trip was everything I love about kayaking. I love big water. I love to travel. I love to meet new people. I love to experience different cultures.  Here is a video from the trip to the Futaleufu Video.

San Marcos
When I returned from the Futaleufu, I joined Waterwerks Kayak Club for a trip to San Macros. This group of teenage boys and their Coach drove all the way from Calgary to Texas and picked me up in Denver on the way. That's how much they love kayaking and how badly they are seeking warmth in the heart of winter. Although I was, as usual, the youngest and the only girl, we had a lot of fun kayaking together and playing at the Whitewater Park.

San Marcos, Texas

Another Spring, Another Year of High Water South Fork American River and the Truckee
Spring 20019 was huge in California. We had a big winter, so the rivers were very high. Now, I love high water. Like I really love it. So, we had a blast. Spring Break was spent at the Tiny House with various kayak friends visiting. I got to kayak with Carson Lindsay, which was cool. He's not only a great kayaker but he's also very safety conscious. And as we got increasingly comfortable with these new high water levels, my parents finally allowed my cousin and me to do "kid only" laps. He's not really a kid anymore (he was 16 years old at the time and now old enough to drive shuttle, which my parents seem to think is awesome!). I did have one incident I'd rather not repeat, which was swimming Trouble Maker on the South Fork American River at 6,000 CFS. Athan and I used our swiftwater rescue skills and worked together to contain the situation and stay safe.

Big Water - just me and Athan!

Big Water South Fork Spring 2019

Boating with local boater, Carson Lindsay!

Yet another Swiftwater Rescue Class

As Spring turned into Summer, more teens started showing up and we all started doing teen laps together. Not sure who felt freer, us or our parents :)

Teen Laps on the Truckee

I decided to have my 13th Birthday at the Tiny House and invited my non-boater friends to come on the river. To prepare I went back to my whitewater roots and spent a week with my parents teaching me how to paddle guide a raft again. I had learned at Junior Guides camp back when I was 8 years old, but since then I have mostly kayaked, inflatable kayaked, paddle boarded, or rowed. It was a blast for everyone.

Birthday at the Tiny House

Ok, so I was a bit jet-lagged - just got back from France!

Another Summer, Another Keener Camp
I LOVE KEENER CAMP! This was my 2nd year and it was even more awesome than my first year. My cabinmates were the best. And so were the coaches. This year I had a crazy surf at Right Side Phils and am proud to have won the Red Ribbon for my beatdown. Dane was coaching that day and made a video which shows how fun Keeners is. My beatdown is in the video and my parents got a lot of concerned feedback on social media about their parenting because of this video and the footage which Steve-O posted. People don't seem to understand that we build up to doing things like this - last year I only did left side Phils and spent all of Session 3 this year preparing to finally do this! Here's a link to the video - I'm the last few minutes, after the music and editing stops. Best Day of the Week

Another year, another Session 3 at Keeners!

Red Ribbon Award

Dane also took us "rafting" - if that's what you call repeatedly flipping on purpose. I felt really lucky to be one of the four Keeners who got to do this.

Rafting with Dane Jackson

I was having so much fun that this year I decided at the last minute to stay for Competition Week instead of going home to start school. Comp week was the best week ever. Even my parents say it's everything they love about kayaking  - a tight night community of river loving people of various ages and abilities all going out together and learning from each other. I also loved that it was just a few of us in camp and it felt like we were home.

"1st Day of School" - On the Ottawa instead!

Fall Back on the South Fork American River
I love Fall in Coloma. It's warm but not scorching hot like it can be. And the river is perfect and quite - summers on the river in Coloma can get crazy busy with rafts everywhere. River and non-river friends visit. This year we had a River Festival in Coloma. I raced the adult race in my kayak and then raced the kid race in an inflatable. I took a non-river friend along. And we won! We even beat Sue Norman - my coach and former national champion. She was proud of us, I know, but she can be (quietly) competitive so I could tell she had tried her best to beat us.

Coloma Community Celebration!

Love Fall at our Tiny House Pond

My little brother is a surprisingly excellent whitewater rower and has tiny, kid-sized cat that he takes his friends on. Though it's a bit too small for me, I got to row it when his classmates came to our Tiny House for a field trip and wanted to do the more challenging stretches of the river.

Rowing the South Fork in the Mini-Cat!

You'd think their parents would be concerned about it, but they seemed to trust me since just a few days before the field trip our local newspaper published an article about me and whitewater. Here's the link to the article. Newspaper Article

I also went back to the Moke races this year and won. Unfortunately, I was not able to go Feather Fest this year due to a family emergency.

Downriver and Slalom Races

Canoe Kayak Canada
For the fall, my dad had considered taking me on a Love It Live It trip to kayak the Zambezi. But in the end, my dad decided he wasn't up for it since he hasn't been spending much time in his kayak over the past several years (he mostly rafts to be able to take my mom, brother, dog, friends, gear, etc down the river). So instead we decided to postpone until Fall 2020 when I'm a little older (I will have turned 14 by then) and we can go on a BioBio trip. That way he can row or paddle guide while I kayak.

So, suddenly I had "free time" in the fall for other adventures. The timing was perfect, as we learned about the Canoe Kayak Canada NextGen slalom training program. My mother is Canadian, which is why it makes sense. And my parents think gate training - whether it be for skiing or kayaking - is a great way to learn skills that carry over to other versions of the sport. I think it's fun to practice and to race.

Canoe Kayak Canada - NextGen Training with Michal

I went to camps and races in Ottawa, Valleyfield, and Chilliwack. The coaching was really amazing, as were the athletes. Many of them are on the Canadian National Team and some are training for the Tokyo Olympics. Though it's a bit hard when everyone knows each other so well from their local clubs (Canada has these great local and provincial clubs) and when most of the athletes are at such an elite level, I enjoyed my time training with them and made some good progress.

Ontario Provincial Championships

Tamihi - training in Chilliwack, BC

Also, I just love kayak traveling. Especially on my own. It's a hassle at airports and getting on planes with a kayak (especially a big one) and being a minor, but I like the process and I do get a lot of school work done.

I love Amex Airport Lounges! 

Kayak travel

Winter Holidays
As winter came, so did the holidays, And although winters living in Squaw Valley are all about skiing, holiday gifting brings back the kayak-theme. I got a new, bigger Rockstar 4.0 and a Foamie Friend! Foamie Friends are very popular in California :)

Another Christmas, Another Rockstar!

Foamie Friends

And so, that was 2019. Another epic kayak year.

2020 is off to a great start too! I joined the California Junior Women's Raft Team and we hope to be selected to be the US Team at Team Trials in June. I'm also headed to France to kayak for a month which will be amazing.

Winter is Here!

Winter in Squaw Valley is amazing. My dad runs the events at Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows and in the winter our neighborhood is so much fun. From family visiting for Thanksgiving to Holiday celebrations, annual Ski with Jonny Moseley, Santa True, annual New Years Party and the World Record Glow Stick Parade. I also get to perform with my Improv Troupe!

1st Snow. Ollie, my Newf loves it!

Annual Ski With Jonny Moseley

Thanksgiving with Cousins

I love performing with my Improv Troup! 

Santa True

Summer in France

For my entire life, I have spent the first half of the summer with my great-grandmother in France. She's 96 years old and still lives on her own. We stay at her small apartment at the Mediterranean and my little brother, Alex, and I spend our days at the beach and sailing. This summer my grandparents took us to Paris for my 13th Birthday!

13th Birthday in Paris with Grandparents

13th Birthday in Paris with Grandparents

Sailing Camp

Birthday with Great-Grandmother (Grannilou) - this photo is from 2018

Getting picked up at SFO by my dad

Trip Report: San Marcos and OKC

I flew to Dallas and met up with Mark Taylor from Waterweks Kayak Club - a youth kayak club in Alberta. He was taking a group of teen boys on an epic road trip to find warm water in Texas. I think they drove for 36 hours, of which I joined them for 15 or so. Sounds crazy, but we had a blast. It helps that the Alberta team has a great van! I was fortunate to get included although I only knew them through a former coach, Brendan Curson. We jelled immediately. We stayed with Ben Kvanli, who has a house on the river and played at Rio Vista Whitewater Park. We also drove to Oklahoma to bring slalom boats to Canadian athletes who were there for Team Trials, but the weather was terrible and no one got to boat that day.  I can't wait to meet up with these kayakers for another trip soon!

So much fun!

We paddled with Ben from his house to the whitewater park!

Somehow I got the bed for this trip!

This van has gone on some serious road trips!

The Futaleufu was amazing

I just got back from the Futaleufu. We went there to visit friends who own Bio Bio Expeditions. Wow, their camp is amazing. Their trips aren't intended to be kid trips, but since the owners have kids and the neighbors have kids, there was a group of us hanging out in camp. We played cards and I learned lots of new magic tricks.

I went to Chile to boat big warm water and boat big warm water I did. The Futaleufu and the Azul were beautiful. A few kids - Quinn and Valentine - kayaked with me some days, which was fun. But I mostly kayaked with my dad, the owner Marc Goddard, and the safety kayakers (Alex Nicks, Jenner Fox). My first day there, Nouria Newman showed me the lines on Bridge to Bridge, which was really helpful. I also joined the commercial trip to raft Inferno Canyon, which was a blast. I can see why people think this is the best place in the world for whitewater.

My favorite part of the trip though was traveling and being immersed in a new culture. Chile is incredible. I will definitely be going back again soon.

Somewhere in the Wild Mile February 2019 - loved it!

Me, my dad, Nouria Newman, Ben Stooksberry, Orea Rousis

Nouria helping me at put in for Bridge to Bridge, February 2019

It's hard to travel with a boat, so I borrowed a Zen that's
a bit bigger than the one I have at home

The kids of the Bio Bio Expeditions Camp 

2018: A Kayaking Retrospective

Much of 2018 for me was about kayaking.

I of course skied, and did school work, and hung out with friends, and played with my dog, and spent time in France - as I always do. But mostly, I kayaked.

I love everything about kayaking. I love whitewater. I love nature. I love meeting new people. I love traveling.

I got really into kayaking just over a year ago. I recently re-read my application to be a Student Ambassador for Rivers for Change, which I wrote when I was in 5th Grade. I've included it again at the bottom of this blog post. I didn't know it then, but re-reading it now - a year and a half later - I can see that my entire childhood was leading me to this point.

I have been on and in whitewater since I was a baby. And I have always loved it. Long before my parents were ready, I was ready. To be in my own boat, to drop into holes, to swim rapids. To convince other kids that this is fun.

Me at 3 years old South Fork American River

When I was 4 years old, my parents got me my first hard shell kayak. A purple Jackson Fun 1. I learned to roll it in a pool and would take it on rivers without a skirt, which meant I swam a lot. By the time I was 7 years old, I graduated to a Jackson Shooting Star. I added a skirt (despite not having a river roll) and followed the older boys, which meant I continued to swim a lot.

Lower Salmon

Me getting my new Shooting Star

Me following Athan on the Lower Salmon

Me and Wyatt on the Lower Klamath

At 8 years old, I went to Junior Raft Guide camp and, to no one's surprise, my favorite part was swimming the rapids. Needless to say, I already had a lot of experience doing that. Coloma Junior Guides

By the time I was 9 years old, my parents sent me to an adult swift water rescue class. Swift Water Rescue. I think they were hoping it would scare me a little, but it didn't. I remember the adults in the class commenting on how strange it was that I was so comfortable in the river. I just thought it was normal.

When I was 10 years old, I spent two weeks as a Student Ambassador for Rivers for Change. It was such a cool experience to be with other, though older, kids who love rivers as much as I do. And to raise money for and learn about environmental issues from Sue Norman (Sue is also a former National Champion Slalom Kayaker and Rafter). Truckee Source to Sea. This also gave me an opportunity to public speak about river issues, be interviewed by news stations, and have an article in the local paper.

Truckee Source to Sea June 2017

And then later that summer, right after turning 11, I kayaked the Rogue with family friends. I begged to run Blossom Bar (a Class IV rapid). I made it through most of the rapid, but then swam on the eddy fence at the bottom. This is apparently not a rapid to swim - several people have died there.

Me, Quinn, Jayce, Athan, Matt and Marc Rogue August 2017

Needless to say, we drove straight from that trip to a kayak school. It was time for me to learn some real kayaking skills. Unfortunately, there are no kayak classes for kids, but Dan Crandall at Current Adventures agreed to teach me privately. I did my first slalom gates at the Nugget. And got my first river roll at Old Scary. After that, my kayaking really took off. I can't believe that was less than 18 months ago.

In that moment, kayaking went from something I did on trips with my family to something I was passionate about pursuing on my own. Spending time in my boat became a priority.

I spent the Fall of 2017 learning about Slalom Kayaking. I attended Slalom Camp in Chilliwack with Brendan Curson. CCE Paddling Club I competed in slalom, down river, and boater cross at Moke Races, Feather Fest, and the Mamquam. And won!

Mamquam Race October 2017

Winning the Mamquam Race against adults October 2017

2017 ended with an awesome Christmas present. A Jackson Rockstar XS.

Santa getting it right!

Now for 2018. Which is what this blog post is supposed to be about.

2018 started off slow on the kayaking front. Then, unexpectedly, my parents got a Grand Canyon permit for the spring. And they were willing to take me and my little brother this time. And let me kayak - and maybe even paddle board - the river.

To get ready, I went to OKC with Brendan for three weeks in March. OKC is a man-made river with an Olympic style slalom course. OKC The athletes from Brendan's club in Chilliwack were there to train for National Team Trials. Several of them have since made the Canadian team. Team Profiles. I, however, had a hard time at OKC. The water was faster and the holes stickier than I was used to on natural rivers. The kids all knew each other from home, and I was not only a stranger but also much younger than them. I also wasn't at their ability level. For the first week or two, I couldn't even make it through the whole course. But I made progress on that trip and by the end I felt ready for the Grand Canyon.

Traveling to OKC March 2018

In April 2018, we spent 2 weeks on the Grand Canyon. It was incredible. There were hard parts for sure - like 50+ mile an hour upstream winds and sandstorms that lasted entire days and nights - but for the most part, my brother and I loved it. Huge swims, cold water, and all. I kayaked, paddle boarded, and rafted. My brother mostly rafted. People at home seemed to think my parents were nuts for taking us at ages 11 and 8, but I don't think so. I think if you have the right experience, you can do this safely. 

Lava Falls April 2018

Unfortunately, after getting home from the Grand Canyon I broke my wrist. I was disappointed to have to drop out of the spring kayak festival circuit. I was still able to serve as a Mentor for the next group of Rivers for Change Student Ambassadors though. And I was able to spend some time running the Truckee River, which is such a fun stretch and just a few minutes away from our home in Squaw Valley. I still have my inflatable kayak from when I was a toddler, which I use to take friends who aren't boaters down the river with me.

Me and Cahyani on the Truckee River June 2018

Love the Truckee River in the Spring

I didn't get to kayak again until August 2018 at Keeners on the Ottawa. I had been wanting to go to Keeners for a while, and finally could now that I was 12 (and had a river roll). I loved everything about Keeners. The river, my cabin-mates, the coaches and staff. 

Keener August 2018

Surfing Phils August 2018

To my surprise, when I got home from 3 months away in France and Canada, my parents announced that over the summer they had bought land in Lotus at Barking Dog - a surf wave on the South Fork American. I knew they had been looking at property for years, my parents met there in the early 1990s. But I wasn't expecting it to ever really happen. The property is perfect. It's not on the river, but it's less than a mile up the road. It has a tiny house (and I mean tiny), a pond, and a view.

It's tiny, but perfect!

Alex and Athan at the pond

Needless to say, Fall 2018 we kayaked. We started an informal facebook group so that we could meet more local kids interested in kayaking and together build a community. Kids of all ages and abilities have been joining us, as have some volunteer coaches. We even made a logo and stickers. Coloma Lotus Junior Kayak Team 

Coloma Lotus Junior Kayak Team with Sue Norman at the Nugget Fall 2018

Nugget Fall 2018 (in USA gear I borrowed from Ria Sribar)

Together, we attended the local fall slalom races - the Moke Races and Feather Fest. And won, again! We had a blast together.

Coloma Lotus Junior Kayak Team and Volunteer Coaches at Feather Fest September 2018

 Feather Fest September 2018

Moke Races September 2018

Me and Hannah at Moke Races

Since not many kids run Chili Bar yet, I also spent a lot of time in the fall on the Coloma Shuttle meeting up with the local adult clubs to run the harder stretches.

Trouble Maker Fall 2018

Also, as we do every year, my family and classmates volunteered for Truckee River Day. It's not about kayaking, it's about cleaning up the meadows that are part of the watershed. Which helps our local river. And keeps it so that we can kayak it into the future.

Me and Annika volunteering at Truckee River Day Fall 2018

Eventually, winter came. It's been a huge winter. But despite the endless powder days that always keep me smiling, I still dream of kayaking. I go to the local pool for roll sessions when I can. It's a ski town, not a boating town, so not that many people show up. I go anyways because nothing makes me happier then being in my boat, upside down. Truckee Roll Sessions

Truckee Pool Sessions

I can't wait to continue to pursue my passion for kayaking in 2019. Both my school and my parents are very supportive. I have scaled back on skiing to make more time to paddle and for school work. I am headed to Chile in a few days to run the Futaleufu with my dad. I can't wait! 

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Application to be a Student Ambassador for Rivers for Change - Spring 2017 (5th Grade)

On the river, I am home. I have been going on river trips since I was a baby. I have spent more days than I can count on the South Fork of the American River. And have swum almost every rapid! In the summer, my family takes me and my brother on a month long rafting road trip to places like the Lower Klamath and the Lower Salmon. I love it so much that I never want to leave. A few years ago, we even did a very long trip that connected the Middle Fork of the Salmon, the Main Salmon, and the Lower Salmon. I have been down the river on oar boats, catarafts, paddle boats, inflatable kayaks, hard shell kayaks, and paddle boards. I got my first hard shell kayak when I was 4 years old. I learned to roll in the pool when I was 7. But, I’m still working on my river roll! I have taken Junior Guides Rafting Camp, as well as kayaking classes in Coloma. I have also completed an adult Swift Water Rescue course.
            I love running the river, but I love camping along the river just as much. I like finding edible plants that I have learned about in my Native American studies class. I also like identifying animals, fish, birds, snakes and bugs (except for spiders) that are in my waterproof nature guide book. I have seen a bear, an island with thousands of tiny frogs, bald eagles, river otters, ducks, and lots of fish. I learned how to fly fish a few years ago, but I always catch and release.

Fly Fishing on Middle Fork Salmon Summer 2014

I want to go on this trip to learn more about the Truckee River and then teach it to kids in my school. I want to do this so that kids know what is happening to their environment and together we can help fix some of the problems. I also want to spend time with other kids that feel the same way that I do about the river.