The Leadup to Hopefully a Great Season

What are most teenage kids excited for when they get let out for summer break? Is it starting their summer job? Hanging out with their friends? Or just being plain lazy. What I’m excited for when summer break hits is KAYAK season. That is when I can wake up late and go down to the playhole, do a session and then relax with no worries about anything, just the river and me. You can ask any one of my friends that I don’t hang out with anybody during summer, and if you wanted to find me I would be down by the river.

Everyone starts kayaking somewhere

Kayak season means everything to me, especially the freestyle competitions. I love traveling around the state going to competitions and competing. But most of all, I love the fact that I get to meet new people and kayak with them. This year I plan to make most of the kayak competitions. My favorite competitions would have to be Steamboat, Lyons, FIBArk, and Gunnison. I hope to make The Teva Games even though I will not compete. Other than that I really don’t have any other plans that I know of.

The Glenwood Wave

This year will be the first year that our kayak mentor Evan Ross will not be here to kayak with us. Over the past two years Evan has taught us so much about kayaking. He guided us (me my sister and Sage Kitson) down every part of the Arkansas River and drove us around at least twice a week to kayak.

A Broken Dam on the Ark

Kayak season means the start of the booty stink (which my parents hate with a PASSION!!!), beading water drops on a brand new drytop, and getting the adrenaline rush of hitting your first loop or hitting a perfect line, and every time that happens you know that is why you kayak.

A rapid below Granite