Late Season Glenwood

After the competition season and then a few busy weeks of work, I finally had time to make it up to the Glenwood Wave. It was running around 14,000 which is normally a great level. Locals were saying it wasn't as good as normal due to the long high water this year, but I still thought it was great check out the video.

High Water at the Buena Vista Playpark

With high water on the Arkansas, I haven't seen many playboaters in the Salida/ Buena Vista area. Salida is a little washed out, but BV has some great playspots. Check out the video, then come see it for yourself!

2011 Fibark Freestyle Finals

The Arkansas River was cranking at 3,400 CFS for this years Fibark competition. The Salida hole became a flushy wave and competitors struggled all weekend to stick tricks in the feature. Check out a few video highlights from the weekend.

Women’s Pro

Kat Levette

Natalie Kramer

Nicole Mansfield

Liz Block

Men’s Pro

Mattieu Dumoulin

Greg Parker

Michael Palmer

Quinton Barnett

Jed Selby

Lyons Outdoor Games Freestyle Update

The Lyons Outdoor Games was last weekends stop on the event tour. Lyons is a small town and puts on a smaller, yet very fun event. The festival always has a great atmosphere. It is more laid back and is all about gathering with other boaters to have fun.

The freestyle event was scheduled to start on Friday. After working in Denver, I raced up to Lyons and arrived at 3:50. I had never paddled before in the Meadow Park playspot and was lucky that the freestyle started 30 minutes late so I could get a few practice rides in. The hole was small and had a funky surfers left corner, but kayakers could plug hard for big loops and still get all of the harder hole tricks.

With US Team members gone, there were only 5 women and 10 men competing in the prelims. The women simply reseeded and everyone moved on the finals and the 6 men moved on due to a 5th place tie.

On Saturday, Adrienne Levknecht won the South Saint Vrain creek race beating out 6 men. Then in the Team Boatercross, I had the opportunity to be an 8 ball. Paddlers had to do push ups, run with their boat, and finally paddle downstream past a few 8 balls. As an 8 ball I got in some good hits including a blow to Stephen Forrester’s face. Sorry Stephen!

Photo by Scott Sady

In the women’s finals on Sunday Devon Barker took the honors with great and consistent rides. In men’s finals Mattieu Dumoulin scored 1010 his first ride which would be hard to top. I had 560 and was sitting in second. The announcer, Jeff Campbell, told me I need 1020 to take the lead. In the eddie I told Mattieu I was going to score 1020 and then had a great ride scoring 1020. I was momentarily in first until Matteau’s second ride scored 1040 which I wasn’t able to top. Mike Patterson rounded out the podium with some impressive rides.

Thanks to the organizers and sponsors for putting on the event. Oskar Blues, Smith, and the town of Lyons.

Freestyle Results

Women

Devon Barker

Kat Levette

Elaine Cambell

Jessica Yurtinas

Adrienne Levknecht

Men.

Mathieu Dumoulin

Greg Parker

Mike Patterson

Jonny Meyers

Billy Bob Malesky

Quinten Barnett

Teva Mountain Games: Freestyle Results

Photos by Kaleb Timberlake

The Teva Mountain Games went off last weekend in Vail. If you have never gone, Teva puts on a huge festival featuring kayaking, climbing, biking, running, and dog events. Venders were out in full force promoting their company by handing out free gear and there were free outdoor concerts.

I competing in the freestyle event on Friday and Saturday. Competitors struggled to score high rides as the features was hard to set up, fast, and flushy. After prelims I was in 7th place and moved on with 15 other men. In semis, I kept flushing and only scored 170 my first ride. Luckily I was able to put together a better second ride of 660 points, just 10 points below the cut. Finals was exiting to watch as Dustin, EJ, and Dane battled it out for 1st place. It was close, but Dustin ended on top with 940 points.

Other highlights included free shwag (including 4 free Chipolte burrito coupons), watching the World Cup for bouldering, and the Xavier Rudd concert.

Mens Final Results

Dustin Urban

Eric Jackson

Dane Jackson

Mathieu Dumoulin

Bryan Kirk

Greg Parker

Mike Patterson

James Bebbington

Casper Von K.

Stephen Wright

Nick Troutman

Rush Sturges

Scott Sady

Michael Tavares

Jacob N.

Womens Final Results

Emily Jackson

Ruth Ebens

Haley Mills

Lauren Burress

Nikki Kelley

Tanya Faux

Elaine Cambell

Adrienne Levkneckt

CKS Paddlefest and BV Pro Rodeo: Final Results

This past weekend the streets of Buena Vista filled up for Colorado Kayak Supply’s annual Paddlefest.

The gear sale/swap and in store sale are great ways to gear up for the season and Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center organizes a variety of clinics so you can learn from the pros.

If your looking for competition, South Main hosted its first ever open and junior classes in addition to the pro event.

This years competition was held on a small and easy hole located in the South Main Neighborhood. Due to nature of the hole, competitors were able to put up huge scoring rides during semi-finals and finals making this an exciting event!

Special thanks to all the organizers, judges, South Main, Colorado Kayak Supply, and The Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center.

Men’s Final Scores

Stephen Wright

Dustin Urban

Nick Troutman

Eric Jackson

Clay Wright

Mathieu Dumoulin

Greg Parker

Bryan Kirk

Jud Kaiser

Billy Bob Malesky

Women’s Final Scores

Emily Troutman

Ruth Ebens

Haley Mills

Katie Urban

Tanya Faux

Reno River Festival

This was my first time to the Reno River Festival and it was a great way to kick off the season. The park offers three distinctly different, but all great, playspots. The competition was held in the third feature of the North channel. Water was high due to the warm weather (summer is finally here for me!) so it was a wave hole. Despite being flushy, it did allow big tricks such as blunt to mcnasties and phoenix monkeys. Unfortunately it was my first few days boating this year, and I wasn't quick enough to pull these through consistently.

The feature was considered unattainable, so each competitor had 4 rides, best 2 count during prelims. I scored an okay first ride and a great second ride. With 2 decent rides I tried to step it up, but flushed and received 0 points on my last 2 rides. After watching the rest of the competition I thought I would be on the bubble. My combined score wasn’t the best, but many great paddlers struggled as well.

After the last heat of men, they announced who would move onto the semifinals. I had just made the cut sitting in 10th place and had 2 more rides, best counts, to try to advance to the top 5 for finals. I flushed early on my first ride and hit a loop and spacegodzillas before flushing on a phoenix during my second ride. That was enough to move up to 7th, but not enough to make finals.

The finals was a great show to watch. In the women’s class, Emily and Ruth battled it out switching leads a few times. In the end, Ruth ended up on top. Congratulation to Erin Clancey (3), Haley Mills (4), and Devon Barker (5) with solid performances as well.

The mens class was also highly contested as EJ scored in the 1400s. Stephen then stepped up with 1530 which would be enough to win. Congratulations to Dustin Urban (3), Clay Wright (4), and Craig Kleckner (5) as well.

When I wasn't practicing in Number 3, I played downstream in Number 5 and in the South channel playspot. Number 5 was a powerful hole that gave huge loops! The South channel spot was a small slow paced hole where it was possible to do nearly everything.

Aside from the freestyle the event had a lot to offer. There was slalom, boatercross, SUP races, the Run Amuck running race, and free music throughout the event. If you have been the Reno River Festival, you should check it out next year!

Spring 2011 Plans

Only two more weeks or work and then it's boating time! After a long Wisconsin winter (it snowed today), I'm ready for warmer weather and spring melt.

This year I will have an early start to the season and am focused on training and competing. I hope to finish on the podium at the BV Pro Rodeo, Vail, Lyons, and Fibark. My bank account will then determine if Gunnison and Nationals in Boise are in the mix.

After the competition season ends I will be teaching lessons at Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center (www.rmoc.com) so come take a lesson!

See you on the water!

Buena Vista and Salida Playboating Photos

Late July means low water on the Arkansas River, but playboating in Salida and Buena Vista is still great. Here are some playboating photos taken this past week at around 700 CFS. Photos by Mike Schroeder and Steve Bletsch.

Tendonitis Tips

Throughout the past three years, I have battled tendonitis in my elbows. It originally began from climbing but paddling causes it to flare up. I have tried numerous different treatments in order to eliminate the pain.

I am currently icing after most paddle sessions and sometimes before bed. I have found that it helps, but icing alone will not cure tendonitis. When the pain gets especially bad, I alternate hot and cold. Using both sides of the sink, 4 minutes in hot water, then 1 minute in cold water repeated 3 times works the best. End with 5 minutes in cold water though. Hot moves nutrients into the area and cold pushes out swelling.

Warming up before paddling seems extremely important. I do arm circles, all types of paddle strokes, and then a few short stretches. I also take it easy during my first few rides while playboating in order to continue warming up. Stretching after paddling and before bed seem to help a little, but not as much as I would think.

Everyone tells me that rest is essential to cure tendonitis, but I don’t know if I agree. When my tendonitis has gotten bad, I have taken 2 weeks off of climbing and paddling. In this time, it doesn’t seem to improve. Maybe 2 weeks isn’t long enough, but I get too anxious and return to these activities. When I come back I take it easy and am careful to do the other treatments I talk about in this article. Then my elbows start to heal a lot faster. My conclusion is that total rest allows the area to seize up and become stiff whereas light use keeps the area loose, increases blood flow, and promotes healing. I’m curious if anyone else has the same feelings.

A massage therapist and chiropractor have done a great job on my elbow. They both provide immediate relief that lasts from 1 week to 2 months depending on how hard I am playing. The only issue with this is that it gets expensive.

At times I have exercised with a Dyna-Flex ball followed by ice every night before bed. I think it works well, but haven’t used it consistently enough to know if it really works. I haven’t tried reverse wrist curls with dumbbells or pronations with a sledge hammer. Those exercises are supposed to help strengthen the muscles as well.

Last year, a friend told me about a magnetic copper bracelet that was apparently supposed to help with tendonitis. She swore by it, but I wore it religiously for months and it didn’t seem to help. It only made my girlfriend make fun of me.

This summer I think I have made a breakthrough. I switched from a fifteen degree offset paddle with a stiff shaft to an AT2 Flexi with no offset. The zero degree offset eliminates the wrist flexion and extension in the control hand (right) that happens with every stroke. The flexible shaft also seems to eliminate a lot of stress on my joints. I am very pleased with my new paddle and my elbows have been thanking me for it.

If you are experiencing tendonitis or any other type of pain, don’t give up searching for options. It has taken me 3 years, but I think I am finally making progress. Be sure to let me know what works or doesn’t work for you. I am always looking for more ways to stay injury free.

Thoughts on Fibark 2010

This post is a little late, but I have thought a lot about Fibark and competing this season and wanted to revisit it because the event was an interesting experience for me.

Every year, competing at Fibark has been disappointing. I usually have about a month of practice in and feel confident, but always seem to come up short. This year, was different. After finishing up my final year of college, I only got in a week of practice, and wasn’t expecting much at the competition.

In prelims I felt I had decent rides and made it to semi finals in the 7th place spot. Once advancing to semi finals, I tried to go big on my first ride which resulted in flushing as opposed to racking up points. My second ride was much more successful and moved me into the fourth position which put me into finals. I have never made finals at Fibark in the past and I was excited to have a chance at winning.

When finals came around, Dustin Urban had a really great first ride which put pressure on me to go big for the win. My low fitness level caused me to tire quickly which resulted in flushes in all of my rides. I took fifth overall but I at least had high scoring rides in finals.

All in all, I am pleased with how well I did at Fibark considering that I did not have the strength and practice that I had in the past. This competition has pushed me to work harder and see that with practice and being in peak condition, I could win. Fibark was my one and only competition of the season, and I am looking forward to coming back next year to compete.

Salida Combos 09

Two years ago I could do 4 trick combos. After working on them a lot last year I didn’t improve on them. With the new 2010 Allstar and 2 days of good water I completed a 5 and 7 trick combo and my 4 trick combo moves are cleaner and have more pop as well. Check out the video!

Salida Combos 09

Two years ago I could do 4 trick combos. After working on them a lot last year I didn't improve on that number. With the new 2010 Allstar and 2 days of good water I completed a 5 and 7 trick combo and my 4 trick combo moves are cleaner and have more pop as well. Check out the video!

2009 Lyons Outdoor Games

Every year the Lyons Outdoor Games keep getting better.  Non paddling events include bike demos, dog comps, music, and even chainsaw carving.  On the water, there is a freestyle comp, boatercross, and the South St. Vrain offers a steep creek race.

This year I competed in the freestyle event.  The hole was small and flushy, but competitors could do all of the advanced hole tricks.  

In prelims on Friday, a huge cut from 12 to 10 was made in the pro mens class.  I put down two good rides which landed me in 3rd place.  Nick was in 2nd and Stephen hit loop/orbit and split/phoenix links which put him in first.  There wasn’t a cut in the women’s class but they were reseaded for finals.

On Sunday morning Stephen, Nick, and I went to the bike park to do some dirt jumping before finals.  See if you can guess which picture is me.

In semi finals the men were cut from 10 to 5.  I had a great ride of 1060 points which was enough to put me in first.  Nick, Stephen, Bryan Kirk, and Kelsey Thompson also moved on.  In finals Stephen hit his links again and came in with a score of 1190 points in the first round.  Nick came close with a score of 1140 and Bryan had 990 points.  Going last is an advantage, but I think it added some extra pressure.  In three rides I couldn’t quite put my ideal ride together but managed to get 940 points which was enough for 4th.  Now I’ve had the exact same results as last for all 3 events I’ve competed in this year.  6th at BV, 8th at Vail, and 4th at Lyons.  Hopefully I can break this pattern and do better at Fibark!

In the women’s finals Emily and Ruth battled for first.  They were tied until the last ride when Emily improved her score to secure the win.  Elaine Campbell had impressive rides as well which earned her the 3rd place spot.

Teva Mountain Games 09

This weekend I placed 8th out of 44 pro men at the Teva Games in Vail. It is now the third year that I have finished 8th in Vail.  I guess it is my lucky number.

I arrived in Vail late Wednesday night after creeking in Crested Butte.  I took advantage of the Homestake Creek Race and paddled Thursday afternoon without a line.  I was paddling well and confident for the competition.  Then EJ got back from the creek race and had a new 2010 Allstar for me!  I didn’t want to switch boats the day before competing, but couldn’t resist at least trying it.  And I’m glad I did!  I will have a complete review coming soon, but simply put, it is amazing.

On Friday I wanted to practice without a line and then be rested for the competition so I put on the icy cold Gore Creek at 6:30am.  That was a mistake.  At 7:30 I was freezing cold and stop to thaw out and eat breakfast.  It turns out that the EJ and Nick showed up at 8 which was still early enough to beat the line.  Anyways, my dedication payed off and I had great rides which put me in 3rd place after prelims.  I hit both phoenix monkeys, a mcnasty, both godzillas, and a loop in both rides which scored 820 and 870 points.  

I was so excited that I made the same mistake again before semifinals on Saturday.  This time I put on by 7:30am though.  Later than 6:30, but still freezing cold and the line never came.  Anyways, I was feeling confident and ready when the semifinals came.  I watched everyone before me and knew that I only needed one ride over 810 points to make the cut to 5.  My first ride started off great with both monkeys and a mcnasty.  I had 45 seconds to do a loop and 2 space godzillas, but somehow I couldn’t put it together.  Second ride, same story.  I could hit my hard tricks, but fell apart on the easy stuff.

Later that day Steven Wright, NIck Troutman, Dustin Urban, Casper Von Kalmthout, and Andrew Holcombe (finishing 1-5 place respectively) put on an impressive show in the finals.  The new Allstar went ridiculously huge and the crowd responded.  It was the most exciting finals that I have witnessed.  Check out video finals highlights at www.jacksonkayak.com, watch the whole thing at www.worldkayak.com, or check out www.tevamountaingames.com for prelim and finals results.

Quad Crown: Crested Butte Creeking

After 4 summers in Colorado I finally made it to Crested Butte, Colorado to do some creeking.  I only had 1 day and wanted to get on all 4 creeks so my co-workers (Josh and Liz) from RMOC and I decided to do the quadruple crown.  

When I left Salida at 7am I was wondering why people didn’t do the quad crown very often.  I thought that all the creeks are close together and they are short runs so they shouldn’t take long.  Then it hit me as I started hiking up Oh Be Joyful with my Rocker on my shoulder.  It had been 7 hours since we first put on the Upper East but we only had one creek left so I wasn’t about to back down.  At the take out of Oh Be J I checked my watch and it had taken us a full 10 hours to complete the quad crown.  Four creeks in one day is exhausting, but well worth it.  Not to mention the 2 hour morning drive and the 4 hour drive to Vail I had in front of me.

If you are thinking about the quad crown I would recommend it, but I have some advice.  First, bring a buddy with a truck with high clearance so you can make the river crossings.  Second, bring a shuttle driver is possible because it will speed up the day.  Third, know the lines and wood conditions so you don’t have to scout.  And fourth, don’t plan on driving 6 hours that day.

Photos by Josh Oberleas and Liz Block

On the way to the Upper East

Big Wood Falls

The top of Rip Your Head Off

25 footer

Avalanche

The bottom of Avalanche

100 footer

BV Pro Rodeo 09

I’m a little late, but thought I should say something about the BV Pro Rodeo.  This year the rodeo was the same weekend as paddlefest.  That meant lots of people, events, clinics through RMOC, good sales and a gear swap.  It’s a great kickoff to the season so check it next year.

Anyway, back to the competition.  I practiced for 5 days in Buena Vista before the prelims on Friday.  I was paddling decent but I didn’t feel ready to compete because I had just had 9 months off kayaking while I was attending school in Wisconsin.

In competition I hit mcnastys, loops, space godzillas, and a backloop.  They were good rides, but not quite good enough.  I placed 6th and just missing the cut for finals.  Being on the bubble is hard but especially because I was 6th last year to.  Hopefully next year...

These are the results as far as I remember.

1. Nick Troutman

2. Eric Jackson

3. Steven Wright

4. Dustin Urban

5. Andrew Holcomb

6. Greg Parker

7. Jed Selby

8. Jason Craig

Jed Selby Blunts

Dustin Urban Loops

Anybody Can Kayak: Basic Playboating

Over the past year my dad and I have been filming and editing a new instructional video. It has finally been completed and is now available at CKS in store or online at http://www.coloradokayak.com/Anybody-can-Kayak-Basic-Playboating.

Our video offers a new distinct way to look at instruction. My dad and I have spent the majority of the past four summers in Salida, CO. Salida has two excellent holes which offer the perfect training grounds for any playboater. We have paddled, coached each other, and analyzed our boating through video almost every day which has lead us to discover the techniques described in our video.

These techniques have allowed me to consistently place in the top ten at pro events. My dad is 55. He is slow, weak, and inflexible. He’s not competing pro, but is doing great for an old guy. Our belief is that if he can playboat, anybody can playboat... they just need the right instruction.

The video offers clear and concise instruction. Much of the video is in slow motion, freeze frame, and graphic overlays to focus your attention on important parts. These features create clear visual demonstrations as well as syncs the audio and video so you can see what we are talking about. Other features include learning techniques, golden rules, topic overviews, and topic summaries.

To buy:
http://www.coloradokayak.com/Anybody-can-Kayak-Basic-Playboating

For more information check out:
www.anybodycankayak.com
www.youtube.com/anybodycankayak

To see me in action check out:
www.youtube.com/gregparker24

Salida 08 wrap up

This summer I spent teaching kayaking at the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center in Salida, Colorado. With two great playholes right in town it is a great spot to spend the summer. Most nights after work I went out for a session and was done in time for dinner.

At the beginning of the year one of my goals was to get a 5 trick combo. Due to the high water and then a quick drop the hole wasn't at ideal level for very long and I didn't get it. I did hit a couple 4 trick combos though. I also made up some other new fun tricks and worked on some less common tricks, both of which I am calling novelties for the sake of my video. Hope you enjoy!

Long Overdue Cañon City Update

I first surfed the Cañon City Wave 8 years ago in an XXX. Ever since I have been waiting for it to come back in and this year it finally did! In June the wave came in out depending on the level and it provided some great wave boating.

The wave is about 4 feet tall and has a little foam on top. There is a great eddy, no lines, and it is an easy day trip from Salida during my days off from work. It’s not huge but it is really fun and I could stick blunts, backstabs, and a couple of mcnasties. Enjoy the short video.