We've had a couple of good weeks on the road.  It started off heading to North Conway, NH for the Mount Washington Tuckerman Inferno Pentathlon.  The Inferno is a 8.3 mile run, 5 mile kayak, 18 mile bike, 3 mile hike, and skiing down Tuckermans Ravine. That's what it usually is. This year it rained the night before and the river rose pretty high and the organizers decided to cancel the race on the river and make the kayak a flat water race.  Another change this year was the ski.  The skier's didn't ski the bowl this year because of 60mph winds and the ravine was a sheet of ice, so they skied part of the Sherman trail instead.  Mother nature decided to mess up the race this year but it was still really fun even though I had to race flat water.   

I was on a Team of 5 women called Team Broads with Kim Seaman our runner, Nicole Vassar our biker, Di Collier our hiker, Ali O'Rourke skied and I was the kayaker. We competed in the all women's category against 5 women teams.  We all raced really well and came in 3rd in the all women's category, our time was 3:40:00.  I took first place in the kayak race out of all the the women and 10th in men. There were some really fast boats and some really fast paddlers so it wasn't a gimme.  In the overall results we came in 22nd out of 53 teams that included coed teams of 5, duo teams and soloists. It's such a great race and I am looking forward to it again next year. 

I'm trying to catch my brother Mark and passed all these guys.

Next up was NC for US Freestyle Kayak Team Trials.  If you made the US Team you earned a spot to compete at the World Championships in September on the Nantahala River in NC.  Team Trials were held on the Nantahala River and was a 3 day event and pretty much rained 2 days straight during the competition and unfortunately I didn't get any photos or videos because of it.  I haven't really play boated at all this year.  I spent a week in WV and a few days at Eternity hole in March and that was about it.  I've been training mostly for Wild Water Racing because I'm on the US Team for Wild Water and competing at the Sprint World Championships in June in Slovenia so my time and energy has been spent getting ready for Wild Water Worlds.  I'm stronger than I've ever been and that was a huge help with my freestyle kayaking.  I was able to get a couple of days of practice in on the feature working around the International Canoe Federation Judge Training that I was doing.  My paddling was going really well with getting consistent mcnasties, air loops, splitwheels, clean cartwheels, and occasional space godzillas.   

There was 15 women who competed. Prelims started on Friday and the level rose and the feature became flushy.  I was able to make it to semi finals in 7th place and 11 women moved on because Courtney from New Zealand was competing and she made it to semis.  Then it started to rain and didn't stop until Monday.  The organizers asked the damn operators to drop the level and they did.  The feature was just like what everyone practiced in so that was nice.  In semis you get two rides best one counts.  My first ride wasn't good enough to put me into the finals, I was a little conservative with it. Devon Barker and Jessica Yurtinas had a better score than me and I knew I had to do something if I wanted to make it into finals.  I knew I had to beat a 253 to make it into finals and then would have to wait to see what Kat did in her last ride since was the last to go.  This ride I went in and started with my mcnasty and it went then after that I did a bunch of other stuff and scored a 290 and then waited to see what Kat was going to score because she could of pushed me out of finals with her last ride.  She didn't beat my score so I moved on to finals and in 3rd place. I was pretty happy with that as was Jeff.   

We didn't know if we where even going to have finals if the river flooded out but we did in a crazy flushy feature.  In Finals you have 3 rides best one counts.  In finals was Emily Jackson, Devon Barker, me, Adriene Levknecht, and Haley Mills.  The judging was extremely strict so lots of stuff didn't go this weekend but it seemed they were even harder during finals. You would finish a ride in finals and be like sweet then the judges gave you like nothing, damn them!  I was sitting in 3rd which is a good place to be when you know what the others scored. Emily is super pregnant but still could throw down and Devon can easily have a great ride where she does all her tricks and puts up a lot of points even on a flushy feature.  Adriene and Haley are going to loop and space godzilla there brains out and get huge bonuses which makes them hard to beat.  My best score was my second ride which was a 110.  Emily and Devon had one ride left to beat my score (110), Haley's (140), and Adriene's (120) but they didn't and the three of us made the US Freestyle Kayak Team.  It was a relief to just goof off in my third ride.  Anyway, that's pretty much what happened.  

This is my second time on the US Freestyle Kayak Team I was on the US Team in 2009 with Adriene in Thun, Switzerland.  I also am on the US Squirt Team they needed another women so I said I would do it, thanks to Jeremy Laucks for letting me squeeze into his squirt boat. I actually competed in squirt at the Worlds in Thun because they needed another country to enter so I did it there and used Jeremy's boat.  I'm pretty happy to be competing in 2 World Championships this year.  I'll still be focusing mostly on Wild Water right now since the Worlds is in June then when I get back I'll do some training in freestyle but I'm not going crazy. The approach I took to the US Team Trials seemed to really work for me.  I've competed in 3 US Team Trials and this was the first one where I didn't care one way or the other about making the team and good things came from it.  

A big thank you to my number 1 sponsor Jeff Campbell, my family, and friends and to Wave Sport, Shred Ready, Mitchell Paddles, Zoar Outdoor, NRS, Maui Jim Sunglasses, KEEN, and Watermans Sunscreen for your support.  

Here's a link to the results  http://freestylekayaking2013.com/blog/us-team/

Celebrating making the US Team with Adriene, Haley and me!

Photo by: Shannon Christy

The US Team!

Till next time,

Elaine Campbell

I've been paddling the Wave Sport Recon 70 since September and couldn't be happier with it's performance. Prior to that I paddled the Diesel 70 as my creek boat for about 3 years, the Habitat for one year, and Huck for 2 years.    

Yes, I do paddle for Wave Sport and of course I want you to purchase a Wave Sport boat but I also want you to buy a boat that you are going to be comfortable in. I'm just letting you know my opinion of the Wave Sport Recon 70.  The best advice I have for you is to go to  Zoar Outdoor to demo one and then you tell me how you like it.  I'll bet you will be super impressed with this boat and will more than likely go buy one.  Believe me if I didn't feel comfortable in this boat I'd still use my Diesel 70 as my creek boat but guess what I'm not!   

I'm 5'5" around 135 pounds and paddle the Recon 70.  I enjoy creek boating but I'm not a hard core class V paddler. I enjoy paddling class V and I also enjoy walking class V. I spend lots of time in my Wild Water boat, my Wave Sport Project X 48, and my long plastic race boat.  I'm constantly transitioning from one boat to the next which can be difficult at times especially in my Wild Water boat.  When I get in my creek boat I want to be absolutely sure that it's going to be an easy transition back into it and the Recon 70 offers just that.  

It starts with the new Core Whiteout Outfitting.  It doesn't take long to get the foot paddling adjusted. I use all the foam that comes with it so if I piton the foot bed will absorb most of the impact.  I use the extra seat pad in the boat to give me more leverage.  I think all women should bump the seat up in creek boats and play boats to give them a better center of gravity unless you have a large torso then you may not have to.  My seat is located just behind the center position which is not all the way back but close to it.  I don't use a ton of hip pads. I like to be a little tight but not too tight. I feel if I'm super tight any little movement I make  in any boat responds to it.  I found that out paddling in Wild Water and now I use that model in my creek and play boats and it works great.  The best part about the Core Whiteout Outfitting is the leg lifter system.  Holy cow it's amazing!  No more having to deal with adding foam under you legs to get you legs into your thigh braces and no more blowing up bags.  All you do is sit in that comfy seat and the ratchet system is between you legs and crank it up till you feel snug.  Crank the back band up to wherever you like it. I don't like my back band super tight, just enough so I have some support. It's now time to paddle!       

I've paddled my Recon 70 in the Northeast on some big water, low volume creeks, boulder gardens, class III river runs and some decent sized slides.  I'm so impressed how well the Recon handled all those different types of water.  I don't have super technical language about boat designs so bear with me.   

I tend to like a boat with more of a planing hull so I was a little nervous about the Recon because of it's displacement hull. I like a boat where I can feel the edges when I paddle it and the Recon does just that. The Recon ferries with ease and snaps in and out of eddies with precision. I can really feel the edge of the boat initiate in the water when catching an eddy. It's makes me laugh sometimes when I'm paddling the Recon how easy it feels when I'm ferrying or catching eddies.  The Recon peels out of eddies with crispness and speed. It gets from point A to point B on edge in control and it has great secondary stability and is easy to roll.  I brought my Recon 70 to a bunch of pool sessions this winter and had a bunch of people in the boat and everyone said the boat was easy to roll.  There are a few people from those pool sessions that went out and bought a Recon just from how it feel in the pool.   

Most of the creek boats that I've paddled like the Habitat and Huck I found would be hard to keep on line.  I felt like I was fighting the boat more than anything else and that was frustrating and some times scary.  I never had that problem with my Diesel which was a huge reason why I paddled the Diesel over the Habitat.  The Recon holds a line a lot like the Diesel but better, it gets up to speed quickly and in full control.  I never feel like I'm fighting the boat. The Recon is easy to keep on line and turns easy so in those boulder garden rapids that offer up lots of S-turns the Recon slays it.  It feels like cruise control. 

The other topic to talk about is boofing and splatting.  The Diesel could boof but not like the Recon.  It's such a different feeling when I boof in the Recon compared to the Diesel.  The Recon feels like it just glides off of rocks when boofing or splatting. It really has this natural feeling while it's happening, unlike the Diesel where sometimes during a boof it felt a little mushy, if that makes sense.  The Diesel splatted and rock spun really well and it wasn't a terrible boofer just doesn't boof as well as the Recon.      

Another aspect of the Recon is how the bow is shaped.  It's curled up a bit so when your paddling in a wave train the boat goes over the top of the waves instead of going through them and the bow sheds the water nicely. It pops out of holes quickly and the stern isn't grabby.  Remember I keep my seat more towards the back and haven't been stern endered yet.    

That's pretty much all I have to say about the Recon. If I forgot to talk about something or you have a question just ask. You don't have to be a class V boater to enjoy this boat it's a great boat for the class III/IV boater to the class V boater.  Like I said in the beginning get to Zoar Outdoor and try a Recon you won't be dissapoointed.  

Here's a video I put together of the Recon. 

Take Care,

Elaine Campbell

I've been out of the scene for a few months enjoying my winter in VT.  We've had lots of snow this winter and it's been pretty cold.  I spent most of my time working at Timber Creek Cross Country and doing a lot of classic and skate skiing.  It was finally time to get out of VT and start paddling.  I headed to WV for a week bringing snow and cold temps with me.  I got some great days in on low water New River Dries and the Gorge section.  It was a great week getting myself comfortable in my boat again. Then I headed over to Eternity Hole in NC and put in a few days there.  It's a great little play spot where every hole trick goes really nice and it was still cold.  

Next up on my little paddling trip alone with no Jeff, Brook and Laya was a WildWater competition on the Nantahala in NC for the Bank of America US Open and yes, still cold.  I never got a break from cold weather on this trip!  The Sprint race was being held on Saturday and the Classic race on Sunday.  My buddy Mark and his wife Alicia drove from MA a few days before the race. We both finally got back in our wildwater boats after the long New England winter. I felt like I was starting all over again in my wildwater boat and using that damn wing paddle makes everything that much harder.  I was able to get it sorted out again but still not super comfortable.  Thanks to Alicia for being our awesome shuttle bunny! 

We heard about another winter storm that was brewing on Sunday night, that was in our direct path to drive home after the Classic race.  We asked the extremely nice Chris Hipgrave who was organizing the WildWater races if we could do the Sprint and Classic on Saturday so we wouldn't miss the Classic race or get stuck in a storm. He said yes, so we had a big day on Saturday with two races.   

The Sprint race started at Pattons Run on the Nantahala.  I was feeling a bit tippy that morning in my boat which is never a good feeling to have in a wildwater boat but I was able to keep it upright and clean with a second place finish.  Selena Popp came in first with a 1:28.60 and I was right behind her with a 1:28.63.  The Classic race that Mark and I did went well I did it in 15:56 and we did it on the Nantahala. I guess on Sunday the damn wouldn't open so they moved the Classic race to a different river so not really sure how my results faired to the other results but I'm pleased with my time for my first Classic race of the season.  

I'm back home in VT and so happy to be back with the family.  I have a crazy busy schedule this year and am looking forward to it especially since Jeff, Brook, and Laya will be coming with me for most of it.   

Here's some photos from the wildwater race and a video from my 2 weeks away.   

Mark Wendowlowski and I representing New England well!

Photos by: Alicia Clark Wendowlowski

Photo: Jeff Campbell

Till Next time,

Elaine Campbell

It took me a little while to learn how to clean blunt.  I was told by a few different people to think of it as a new trick and it helped.  I still will occasionally do a dirty blunt which is when you tap the paddle and then throw the paddle out to the side which is very, very dirty and not clean! 

How to Clean Air Blunt: 

Definition:

Elevated 180 degrees rotation on green water at an angle

greater than 45 degrees, clear of the foam pile, where the

competitor rotates around the bow of the boat not using the paddle to initiate the move, landing in a back surf. 

Left Clean Air Blunt: 

1. Get to the top of the wave by carving.

2. Once on top drop your right edge and do a forward stroke on your right side to accelerate the boat down the face of the wave.  Coming down the pile heading towards like 1- 2 o'clock angle. Keep your eyes looking upstream. 

3. While doing the forward stroke on edge, tighten up your abs lean forward and bounce hard on that right edge. It's like a pumping motion. 

4. Your boat now is going to get rejected and it will be in the air. Keep looking upstream, change edges by dropping your left edge and pulling up hard on your right and now the hard part, punch your left fist over to the right side of your boat while holding a hard right edge.  Your right arm should be straight, your left arm will be bent and will be pretty much at eye level crossing over your right side.  Keep looking upstream until the landing! 

5. Once you feel the rotation of the boat come around you can flatten out and throw in a back stroke as a recovery so you don't flush. 

There you have it, a beautiful clean air blunt. I hope what I said makes sense.  That's how I figured out how to clean blunt. Remember to really punch that fist out, stay looking upstream until you land and be snappy! If you do a dirty blunt or crash on the landing don't get discouraged keep working at it and you'll get it.  

To do a right just switch up your edges and punch out with your right hand! 

Here's a video of me throwing a left clean air blunt at Lunch Counter Wave and Garb.

Till next time,

Elaine Campbell