Over the last couple weeks, several athletes have had the chance to have some fun out on the water, both river rafting and paddleboarding.
Last week many ASC athletes joined up with other skiers in the region for an exciting day on the American River. With the help of four amazing guides: Mitch Dion, Jeff Schloss, Barb Hartley and Peggy Lindsay -- who also coordinated this trip for us, more than 20 athletes and several of us coaches navigated an 11-mile stretch of the river starting in Coloma, Calif. It was an absolute blast!
Despite the intense water fight battles that went on between the four rafts, the day was pretty much incident-free, with no involuntary swims (with the exception of the water wars, which I'm pretty sure Coach Ben won hands-down). The chilly water was the perfect contrast to a hot day, and the sunburns were relatively minimal. Overall, it was a fun and one-of-a-kind day for all, and one that won't soon be forgotten. A BIG thanks to all of our amazing guides, and especially to our trip coordinator Peggy, for such a WONDERFUL day! :)
(Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any photos of this trip since we were out on the water and getting WET all day! But trust me, there's no need for documentation to prove the day was a blast!)
And earlier this week, several Tahoe City devo kids, along with Stefan, Ben and myself were fortunate enough to be able to go paddleboarding on Lake Tahoe for our workout. Personally, I had never tried this new sport, and was heavily outnumbered, as nearly all of the 11 athletes in attendance had paddleboarded before, and many were actually impressively experienced. Nonetheless, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to try a new activity, and found that it was something I really enjoyed.
For me paddleboarding definitely took a bit of getting used to. At the beginning I was wobbly and understandably apprehensive. I watched with envy as the kids paddle along gracefully, seeming to leave me behind with each stroke. They were like paddleboard pros! But as I became more acquainted, I quickly began feeling more comfortable and efficient, and enjoyed myself more and more. Despite the relative experience of the group, I think just about everyone ended up in the water at some point or another, with a small misstep of imbalance. But it didn't take away from the fun!
Another HUGE thank you to Tom Kalange of Wai Sup paddleboards for getting us out on the water and showing us all how it's done! This was a truly special day, and a new discovery for me, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be able to 'mix things up' from our usual practice routine.
I headed back early to snap a few photos from the beach. Enjoy!












P.S... Still no luck with the rollerskiing videos :( I'll work on finding another way to get them up, perhaps through Youtube. Stay tuned!
-Coach Kara