Charlotte Gets High Props

I'm having dinner of ice cream and beer, flipping through Shape magazine, checking out how I can get firmer abs (preferably while not having to give up beer or ice cream), there is a picture of me paddling (probably when I should have been working).
No, that's not me on the cover, but LeAnn Rimes does credit her yoga routine for the level of fitmess displayed here. Hurrah for yoga.
The recognition for Charlotte's different healthy outdoor pursuits is fantastic. Great coverage of the USNWC, Ballyntine Resort, and numerous local, luxury golf courses. Be sure to pick up a copy.


Hurrah for Charlotte, hurrah for the US National Whitewater Center, hurrah for healthy outdoor lifestyles, hurrah for beer and ice cream!

Proud Moments

Today we had four guests come to paddle the course who had all learned to paddle from our instruction program. We've watched these folks progress from absolute beginner, learning to roll, learning to read water and finding their sense of balance to the point that they are styling the channels. If you've paddled here, you know how challenging a course it is with its swirly eddies and surgy features. It's so cool to see these four paddle with style and confidence knowing that they barely just started their lifelong paddling careers. Congratulations Tracy, Ted, Tim and Sam. I'm so proud of each of you sticking with the sport and with instruction programs to get to this level.

Kids and Cowbells

This Saturday we hosted our first Kid's Weekend. Kids events and activities were going on everywhere. We had full clinics of kids in whitewater. How cool would it be to learn at this age? It amazes me of how good these kids get so quickly. That, and they are typically having a lot more fun learning than your average adult.Both Bass Pro Shop and REI were on hand as event sponsors adding to the list of activities for kids. The archery range that we built next to the Comp Channel stayed busy all day with the help of Bass Pro Shop professionals teaching kids how to shoot a bow and arrow.



With the help of our super friendly summer interns, the Ducky race was a huge hit.


We even had a real Nascar race car on hand for kids and their families to check out.
It seemed a little out of place but this is Nascar country and it would be bad to forget that rubbin is racin.


Flatwater is a fantastic way for families with children to get on the water.
The Catawba is a great place to explore and the sit on top kayaks from LiquidLogic make it easy to navigate your way to the ins and outs of this fantastic waterway.

Lastly, amongst the thrills of kids weekend, we simutaniously held the Cowbell Challenge, a 12 hour mountain bike ride.
That's right, 12 HOURS!!! of being on a bike. My butt hurt just watching these guys. After watching less than one hour of the twelve, I figured it was way too hot and made my way back to the paddlesports side of things.

A big thanks to all the kids and families that came out to participate in our first kids weekend. Thank you to all of our sponsors for helping make it happen.

God Hates the Race Series

We've held the race series in 30 degree temperatures. We've put it on regardless of gail force winds. The race series continued even in the face of torrential rain fall. This last week, after three futile attempts, God finally shut us down. Lightening bumped its way through the greater Charlotte region on the eve of the LiquidLogic race. We held tough as long as possible, but the race down the channels quickly changed into a race to the bar. Woody Calloway, LiquidLogic Marketing Manager and all around cool guy, would not be swayed to give up by the mere onslot of lightening. He vowed to return this coming Friday night for a rematch of the USNWC Race Series vs. weather. That's right, LL returns to host a head to head citizen slalom down the wilderness channel Friday, June 15th. Only $5 to enter, great prizes provided by Woody and his disregard for our precociuos weather patterns. See you there.

Cooper at the Teva Mountain Games

Cooper Lambla, kayak isntructor extraordinaire, fired up the Teva Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado last week. In his first lap he placed 11th beating out both Eric Jackson and Tommy Hilleke. Finishing 18th overall, we're all very proud of Cooper's accomplishment and can't wait to see some of the video footage from his western road trip. Cooper is just one of our many highly esteemed instructors. We'll keep you updated on all of the activity of our staff throughout the season.

Race Series Is On!

The next instalment of the USNWC Race Series is this Friday night. The good folks from LiquidLogic will be on hand to help with the entertainment. We'll have our Race Series t-shirts on sale for $10 plus tax on race day. Hope to see you out here.


This Friday's race is a citizen slalom down the Wilderness Channel. Beginner and intermediate paddlers are encouraged to participate.