First Descents- What Does Kayaking Mean to You ~ Grab 2016 by The Balls

Playak News Flash - January 2, 2016
The world's latest paddling headlines.

News Watch Headlines First Descents- What Does Kayaking Mean to You Kokatat Blog - First Descents (a nonprofit that provides free life-changing adventures for young adults impacted by cancer) asked their 2015 participants what kayaking meant to them, after attending a week-long kayaking program. They were overwhelmed by the emotion and meaningfulness that the river, the current, and the experience had on each of the participants who responded. How to Increase Your Standup Paddle Performance Distressed Mullet - When I first started standup paddling some five years ago, there was virtually nothing available, either online, or in bookstores that was especially helpful. One or two books were out there, but the sport was new. Grab 2016 by The Balls Brittany Parker - Being a guide I meet many different kinds of people. Most of them have this one thing in common, they have college degrees and a solid full-time job (almost always in an office). Chasing Yachts with Travis Grant SUP Magazine - For most athletes, training is the essential way they prepare for their next big competition. No matter the sport, athletes will spend countless of hours in the gym, trying to get just the slightest edge over the competition. Professional SUP racer Travis Grant is no exception to this rule, except that his training is a bit more enjoyable. On The 8th Day of Christmas Tony Paradise - On the 8th day of Christmas. I posted pictures of our Christmas Eve social.  Since 2009 some of us have been meeting at St. Philips for a social to have a paddle or just hang out in our kayaks.  This time we had nine: Brian, Cathy, Dave, Derek, Derrick, Gary, Neville, Sue and myself. Fun Little Waves Today Atlantic Paddle Surfing - Little waves in the foggy morning. Was glassy early but when the fog lifted the surf got choppy as the S winds blew. Scott and I floating the 7-8 HyperNut. Surpisingly the board works pretty good in the small waves and is stable enough to float my weight, 195 #'s .   39 Weeks: Anytime Now Lina Augaitis - My last month of pregnancy has been spent in a winter wonderland of sorts. I have been nordic skiing, snowshoeing, a little bit of stand up paddleboarding, swimming, yoga, and a little bit of crossfit/home exercises, and a whole lot of walking. I also finished up teaching, spent a week in Vancouver, enjoyed going to shows and movies, and shovelled lots of snow. Andrew and I also took the opportunity to work on some home projects. Reflecting back on 2015 - A Medical Professional's Perspective Kokatat Blog - Another great year has come and gone, allowing me to reflect. I love writing end of the year reviews because it gives me the opportunity to truly reflect and see the year for what it was. Caught up in the middle of a year, it's easy to feel frustrated or discouraged. In 2015 for example, I had many moments where I felt like work was taking over my life, I hardly had time to sleep let alone paddle, and overall felt like I could hardly keep my head above water. The Best Paddlers in The World This Year SUPracer - SUP Racer celebrated its 4th birthday last week. This humble little blog came to life just over four years ago with our first ever feature post: The Top 11 of 2011. That Top 11 list (with Danny Ching at #1) sparked plenty of debate and helped kick start SUP Racer's journey, and it was followed by the Top 12 of 2012 (Danny Ching again), Top 13 of 2013 (Connor Baxter, Annabel Anderson) and Top 14 of 2014 (once again Connor Baxter and Annabel Anderson). The Seattle Crew paddles the Selway - 2015 Daniel Patrinellis - What's there really to say? I'm six months late posting these Selway photos. Top 10 SUP Topics Of 2015 SUP Connect - 2015 is coming to a close and it's crazy to see how much has happened this year. From news of cancellations of major SUP events to viral videos and tons upon tons of tips and tricks, we've gathered together the top 10 SUP topics over the past year. So without further ado, check out the Top 10 SUP Topics that we've covered for 2015 below. Mission Hawaii- Meet The Team Jackson Kayak - Hawaii has been on my mind for a kayak trip since the first day I stepped foot onto the island back in 2004. I was young, 16 years old, and just getting into kayaking. I was in Hawaii visiting my aunt and uncle with my best friend Joel Kowalski. Ej- The Beginning of a New Mission in 2016 Jackson Kayak - My mind is not super complex, but it is quite self-driven.  I have learned that it needs to be occupied in the right ways to keep me from going on tangents that are bad for me or others.   Canada Day Daniel Patrinellis - The Ashlu is running this weekend. That's all the text from Brad said, but that's really all I needed to hear. I met up with a bunch of engineers a little North of Seattle and we all piled into Mike Nash's beast of a van. The Most Popular Videos of The Year SUPracer - As the year draws to a close and we reflect back on 12 months of paddling adventures, one thing that stands out is just how many awesome SUP videos were released in 2015.

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