In today's podcast we connect with Jen Lee to hear the story of how she crossed the Molokai Channel in a SUP, OC1, and Surfski all in one season.   If that isn't impressive enough, she only started surfski paddling two years prior and conquered the channel on a properly big day. Jen is an accomplished water woman, but the message she's passionate about  delivering is that anyone can achieve this with the right attitude, dedication to training, and the right boat (hint - Jen did the...

In this podcast episode I catch up with Carter Johnson, Race Director for the Gorge Downwind Festival.   In just four years this race has become the single biggest downwind event in the world.   With 750 participants, featuring equal numbers of Outrigger Canoe and Surfski paddlers, plus a good contingent of Stand Up Paddle Boarders.   But more than just a race, this has become a week long festival celebrating paddling, downwind, beer, Rivers for Change, and loads of camaraderie. In this...

In this podcast episode I catch up with Carter Johnson, Race Director for the Gorge Downwind Festival.   In just four years this race has become the single biggest downwind event in the world.   With 750 participants, featuring equal numbers of Outrigger Canoe and Surfski paddlers, plus a good contingent of Stand Up Paddle Boarders.   But more than just a race, this has become a week long festival celebrating paddling, downwind, beer, Rivers for Change, and loads of camaraderie. In...

In this podcast I have the opportunity to sit down with one of  the best surfski paddler in the world right now,  Cory Hill aka Chill Hill.  Like most surfski paddlers, Cory is incredibly humble and seems mature beyond his years.   Balancing relationships and a full time career,  Cory does an unimaginable  job competing at the very top of his game.   We have a  casual discussion covering a range of topics  as I work to extract what makes Cory tick and how he does it.   I can’t claim to be...

In this podcast I have the opportunity to sit down with one of  the best surfski paddler in the world right now,  Cory Hill aka Chill Hill.  Like most surfski paddlers, Cory is incredibly humble and seems mature beyond his years.   Balancing relationships and a full time career,  Cory does an unimaginable  job competing at the very top of his game.   We have a  casual discussion covering a range of topics  as I work to extract what makes Cory tick and how he does it.   I can’t claim to be...

Today's podcast guest is the legendary Ivan Lawler.   Ivan is regarded as Britain’s greatest canoe paddler of all time, and many argue the world’s greatest marathon paddler. Ivan has also been recognized internationally for sportsmanship when in the 1990 world championship he and his partner stopped to wait for the Danish team who were having rudder trouble They could have won, but instead finished in second place by one second. Those who know Ivan, would not be at all surprised by...

Today's podcast guest is the legendary Ivan Lawler.   Ivan is regarded as Britain’s greatest canoe paddler of all time, and many argue the world’s greatest marathon paddler. Ivan has also been recognized internationally for sportsmanship when in the 1990 world championship he and his partner stopped to wait for the Danish team who were having rudder trouble They could have won, but instead finished in second place by one second. Those who know Ivan, would not be at all surprised by...

In this podcast we catch up with Oscar to get a front row view of the racing at the ICF World Surfski Championships in Hong Kong (check out the link for great live footage)  and the infamous Doctor downwind race in Perth, Australia. This is a relatively short podcast at just over 30 minutes,  but as usual, it is always very informative to catch up with Oscar and get his perspective on the racing and the conditions.  Beyond just the race discussion, I jumped at the opportunity to pick his...

In this podcast we catch up with Oscar to get a front row view of the racing at the ICF World Surfski Championships in Hong Kong (check out the link for great live footage)  and the infamous Doctor downwind race in Perth, Australia. This is a relatively short podcast at just over 30 minutes,  but as usual, it is always very informative to catch up with Oscar and get his perspective on the racing and the conditions.  Beyond just the race discussion, I jumped at the opportunity to pick...

2018 Gorge Downwind Champs Registration Opens Nov 1st In today's podcast we welcome back Carter Johnson,  the affable and infamous creator and director of the Gorge Downwind Champs.   In this casual chat we recap highlights from the 2017 Gorge Festival and discuss lessons learned and improvement plans for the 2018 event. If you've been to the Gorge, then you know what its all about, and I'm certain you'll be excited to hear from Carter about the plans for 2018.   If you have not yet...

2018 Gorge Downwind Champs Registration Opens Nov 1st In today's podcast we welcome back Carter Johnson,  the affable and infamous creator and director of the Gorge Downwind Champs.   In this casual chat we recap highlights from the 2017 Gorge Festival and discuss lessons learned and improvement plans for the 2018 event. If you've been to the Gorge, then you know what its all about, and I'm certain you'll be excited to hear from Carter about the plans for 2018.   If you have not...

In this podcast I get a chance to chat for the first time with the great American surfski champion Austin Kieffer. In just 5 short years, Austin has gone from paddling a surfski for the first time, to battling it out for podium finishes with the greatest paddlers in the world. He is now a force to be reckoned with and a podium contender in any of the biggest surfski races in the world. In this podcast we cover the story of how the last five years unfolded.  Austin is both candid and...

In this podcast I get a chance to chat for the first time with the great American surfski champion Austin Kieffer. In just 5 short years, Austin has gone from paddling a surfski for the first time, to battling it out for podium finishes with the greatest paddlers in the world. He is now a force to be reckoned with and a podium contender in any of the biggest surfski races in the world. In this podcast we cover the story of how the last five years unfolded.  Austin is both candid and...

In today’s podcast we sit down with Dr Brendan O’Neill the Chief Operating Officer of Vaaka Cadence based out of New Zealand.    Brendan grew up in competitive kayaking starting at the age of 15.  He competed at very high levels in the UK during his peak years and then transitioned into coaching.   As a paddler, coach, and Doctor of Sports Medicine, Brendan found his true passion exploring the realm of physiology and related metrics to drive optimal performance. This is a great discussion...

In today’s podcast we sit down with Dr Brendan O’Neill the Chief Operating Officer of Vaaka Cadence based out of New Zealand.    Brendan grew up in competitive kayaking starting at the age of 15.  He competed at very high levels in the UK during his peak years and then transitioned into coaching.   As a paddler, coach, and Doctor of Sports Medicine, Brendan found his true passion exploring the realm of physiology and related metrics to drive optimal performance.   This is a great discussion...

In today's podcast we catch up with Boyan Zlatarev of the Tarifa, Spain Surfski Center.   Boyan recently executed a spoof on Social Media known as the Surfski 600 Project.   The goal was to get the attention of the paddling community and ultimately drive a mindset shift into how we view the capabilities of boats that have traditionally been labeled as  "beginner" craft. While the feedback and support was overwhelmingly positive, there were some who were not thrilled with the spoof. In...

In today's podcast we catch up with Boyan Zlatarev of the Tarifa, Spain Surfski Center.   Boyan recently executed a spoof on Social Media known as the Surfski 600 Project.   The goal was to get the attention of the paddling community and ultimately drive a mindset shift into how we view the capabilities of boats that have traditionally been labeled as  "beginner" craft. While the feedback and support was overwhelmingly positive, there were some who were not thrilled with the...

Today we connect for a second podcast with the red hot Sean Rice. Sean may well be the fastest surfski paddler in the world right now. He started off the year with a win and course record at the Amsterdam Waterland Marathon, then took his first win at Molokai and just recently won the Nelo Summer Challenge. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a win this weekend at the the Canadian Surfski Champs and next weekend at the Gorge Downwind Festival. Below is just a highlight of some of the key...

Today we connect for a second podcast with the red hot Sean Rice. Sean may well be the fastest surfski paddler in the world right now. He started off the year with a win and course record at the Amsterdam Waterland Marathon, then took his first win at Molokai and just recently won the Nelo Summer Challenge. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a win this weekend at the the Canadian Surfski Champs and next weekend at the Gorge Downwind Festival. Below is just a highlight of some of the...

In today's podcast we have the honor of sitting down with Dr. Kelly Starrett—waterman, coach, physiotherapist, and author of multiple New York Times bestsellers including Becoming a Supple Leopard and Ready to Run, as well as his most recent book Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World Kelly and his wife Juliet started one of the first ever Cross Fit Gyms (#30 to be exact) in San Francisco out of a couple of shipping containers sitting in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge.    Kelly...

In today's podcast we have the honor of sitting down with Dr. Kelly Starrett—waterman, coach, physiotherapist, and author of multiple New York Times bestsellers including Becoming a Supple Leopard and Ready to Run, as well as his most recent book Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World Kelly and his wife Juliet started one of the first ever Cross Fit Gyms (#30 to be exact) in San Francisco out of a couple of shipping containers sitting in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge.  ...

Joining us on the podcast today is Matt Myers.   Husband, father of 2 young boys, co-founder of Broneah Kiteboarding, co-founder of the hugely successful Northern Michigan lifestyle brand M22 and co-founder of the now infamous M22 Challenge. If all that wasn’t enough, Matt is a 5 year Chordoma Cancer survivor, an accomplished kite surfer, motocross racer, mountain biker, and stand up paddle boarder. Matt and I became friends over 9 years ago when his then fiancé Stephanie and my wife Kim...

Joining us on the podcast today is Matt Myers.   Husband, father of 2 young boys, co-founder of Broneah Kiteboarding, co-founder of the hugely successful Northern Michigan lifestyle brand M22 and co-founder of the now infamous M22 Challenge. If all that wasn’t enough, Matt is a 5 year Chordoma Cancer survivor, an accomplished kite surfer, motocross racer, mountain biker, and stand up paddle boarder. Matt and I became friends over 9 years ago when his then fiancé Stephanie and my wife...

Joining us on the podcast today is Pat Langley founder of Vaikobi. Pat left a successful career building a large Sailing technical apparel brand to strike out on his own and address what he saw as a big gap in the paddle sports market. Designing technical apparel for the paddle sports athlete. Pat recognized that most of the major brands were focused on either white water or touring gear and no one was  serious about developing clothing that was optimized for paddle athletes pushing their...

Joining us on the podcast today is Pat Langley founder of Vaikobi. Pat left a successful career building a large Sailing technical apparel brand to strike out on his own and address what he saw as a big gap in the paddle sports market. Designing technical apparel for the paddle sports athlete. Pat recognized that most of the major brands were focused on either white water or touring gear and no one was  serious about developing clothing that was optimized for paddle athletes pushing their...