As part of making Legacy Paddlesports the sweetest place to work on the planet, we plan to enrich our offices and factory inside and out with Art that evokes our love of Water, Rivers, Kayaking and of course, Liquidlogic Kayaks and Native Watercraft. We want to surround ourselves with the work of others who draw on the paddling environment as a key source of inspiration. We hope to create a workspace that will keep us fired up to imagine, design, and build the world’s greatest boats. Hence: this Art Proposal.
We have built some fun and playful offices; our staff has optimized every part of our production floor, but our walls, though colorful, are bare. Our front garden and grounds around the factory have begun to grow many natural wonders, but we still crave something distinctive. Like: your work.
We aspire to build the world’s premiere collection of paddling-based artwork and we want to offer you the opportunity to be a part of it. To start our collection, we hope to commission up to 20 separate pieces of art.
Our Committee will consider works:
in any medium
in any style
with content connected directly to paddling or evocative of its elements
in any scale.... do note that we have a large space and will certainly welcome large scale proposals
Complete applications must include the following information:
Contact Information
Work Samples in the form of jpgs, url, snail mail, or bring it here to the factory.
JPGs representing an existing work or works that you would like us to consider
Resume or Bio
Deadline for Submissions: May 1st. Final Projects Deadline: July 15th; Artists will be compensated with one Native Watercraft or Liquidlogic Kayak (not including the Pedal Drive boats). The Legacy Paddlesports Gallery Committee may consider other compensation at their discretion. Contact: Shane Benedict, Curator, Legacy Paddlesports Gallery of Fine Arts shane@legacypaddlesports.com ℅ Legacy Paddlesports 210 Old Airport Rd. Fletcher N.C. 28732
Last season seemed to be the, thankfully, climax of the brown claw epidemic. However I didn't enter my video into the Brown Claw archives so here it is. You will see your basic Claw, The Spinning Claw, Under Over Claw, Double Claws of Fury, The Clap On Claw, The Clap on WTF, The Double Shocker Claw, The Claw of Terror, The Claw Your Way out of a Hole, The Preemptive Claw, The Claw Your Friend, and the Claw Your Way Up Out of the Water.
Another classic day of footage that I recovered from the depths of the Stomper prototype testing archive. It was a day much like we have had lately. Water and air temps were just starting to get downright comfy last year as the final touches were being put on the Stomper. All the crew was out on a perfect weekend. It just doesn't get much better than that. Oh and add on top of that I got to roll down the river with my paddling and business partner Woody Callaway. He is living my goal in paddling to just keep rolling out smooth lines for a really long time.
In any case the Stomper proved fun for all... and it rolls well!
Well now that I found this little nest of forgotten footage I might as well keep going. Adriene and I got out on the river last winter at 16". I was testing out one of the early protos of the Stomper 80. It was a fun day just the two of us out there. We didn't see a soul.
To me the river is actually easier and more fun at this level, except Gorilla of course. The whole thing is just softer. The boney rocks and slides that beat you up daily at normal flows are well padded and the extra juice makes it more splashy and bouncy. Yes there are a few holes that become a bit more disconcerting but over all it makes the river easier. The best examples of that are Go Left, Zwicks, and Sunshine. At Go Left you can start to run down the entire left side of the whole rapid which makes it a direct line rather than having to paddle out on the dome and turn hard to run the slots at the bottom of the rapid. In this video I run the sneak and Adriene comes down the Left Left line. Just watch the log its pretty exposed at 16 and gets better as you go up. At Zwicks you can run right of the top hole which takes this one from being one of the tougher rapids to being one of the easier. You can't help but run out over the shallow slide. At Sunshine as the levels get over 16 inches you can just run straight off the middle and pretty much clear the center rock. Adriene ran straight and I ran the right line. I should have run the straight line because I did flip over. Gorilla is a beast and it gets really beastly as the water goes up. We walked it.
Going Direct at Go Left
The down side to the river being this high or higher is that when things do go wrong they go wrong really quickly and in a much worse way. Its going to be a long time before you can pull your boat out of the river if you swim and it may be a rapid or two before you can swim yourself to shore if you aren't aggressively swimming. So if you are thinking about running this river at higher flows make sure you know the lines well and know you can deal with the issues that can arise. If you have that covered this can be some of the best runs on the river you will ever have.
Oh and don't forget about Hammer Factor. When the water levels rise the bad ass paddlers that are on this river at hi flows aren't worried about Go Left or Sunshine. They are pinching a loaf about Hammer Factor. Its big, nasty, and it gives grown boys and girls nightmares.
Adriene and I joined a good crew from Charlotte for an awesome mini epic on the Green during the snow storm that hit Western North Carolina last weekend. We had as much as 24" of snow in the mountains and down on the Green River we had about 10 and in all my time living in the area I had never been on the river when there was lots of snow. So even though the small roads were impassable we were determined to get out on the river. I was able to get out of my neighborhood and Adriene and I were able to meet the other folks at the exit for the takeout of the Green and run shuttle to that point. We drove back to my house and walked a couple miles down into the river and paddled out to the take out of the Narrows. The walk out was the tough part but after 1 1/2 hours we were at the top thanks to Holly delivering tasty beverages.
All totaled: 2 1/2 mile walk in. 7 miles of river 2 miles walking out straight up the mountain.
It is good to be in the "South" again. After a few years of drought the South is on the rise again. Before the Green Race Duke Power had started trying to draw down the lake so our flat water bretheren could work on their docks, and clean the algae from their foundations but we started getting rain, wetness, and we have really been enjoying a great fall and winter. As soon as they announced the draw down Duke has been behind the 8 ball. The lake has been nearly full to spilling ever since the race. Today the river was flowing over the dam at 100.5, which means there is 6" of water flowing over the damn and with the 1" plus of rain we had last night the river is cranking. When we got to the gauge it was reading a solid 19". Which is an awesome level because there are some really fun lines that open up with the higher level. There are also some holes and pushy current that come into play as well.
We had a great crew. Toby "budget" McD, Riley Cathcart, Adriene Loveconnect, Mr. Brookes, and myself. It was one of those days that if you woke up early and slightly wimpy feeling you wouldn't go kayaking. Luckily we all saw the rain and slept in to find clearing skies and high waters in the afternoon."Budget" fired up the Monkey and we all conveniently found our way down the left side of the river to "set rope" and "document" Toby firing it up.
This is what is looks like at 19"
This is what it looks like normally. Thanks original photo person.
This is Rob Rostermundt dropping in at a normal flow.
Good indicators are the rock above this guy on the left that backs up the notch eddie. Notice in Tobys shot how there is no rock. Its a little tough to tell but there is sooooo much more power in this spot when the water is high. Gorilla beomes so much more when the water is high. Not only is the Notch sort of a nightmare spot in the world but the slides below start to form large... no wait giant holes and Toby found his way into on of them. Luckily he worked his way out.
This hole not only stopped Toby it pulled him back from a good 15 feet downstream. He kept his head together and worked his way out of the hole and cleaned the second slide so that he could make his way into "the happy place".
Another fun line at high water out on the Green is the direct Sunshine line. When the water is high you don't have to worry about the rock that makes Sunshine the nighmare rapid that it can be a normal flows. Normally if you mess up the boof you could be paying with your ankles or more. But nicely at high water you can just air it out right down the middle.
After a nice day like that what more do you want than a nice dinner. So in a fine southern tradition I decided to fry me some catfish.
Once again the Green Race comes and once again I am blown away by how cool it is. Just think, a thousand people walked in more than an hour to watch a 130 or so paddlers giver a go for almost no prizes, no money, no chics, and very very little fame. Its all about a perfect weekend giving it everything you got, hanging with friends, and enjoying the whole thing. The weekend began with folks rolling in for the race. My house was full. Old friends, new friends, some spoke english some didn't, but everyone enjoyed a perfect November weekend in the mountains of North Carolina.
This event is actually becoming a full on real life tradition. Someday soon there is going to be someone that races on the Green that is younger than the race itself and in extreme racing thats a very big statement. In the photo above you see Polk Dieters (Green Race Vet) with his son Scout checking out his lines for the future.
This year we had all the action and still hardly any injuries (knock on wood). We had the classic nightmares of paddlers of the Green... Numero uno, Swimming over the drop. We also had nightmare numero dos going over upside down. Throw in a couple backwards runs and a few swims, and pitons and you have an action packed day of whitewater racing. The most severe injuries were imparted by the rocks on shore to the asses of folks trying to navigate the throngs watching the festivities, and the punishing blows to the egos of a few of us racers. Nothing a little ice, ibu, and alcohol won't take care of, as far as I know.
For me race day is a blurr of organizing friends and racers, making sure my spray skirt is in the van and remembering that I am actually racing. We all line up for the photo and then all of the sudden its all about you and the river. Everybody else is focused on their runs and you are left with your thoughts while you gear up and walk down to the river. The thoughts for each of us range from hopes to realities and hopes to fears. The walk to the river is quiet and a little lonely. The paddle down to the start line is focused. We are all feeling ourselves out, warming up, and trying to quiet the nerves. The funny thing is that once I got near the start line my butterflies started to go away. There were 50 paddlers fluttering around the starting rocks so the banter was quick and excited. Its a good feeling. We are all ready to go.
Little did we know that it would be the "Speed Trap" that would be dishing out the punishment. It may not have been as scary or dreaded but spinning around caught in the corner of the Trap was a nightmare for all of us racers and this year it was in high form. It created a couple swims, crushed a few race dreams, and sapped the will out of a few that had to deal with its grip I know I watched several paddlers go from slight disappointment, to focus, to desperation as their attempts to exit the "trap" failed. Ross Herr even celebrated after getting past this obstacle.
Once you have finished your race run there is an amazing rush that goes through you. It takes a minute or two to get past the exhaustion of the race but soon the adrenaline pushes past and everyone is smiling and patting you on the back as you walk up through the crowd to Gorilla. Folks are offering you beers and all your buds are just as jacked as you are. Its a awesome feeling.
The paddle out from the race is something that is hard to explain. If you are doing the hike its like that except we are all pretty psyched to be paddling together. The loneness of paddling the race on your own is gone and everyone is just having a good time. A new tradition has been born in the last few years and thats the Southern Cross at Sunshine rapid. Pick a buddy and cross paths. One goes left and one goes right.
From there on out its all smiles, jokes, and happiness. And then theres a party. The photos may just speak for themselves.
Congrats to all the racers. What a showing. No we have to say that on Green Race day there was somebody spanking the monkey every minute for nearly 3 hours. Wow you all rock! Andrew you are an animal. Adriene you have set a new standard for women paddlers on this river. Same goes for you Sprinkle and thanks to all the folks that paddle the LL boats. I think we are on to something. 3 out of the top 4 is damn good. Next time maybe we get that top spot in men's as well.
Thanks to Johnny Floor and the Wrong Crowd and DJ Clay? for the awesome music.
Huge huge huge thanks to Woody, Sarah, Tim, John, Jason, Chelsea, Cribbs, Perry, and many many others for making this event happen. And thanks Boyce the Stinger is fast.
This past weekend was as nice as we have seen yet this year. Clear skies and 80 degree weather made a great weekend for Jerry's Baddle. The first thing most folks ask is, "Whats Jerry's Battle"? First its a Baddle Bike/Paddle and here is the description of what Jerry's Baddle is from the JB Website. "Jerry's Baddle is a dual sport race that began in 2006 to honor a good friend, Jerry Beckwith, who had been diagnosed with ALS. The race was born out of a desire to keep his spirit and passion alive by raising money to help fight the disease that took his life and to foster the community he loved.
Daniel slicking Go Left during the paddling segment
From that comes an event that is at the core of the paddling community around the Green River. The Baddle is a very unique event because it combines two very different events, road biking, and class 5 kayaking. I am not sure how many entrants there were but the fact that there were somewhere around 50 people that could both paddle the narrows and ride a bike 26 miles is a pretty cool combination of skills.
Adam Herzog has been the reigning champion of this event for a while and he came into this one no different. The man is a living endurance machine. He has done things that I want to do in a lifetime in a single day. He has run across the Sahara desert and paddled the across the ocean as far as I am concerned and it didn't look any different at the beginning of this race. Adam was charging right away as was evident in his duel with Green Race Champ Andrew Holcombe. The two traded places a few times during the paddling section. So that meant that Zog was ripping down the paddling course.
Zog making the pass on Holcombe at Sunshine
Mefford Williams had been training tough on the bike for the last several months to get ready for this race and it showed as he powered up the switch backs of the Green Take Out road. Most folks don't know that he actually used to compete on the road bike before he was famous for floundering around in the mud for Vacation to Hell commercials. He is a regular for the Green Race so his paddling was solid as well. There was also another fast competitor Paul Stamilio. Let me just say that Paul f%$&*#@ flew on the bike and was chasing Mefford down the entire paddling course.
Mefford taking the "Glass Elevator"
Meff powering up the switchbacks
After the paddle everyone had kept their places. Zog was first off the beach, Holcombe was looking good in second but the bike was not a strong point, Mefford had held off Stamilio and they were headed into the heinous climb up the 18 switchbacks of Green River Road. This is where things started to change drastically.
The amphibian transition
This was shaping up to be a good Baddle. Nate and I jumped on my motorcycle to follow the bike action and we were thirsty by the time we got to the top of the hill I can't imagine what these guys were feeling. Things were changing quickly on the hill. Zog the dominator was taken down by a flat tire that he changed quickly, Holcombe said mid climb, "I am dying", but Stamilio was still going hard, as was Mefford. While these guys were giving their all Nate and I stopped for a Gatorade, stalled my bike, and then couldn't get it started so we had to roll start it. I actually started to sweat after that.
Zog didn't want to chat
Uh Yeah the Roll Start
After the switch backs up the hill its a long down hill that was scarier than the Green to me. I dropped the bike back a gear and watched as Stamilio passed me like I was standing still. It was a little embarrassing but he was fricking flying. This is where his luck ended and his chain jumped gears, snapped, and broke. Then he threw his bike into the woods.
Stamilio passing me on my motorcycle during the race
Mefford pulling away
To the winner comes the spoils PBR on the head
Here is a link to an interview by LVM with Mefford Williams 2009 Jerry's Baddle Champ Click Here
In the end Liquidlogic had an awesome day winning all three categories. Mefford Williams winning the Solo Baddle Jennifer Cribbs winning the women's Solo Baddle Clayton Gar and Jed Hinkley Winning the Team Baddle and Adriene Levknecht and Bob High taking third in the Team Baddle.
Jerry's Baddle, this year has raised more than $5000 dollars and still counting for the fight against ALS.
Congratulations ya'll!
After a great day of racing we had a few beverages listened to live music at the festival and then went up to The Purple Onion in Saluda for more music and dancing. A good time was had by all. Thanks again to everyone that helped put on the Baddle. Its an awesome event.
We just got out a few days ago on the Green with the protos of the Biscuit. I figured I would show you the few shots that we got. Yonton and Grace showing their playboating prowess. Also a good reason to not run Gorilla at 5.5 inches. This is what happens when you have done a river a bunch, and it doesn't rain, and your mountain bike is broken, and your girlfriend wants you out of the house? You go run that river again but this time you go in a tiny boat so that you can play your brains out and scare yourself a little. Anyway here are a couple more shots of the Biscuits.
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