Comments for Kindly Old Dr. K's Hydrosphere

Comment on Forty Years on the River by mhuddleston

mhuddleston — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:59:41 +0000

Wow!!!!
That’s my Dad allright!!! I think I’ve heard this story before. But the picture makes everything 100x better! (I think he still has those shorts)

Comment on Forty Years on the River by bombpop

bombpop — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:55:33 +0000

Sniff! (discreetly wipes tear from eye)

Comment on Forty Years on the River by colin

colin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:56:26 +0000

WELL DONE BILL!

Comment on More Po in the Snow (Enough Already!) by David

David — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:48:19 +0000

Hi Bill,
That was my wife and I out last Sunday in these photos. Great to see another kayaker on the water; great photos too!

Comment on OIA Adds 2008 Participation Data by James McBeath

James McBeath — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:14:19 +0000

Bill,
In 2009 World Kayak did its own surveys… paddlers, schools and instructors. Our findings showed a HUGE separation from that of the OIA… so we investigated. Unfortunately the OIA stats do not accomodate certain key elements of our sport and industry…

A) A good bit of these participation stats and conclusions are based on new boat sales! World Kayak has specifically challenged this after finding that only 20% of paddlers actually buy new boats as their first boat. Indeed most buy new for their third boat! Basing industry growth on new boat sales just doesnt work for whitewater kayaking.
B) We requested to know which regions were solicited in these surveys. The reply was, er, interesting. The studies missed 4 of our sports major regions! You cannot do surveys in a random fashion and represent whitewater. There are outdoor regions with no whitewater at all… coorelating those numbers into the survey will bring the average for participation down. In 2008 they incorporated MORE paddling regions and numbers were higher as a result.
C) The big one… in 2008 the average WW paddler went out 5 times that summer. In 2009 the average paddler went out 10 to 15 times. So why the discrepancy? Simple… water levels! 2008 SUCKED for water levels all over the Eastern regions! The drought conditions were never considered in the studies that the OIA does. Drought makes participation numbers go down and it also makes new participant numbers go down too… We found that 70% of new boaters are brought into the industry by friends who paddle… if friends arent paddling, they certainly arent bringin in new boaters.

I will be posting our study results shortly… you’ll see that we are indeed experiencing great participation and movement is towards growth. It is also VERY important that our messages are positive. Check my comments and some stats on my Symposium overview: http://worldkayakblogs.com/jamesmcbeath/2009/10/07/whitewater-symposium-a-new-positive-era-the-wk-position/

cheers, James.

Comment on Flopentahg = Belly Flops by colin

colin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:27:59 +0000

Nice video Bill! It was good to see you again. Next time we need to get out to boat.

Comment on A New Old Classic, Part 10 – It’s a Boat by Pat K

Pat K — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:09:48 +0000

Does Carrie Ashton know you have this boat???

(Carrie was always a high-volume boater, and i believe she raced an Augsburg.)

Comment on The New Old Classic Finally Gets Wet by AdamVG

AdamVG — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:25:13 +0000

Looks sweet Bill! Hope to SYOTR soon!

Comment on A New Old Classic, Part 10 – It’s a Boat by Jef

Jef — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 03:40:24 +0000

Wow, Paul G. just sent me this link. And a flood of old memories came back. Not to mention an attack of itching and coughing.

That is a great boat design. And you could not have chosen a better color! Where is the alligator?

Look forward to seeing on the river on a Sunday AM.

Cheers,

Jef Huey

Comment on A New Old Classic, Part 10 – It’s a Boat by Colin

Colin — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:54:47 +0000

Bill, nice work. I have been kicking the idea of building a new boat again for a while. I think it will have to be a long leg big foot squirt for me, and you know that will require glitter!!

Later; Colin