Huge Experiences Blog

New
River Academy was fortunate to have professional kayaker, Clay
Wright, speak to the students and faculty about community and what it means to
be an ambassador for the sport. Clay spoke for about two hours, and every
minute was riveting. Clay is an ambassador for Patagonia,
and Jackson Kayaks.

Clay has been paddling for some 30 years and has become friends with
every big name in the industry, but that is not what has made him a favorite
amongst the community. What makes Clay an incredible ambassador is that when
Clay is on the river, every person is a paddling partner, no matter skill
level. Clay is always ready for any situation that might require his attention,
whether it be a rescue situation or some instruction on how to throw a loop.
And better yet, if he gets flushed during a difficult trick, you will see him
pop up with a smile on his face and two thumbs up, or a peace sign. These
examples of positive support are what make New River Academy
so excited to be part of the paddling community.

One thing that Clay brought to my attention is the fact that the Kayak
community is small, and to the rest of the world we may look like some alien
creatures that roll up to rivers in communities that don’t always see bright
boats, big trucks, men wearing skirts, and excited people jumping into a river
that seem terribly dangerous. Clay reminded me that a smile and a quick
explanation can go miles toward keeping put-ins open, rivers accessible, and a
good image for the kayak community. The first time we see a bumper sticker that
says, "Kayaking is not a crime," we have failed. He simply stated
that we need to always be aware of how we are being perceived, because lets
face it, kayakers are a cool bunch confident individuals that dork out on
tricks like the fonix monkies.

The thing that Clay reminded us the most is that we are so very fortunate to
be able travel around the world checking out different cultures and rivers.

Thank You Clay.

Kyle Dinnel

Original post by New River Academy and software by Elliott Back

These classrooms are just so ugly. (C) Michelle Yates

We have made it back to W. Virginia where school rolls on to wrap up the first quarter.  The small classes here make it possible to do things that you just can't do with a larger traditional classroom.  I think the most noticeable differences are the sophistication and interest levels seen in the classes.  For example:

In physics, Shane Groves has been able to conduct experiments involving the 20ft ramp at Keenerville.   Physics is just a lot more fun when you see that 50 gallon drum launch off the end of the ramp.

Shane's math classes also sound pretty intense.  Whereas most math teachers feel they should have been dentists what with all the teeth they pull, I regularly hear Shane's students competing and arguing with one another over math problems.  I thought 2 plus 2 always equalled 4, but apparently there is something to argue about there.

Eleanor Perry has stepped in to fill the Spanish and Biology AP classes.  We have little post-its with pictures and spanish words on them all over the house these days.  I ran a tub of dish water just the other day, and three with different utensil names floated to the surface.  She is also working closely with her lone AP Biology student to cover some pretty sophisticated stuff.  Not too long ago, she showed us all this really cool video of what goes on in a cell.  It was a computer animation done to scale by the students at Harvard.  It's amazing what goes on in their.  An automotive assembly line has nothing on the functions of a cell if you ask me.

 Kyle Dinnel has his World Literature classes exploring the patterns of the epic.  They have read classical epics from various cultures, but also looked at contemporary movies to see how the same essential story has simply been recast.  I regularly hear his students discussing the work of Freud and Jung who believed that we tell the same stories because we are simply symbolizing the enduring universal human experiences of birth, death, love, hate, etc.  That's deep. 

My (Adam Compton) U.S. History and Government classes have been a blast.  We are able to cover so much more ground with two students in the largest classes.  The U.S. History class took a walk around Ohiopyle, PA a week ago where we stood on the same ground that Washington passed through immediately before dodging the first shots of the French and Indian War.  We also saw the remains of an early 20th century resort that emerged with the trains, and disappeared when the car gave patrons more places to choose from.  The entire history of American can be found in that one town.  Both the Government classes are trying to make sense of public opinion and media influences.  Rest assured these kids will not be easily duped by the talking heads when we're done here.

Kyle's photography and Tino Specht's video classes are also turning out some pretty sophisticated stuff.  Check out the student's blogs for photography, the website for some of the videos, and Tino's blogs for even more.  I am really impressed with what these guys do.  They seem to have no end of subjects or passion.

All in all, these kids are doing very well.  I have seen a lot of progress across the board.  We are sending some assignments home to get a little bit ahead before we take on the rigors of travel in China, but are also prepping lessons that will leverage the Chinese environment.

Original post by New River Academy and software by Elliott Back

The day started boring at New River Academy with a study hall session. But hey, we gotta get it done, right? Immediately afterward we were going to the Lower Gauley. But somehow, I ended up riding in Clay Wright's big truck with a yellow lab in my lap on the way to do my first run of the Upper Gauley!

It was AWESOME. I spent the day trying to keep up with endless kickflips, splatwheels, rock spins, and even a sweet pogo flip off of a little ledge in a slot. Clay showed me all the creeky lines and I'm happy to say I usually followed.

The rapids that stick out in my memory are Pillow, Iron Ring, and Sweets Falls. I was proud to stay upright past the Pillow itself, only to be mystery moved by the sweet Volkswagon pourover at the end. We did the traditional leap into Pillow Rapid, where the water is so aerated you don't pop back up until it's over. Clay did a sweet front flip!

The play was also completely and utterly epic. I was learning how to fly from the Wright brothers themselves. Pun completely intended. My favorites were the wave at Insignificant and the loop spot right before take out. Trying to splat everything Stephen did was a futile exercise, but it did work out the soreness from Nationals. Pikey is a great guy when you can understand what he's saying. We were also joined by Brian Kirk and Kelsey Thompson, who often lag behind so they can Phonix the tar out of everything.

Shuttle was painless. We were able to park the van near the river instead of taking on the legendary Upper Gauley hike. After some burgers and shakes at Fat Eddy's a rousing game of frisbee golf was in order. I finished at a healthy 21 above par. Hopefully I'll have the skills to give Clay and Captain Kirk a run for their money when we meet again.

See you on the river!

Morgan the Tidd 

Original post by New River Academy and software by Elliott Back

  For this photo  project we were asked to shoot an inorganic subject.  The photo was suposed to show the subjects texture and charicteristics.  I chose duct tape as my subject.

Kayakers use duct tape for everything.  They even use it to fix holes in their boats.  Here is an exlent example of duct tape repair on a kayak.  I took this photo behind an outfitter store in Ohiopyle.  This photo was shot at 1/3200sec  F/5 and ISO 1600.

This sign was posted above a pay phone in Ohiopyle.  This photo was shot at 1/4000sec  F/5.6 and ISO 1600.

 Here I just laid a role of duct tape on a railroad track and took a photo.  This photo was shot at 1/2500sec F/5.6 and ISO 1600.

Original post by New River Academy and software by Elliott Back

The new photo project was to take a closer look at things, and enter the macro side of photography. After walking around for a while I chose to shoot the paddles scattered around the trailer. All of the paddles had very cool patterns and lines through out them. With the typical paddle shot being the whole paddle often with someone kayaking with it, it was interesting to zoom in and take a closer look at the motor behind whitewater kayaks.

This shot is of a paddle shaft. With most of the background as well as most of the paddle being out of foucs it really draws the eye into the one focused section with the diamond pattern. This was shot at a f-stop of 4.8 for 1/50th of a second at an ISO of 100. Photo (c) Sam Fulbright.

This is a very similar shot, but it was focused [...]