Dec 08 2009
More photos from free clinic.
Thanks to Matthew Koch with www.adriftimages.com for sending me some new pictures of the free clinic for this write-up.
Hope to see you all on the river soon after a short leave of absense.
Jeremy Adkins
Tag Archive 'kayak'
Nov 19 2009
Free Clinic with Jackson Kayaks and Coosa Outfitters
A few months ago I called Dusty Stinson about helping him out as the new Jackson Kayaks dealer in North Alabama, which has been long overdue to our area. Coosa Outfitters is the first company with a selection of gear to get you into whitewater kayaking while having a positive motivated attitude towards our great sport. He is making it fun for everyone. This would be the first annual free pool and river clinics. With Clay Wright, Dane Jackson, Samantha Brunner, Boyd Ruppelt, Burress family, Gavin Rains, Chris Wing, Anne Connolly and Andrew Koch. With warm temperatures and great water due to the recent rains it was a great weekend to be in a pool or on a river. The pool was outside, which was great with 75 degree temperatures but the water could have been warmer. The instructors taught rolling, eskimo rescues, playboating, stokes, bow stall, stern stalls, wet exits and much more. With the help of Matthew I was able to complete the Shred Ready throw rope man. He will be used at NAWFest as well to help you with your rope throw. I am the champ Gavin. Check the video lol…
During lunch which was provided by Dusty’s family (sandwiches, drinks, fruits, cookies and drinks) we did the Shred Ready belly flop competition which was awesome. It is amazing how big someone will go for a free piece of hear. The winner was Scott, a Father of 6 children that recently had his son’s helmets chewed up by their dog. Way to go big. Some of the notable belly flops were EJ, the corkscrew guy and the ankle grabber.
That night we stayed at an apartment that Dusty’s dad owns. Dusty only had one rule and that was nooone open the back door. EJ and Clay walked in and I proceeded to share the piece of information with them. No sooner that I told EJ he went over to the door to find the bathroom and set off the alarm. Very funny. That night we walked two blocks to the local pizza joint (Maynards- AWESOME!). This place is suppose to be one of the top 100 restaurants in the country. The pizza was too good for words. Thanks Dane for not eating all of yours because I got wings.
On Sunday we split into two groups. The beginner’s group went with Dave Blanding (JK Rep) and Dusty to Terrapin Creek. Terrapin is a mild class 1 river with minimal consequences. Their trip would include all types of whitewater and sit on top kayaks. At the same time Team Jackson Kayak went down the Locust Fork of the Warrior, home of the NAWFest. Locust Fork is a class 2-3 river that is great for beginners and intermediate paddlers wanting to step their game up. You can always check the levels of Alabama rivers at AlabamaWhitewater.com. We had around 60 people in this group which was an amazing thing to see. With only one broken paddle and one lost paddle the highlight of the trip for was my first hand paddle or hand float of the entire Locust Fork River. The Locust offers up a lot of eddy line moves, rock spins, slots,surfing and Ender Hole, one of the best playspots around.
It was great weekend paddling with the Burress family and I truly enjoyed every second of this past week. I hope to see you on the river soon.
Special thanks to Kathleen Burress and Samantha Meadows who took wonderful photos. Another special thanks to Mark Armistead for making this short video of the entire day on Sunday.
Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.
Jeremy Adkins
Team Jackson Kayaks
Nov 02 2009
2010 All Star is a surfing machine.
Here is a couple of pics from Corner Pocket Wave on the Mulberry Fork of the Warrior River. These waves come in at high water level and have been consitently in with all the rain. You can go to AlabamaWhitewater.com and read more info. Here are some pictures of clean spins, cutbacks, just surfing, donkey flips and more. These waves are amazing so come on down.
Here is a video of the Mulberry from the same day. Taken by a friend. You can see the Corner Pocket Wave on the right as yu go through Hawaii Five-O. Notice the big Macho Move at 3:22.
Here is a video from the day from my boy from high school Craig Wilson.
See you on the river soon,
Jeremy Adkins
Team Jackson Kayaks
Oct 24 2009
Coming home to RAIN!!!
After getting back from West Virgina there was rain at home. I had some stuff to catch up on but here are some shots from a quick stop to the Mulberry and Locust Fork branches of the Warrior River. When these two places are both in at the same time you can hit every trick in the book in one day. Great fun and one of the best holes in the Southeast with no publicity.
Oct 13 2009
Improvements in Freestyle!
With great water and weather, the time came to take friend and fellow paddler, Steve Doyle on his 1st day private instruction freestyle class. Steve has has been wanting to take the class and what better time than a sunny day off in the middle of the week. The day started out at Ender Hole on the Locust Fork of the Warrior before we went over to the Mulberry Fork of the Warrior. With two different rivers it allowed us to work on different moves in different locations. Learning at different locations helps you tweak all different aspects of your freestyle. While on the Locust Fork we hiked up to Big Scarum and check out the waterfalls.
This day was great for him as I saw him improve his skills as the day progressed.
To my surprise there was a fire barell from NAWF 5 miles downstream at Ender Hole.
Some of the skills we worked on with great imrpovements were rudders, spins, cartwheels, edge control, rock-a-babies, double pump, reverse double pump, offside roll, forward sweeps, backward sweeps, blunts and setting up by surfing out to the corners. Great day and way to go Steve. Keep practicing and everything will come with perseverance.
Here is a photo of a perfect cartwheel Steve did after he started leading with his eyes and committing to pushing and pulling his sweep strokes.
SYOTR,
Jeremy Adkins.
Team Jackson Kayaks
Sep 28 2009
Quick stop for low water, Tellico River.
With a quick rain on the Upper Tellico Tyler, Jessica, Shannon and I drove over to see if it was still running. This would turn into the lowest run I have ever done on the Upper Tellico. This creek was so fun in the Jackson Kayak’s Hero. This boat boofs so good and turns on a dime. I think this is most stable and comfortable creekboat on the market. Just go to your local dealer and try it. Here are a couple of pics I took of Tyler and Jessica at Baby Falls downstream. Make sure to go to the Upper Tellico and do some laps.
SYOTR,
Jeremy Adkins
Team Jackson Kayaks
Sep 28 2009
Review on Ophion Paddles- Rapture
Here is a review of my paddle sponsor, Ophion Paddles. Ophion paddles are the best paddles I have ever used. I am super excited to be a part of this great team. They are lightweight, strong, powerful blades and super stylish.
Here are the links of the reviews.
http://www.canoekayak.co.uk/categories/articleitem.asp?item=298
http://broadbandsports.com/node/29540
Jeremy Adkins
Team Ophion Paddles
Aug 07 2009
NOC/ Dagger Shootout
The weekend of the Noc/Dagger Shootout was scheduled to begin with some much needed practice for me at the Ocoee early Friday Morning. After a DAM good breakfast, my wife, Shannon and I were off to the river. Unfortunately we noticed much heavier traffic than usual and as we approached the private takeout of Lake Ocoee, we were brought to a complete stop suddenly staring at a line of vehicles for miles. Unaware of the situation, we sat there for about 45 minutes hoping the traffic would clear. Finally, out of concern, I got out of the car and walked up to see what was going on. According to a ranger, a minivan lost control and flipped into the ditch leaving the driver badly injured. We were encouraged to turn around and head home for the afternoon as it would be hours before the wreckage would be cleared. We turned to car around realizing that at 2:30, the delay would be long enough to lose out on water for the day. As we headed back, we were stopped yet again to clear the bridge for the medivac helicopter to land and retrieve the victim. Needless to say the water ran out while I was stuck between a wreck and a helicoptor, something you don’t see everyday. But this random event seemed to kick off a theme for our weekend. Saturday morning started early with a 6:30 am departure for our ride to North Carolina’s Nantahala River where I was to compete in the NOC/Dagger Shootout. On the way, as we traveled through Ducktown, TN we noticed some very strange weather. Suddenly lightening began to strike all over, but in an upward motion accompanied by deep rattling thunder that even seemed to shake the car as we drove. As we continued on, however, the sporadic storm drifted away and we arrived at the river to beautiful clear skies. I was excited to find that the NOC staff had not only put alot of work into building a good hole, but had also improved the atmosphere throughout. For those o you who have not been there in a while, NOC now offers alcohol on the concessions porch and have created a permanent, sweet play feature right beside the beer stand. While a bit flushy and dynamic, the hole will give up almost any freestyle move. Noon kicked off the competition which consisted of 3 rides, 1 minute and 30 seconds each. Even for Pro Men’s, this is a long time spent in a flushy hole. I would be lying if I said I didn’t spend quite a bit of time winded in between runs. Though my rides were not to my satisfaction, it turned out to be a great event. The experience was alot of fun and gave me the opportunity to see the community push for change. The 2010 All Star was a dream to paddle on the wave being that it was very fast, loose and has alot of pop. Excitement rings through me thinking of next year and pushes me to put in more practice for the event. Though I was pleased to learn I had made finals, I was unable to compete in them due to a prior engagement. Next year, I plan to secure the full weekend for the competition and hopefully will go all the way through. Special thanks for all the people that helped put it together, the hospitality was fantastic and your work toward change at NOC is much appreciated. On Monday, I stayed and played at the Ocoee. It was so fun to have a day to just throw it down in the new boat and to look up and see my wife on the bank cheering me on.
Jeremy Adkins
Jul 28 2009
Instruction Dates and Schedule
Here are the rest of the clinic dates for 2009. Make sure to get signed up quick so that I can plan the logistics ahead of time. All clinics will be held in the Southeastern United States besides Gauley Festival.
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| August 7-8th- Open for Private Instruction.
August 21-22-23rd- Playboating Clinic. August 29-30th- Parent/ Child and Couples Clinic September 4-6th- Open for Private Instruction September 12-13th- Beginner/ Intermediate Clinic September 18-20th- Gauley Festival/ Downriver Playboating Clinic- RMOC |
Hope to see everyone on the river soon. If you are interested or have any more questions please feel free to contact me.
Jeremy Adkins
www.JeremyAdkins.com
flyinskeleton@cs.com
205-936-1446
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Jul 18 2009
2010 All- Star, Best birthday present…EVER!!
Last weekend I had the pleasure of spending my birthday with my wife, good friends and in the most amazing freestyle boat I have had in my 20 years of boating. Most boats are one-dimensional and are good at specific aspects of freestyle, but fail to meet the standards at other playspots. Many of my previous boats have either spun well, cartwheeled, looped big or paddled downriver, but never did any one boat excel at it all…until now. The 2010 Jackson Kayak All Star does everything so well, it is a dream to paddle. On the Ocoee River, I realized that each move I have executed throughout the past 20 years was suddenly easier and more consistent allowing me to feel as if I was running the Ocoee for the first time. What a great experience it was while productive as I was able to take the opportunity to work on almost every move depicted in the Triktionary. Make sure you get in this boat and try it, I cannot recommend it enough. The All Star will change your view of freestyle kayaking and make all the moves you are working on so much easier to hit. So, If you see me on the river, please don’t hesitate to ask to try it out. It is truly indescribable so give it a shot and see for yourself. The following are top ten reasons to paddle the 2010 All Star though I’m sure you will find there are so many more.
10 reasons you should paddle
a 2010 Jackson Kayak All-Star
1. Speed/ Faster- The 2010 All Star is faster than 2007 All-Star despite being 4 inches shorter. It actually holds speed better toward the corner than any other boat I have ever paddled. This makes setting up for moves easier, better downriver freestyle moves and more consistently surfing those hard to get waves like the top wave at Hell Hole.
2. Edge to edge transition- The boat has great edge-to-edge transition. Whether getting speed to the corner or carving to the top of the pile the edge to edge transition is great for setting up for moves. In addition the boats edges aids in your downriver creativity because you can change from one carve to another so quickly.
3. Comfort- The boat is narrower but has more knee and foot room making you train harder with no breaks. With the Happy Feet, Happy Seat/ Thruster Combo, 200 beaded Sweet Cheeks there is nowhere you do not have contact with your body parts that are essential for doing any freestyle trick. The new hip pad design holds your hips into the backband giving you more response when you are upside down or trying to roll quickly. Comfort also plays a key roll in your learning curve. If you can not stay comfortable in the boat you can never paddle it as long as you want to. Being comfortable definitely aids in learning faster.
4. Volume Distribution- With all the volume around the cockpit you are more retentative, get air more consistently and have a better center of balance, giving you an easier time sticking all the moves. The volume distribution also aids in paddling downriver because you can still turn the boat quickly but it resurfaces well in the waves and holes.
5. Hull- Many features are either easy to set up on by bouncing down the face or spinning on the corner. This boat is amazingly good at bouncing down the face or spinning to the corners. This makes all features extremely fun because any move is possible. The hull of the boat that gives you endless possibilities at any playspot will not limit you. The boat spins, carves and surfs better than any boat I have paddled yet.
6. Downriver Ability- This is one thing many people were worried about because the boat is so short but do not worry because this boat is a dream to paddle downriver. The boat length, resurfacing ability, edge-to-edge transition, speed and comfort make it hard to put into words how fun it is. Just take it out and see for yourself. You can make a class 2 rapid feel so much harder but still stick the lines on the class 4 rapids.
7. Boat Length- The boat is shorter making moves easier because you have less swing weight and will not hit bottom. The length also aids in completing moves because you can throw it around faster and stronger. Just go back to your favorite spot and you will hit more moves in a day than ever before. With this length the downriver moves will really open your eyes because you can commit to rapids that usually would not have the depth to attempt them.
8. Old School Ability- Even though the boat is short it still held stability on edge and on ends. This enables splats, blasts, bow and stern stalls, wavewheels, blunts and super cleans to be more prevalent and consistent. When you can throw a huge loop into 50 ends without stopping the possibilities are endless. The future is now upon us. Get in the boat as soon as possible.
9. Multi colors- Get your boat with the colors you want and have your niche on the water.
10. Goes bigger- Because of all the things we have talked about the result is bigger/ faster moves. You can throw more consistent big moves because of the length but when you get to the right spot you can absolutely go huge. This boat is unbelievably amazing and I cannot wait to get it out on the Locust Fork (Home of NAWF) and the Mulberry Fork of the Warrior.
Because I had so much fun on my birthday I decided to tell you my top ten things that I did on my birthday weekend.
Top 10 things I did on the Ocoee River for my birthday.
- Paddled the 2010 All Star on a river with thousands of playspots.
- Brought my wife (Great company and you get more photos.)
- Got into a Mega Rocker at Hell Hole and did huge enders and pirouettes.
- I saw a black bear, Gray Fox and Emily Jackson Troutman. No Nick though
- Taught a playboating clinic the first day I got there with a Father and Son from Texas.
- Did a 5 second mystery move at Flipper in a plastic boat.
- Took a friend down the entire river for the first time. (Way to go Kelley)
- Did a Macho Move so big I landed looking right back at the raft in front of me.
- Mountain biked 4.5 miles downhill Chilhowee Mountain in 20 minutes.
- Threw a 50-point cartwheel somewhere on the Ocoee River.
After 20 years of boating and it being my 20th year on the Ocoee River I want to tell EJ thank you. David and EJ have completely outdone themselves on this new boat. Way to go guys. I am proud to say that I paddle for Jackson Kayaks and look forward to building a foundation to start kid’s programs in the Southeast.
Hope to see everyone on the river soon.
Jeremy Adkins
Until Next Time!!!
