The Paddler Tattler INSIDE THIS ISSUE (Click items to jump) Calendar & Events Talking with In Between Swims Pint Night Movie Night Roll Practice Daddy’s Creek: Go Fast Day Flatwater Does Florida Flatwater & Overnighter A different perspective on Baby Falls—Meryl Stark sets up her boof stroke Schedules going over the lip during New Year’s Huckfest. Photo Credit: Brian Hunter FEBRUARY 2015 Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Jan 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 TVCC Roll Practice @ Downtown YMCA Feb 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Outdoor Chattanooga Roll Practice @ SAU 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 TVCC Roll Practice @ Outdoor Chattanooga Downtown YMCA Roll Practice @ SAU 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Board Meeting (Location TBD) 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 TVCC Roll Practice @ Downtown YMCA The Paddler Tattler February 2015 2 We are excited to start announcing details for 2015 Paddle School! This year is promised to be a Calling All weekend packed full of water, friends and memories. If you’ve never been to a Paddle School, do not miss Paddlers! this year! We will have Dagger Blue playing Friday Night and What Saturday’s Auction always provides entertainment 2015 Paddle School and a great way to score some great deals while When supporting the club. FEBRUARY May 29th – May 31st EVENTS Any questions about Paddle School should be Where directed to Ashley Teel at [email protected]. OAR 629 Welcome Valley Road Applications, updates and more can be found at Benton, TN 37307 www.tvccpaddler.com. January 25th, February 11h & 22nd— TVCC Roll Practice 4-6pm, (WW). Downtown YMCA. Must provide all equipment. Boats must be clean. TVCC Membership Required. $5 for ACA Members (with number), $10 for non-ACA Members. For full listing of dates and details, see page 6. February 3rd & 10th—Outdoor Chattanooga Roll Practice 7-8 or 8-9pm, (WW). Southern Adventist University Hulsey Wellness Center. $2 fee to use the pool, $10 for non-members for roll practice. For full listing of dates and details, see page 11. February 18th—Board Meeting 6:30pm. (C). LOCATION TBD. All members are welcome! Come see what the board does during our monthly meetings. Enjoy dinner and drinks It’s never too early to start thinking about Paddle School! afterwards. Save the date for May 29th to 31st — We’ll see you there! The Paddler Tattler February 2015 3 Apply From the President’s for ACA Editor Corner TVCC is certainly starting off the year with a Now that we are a month into 2015, and we are already Certification bang. talking about Paddle School, I want to reflect on TVCC’s mission statement, and what it means to me: January isn’t even quite over, and TVCC has by Mike Shillinger already had more than a handful of well- To bring together those who are interested canoeing, attended events -- 2 roll practice sessions, kayaking and related activities; to increase the TVCC is looking Pint Night, an Outdoor Chattanooga Winter knowledge, safety and appreciation of paddle sports; for club Workshop, our Movie Night at Dumpy’s, and a and to support conservation and preservation of members that Board Meeting. All but one of these took place recreational waterways. are willing to within a 10 day period. step up and I joined TVCC in late 2010 because I was new to the become part What I like to refer to as the “Week of TVCC” was area and wanted to get back to paddling. Now four of the clubs’ only so successful because of the dedication years later, my dearest friends are those that I’ve met outstanding and commitment of our board members and through TVCC, I’ve paddled rivers that I didn’t know ACA qualified other volunteers, especially Ashley Teel, Rebecca existed, helped support the conservation of our local training staff. If Hendrix, Jen Maxwell, Don Fletcher, LaDawn recreational waterways, and even joined AW and ACA. you are interested in attending ACA Instructor Qualification Wolfe, Mike Shillinger, Tony Hill, Debby McRae, TVCC allows us all to be the paddlers we want to in White Water Kayak, White Water Canoe, Coastal Sea Kayak, Don Fletcher, and Pat Carver. On behalf of be, regardless of whether we are looking to step up Stand Up Paddleboard, and Swift Water Rescue, now is your everyone in the club, thank you. our game or want to take it easy on a confidence- opportunity to apply for a club scholarship. Sit back, relax, boosting run. There are always people who will help us Applicants should have experience in the venue in which and take a look accomplish goals. they are applying and understand the ACA requirements to at the recaps of TVCC’s mission gives us freedom to meet new people, become fully qualified instructors. The club is willing to invest some of these enjoy the company of our good friends, help out new in you! The board will review all applicants and the Safety events--whether boaters, and ensure that we always have water to & Training Chair will work with the selectees to schedule or not you had paddle. Though the mission gives us this freedom, it’s upcoming training. the chance to attend! the people who make TVCC what it is today. I’m proud Follow the instructions on the application and return it to the to serve on the board for such an amazing group of Secretary ([email protected]) no later than March Enjoy! people. Looking back, what does TVCC mean to you? 1st, 2015. Meryl Stark, SYOTR, Click here for the application. Did you get your pint glass? Newsletter Editor Ashley Teel, Vice President The Paddler Tattler February 2015 4 Talking with In Between Swims A Conversation with Jeff McIntyre into a hole sideways. I found myself sidesurfing, getting who left Adventure Schools, moved out west, and started A few months ago, I discovered the Podcast windowshaded, and thinking, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” outdoorplay.com. We were surrounded by a really high “In Between Swims” via a Facebook link, The hole is really grabby, it’s really aerated, and it was really caliber of boaters who are now the “old guard.” and decided to give it a listen. I was cold. I punched out, and I came out of it with a few choice I’m just incredibly blessed and incredibly fortunate to have immediately swept to one of my favorite words. started the sport when I did. Just as we were beginning to places: the river. Okay, I was actually in become proficient boaters, flat-hulled boats started coming the lab at work, but this was the next best out. I think I may have had the first production X. Eric gave thing—a show all about paddling! PT: How long have you been paddling? What me as payment for teaching for him later on. It was just a got you started with the sport? Any funny or super exciting time to be in the sport. Jeff McIntyre, the host, spends most of his episodes interesting stories you want to share from when interviewing exciting players in the paddling community, so you were learning? I figured I would turn the tables. Enjoy the Paddler Tattler’s interview with Jeff, and then check out the show on iTunes JM: I’ve been paddling somewhere around 20 years. I was PT: What’s your favorite river or place to paddle? really lucky to start with people who later became real and online at www.inbetweenswims.com. A little birdie even JM: That’s a tough question, because I’ve been fortunate to leaders in the industry. I started paddling with a school here told me that a new episode is going to drop soon! be on many beautiful rivers all around the world. in Washington [DC] called Adventure Schools, which had by Meryl Stark been recently purchased by Eric Jackson. We were his first My home river, the Potomac, is really difficult to beat. We get class. Almost all of my formative kayaking and most of my big huge flows that are greater than the Grand Canyon during PADDLER TATTLER: Since this is the question personal first descents were either following EJ, or under his springtime on the Potomac. There are epic playspots and the you ask everyone on your show, when was your guidance or inspiration. falls. We have a section called Little Falls where the Potomac last swim? hits the Tidal Potomac, and so depending on the level and That being said, DC is a hotbed for really good boaters, and depending on where the tide is, it’s different every time you JEFF MCINTYRE: My last swim was last winter on the his instructor corps at the time included Sam Drevo, who hit the river. You can paddle at 8000 cfs on Tuesday and 8000 Dickerson Artificial Whitewater Course in Dickerson, MD. runs Energy Kayaking School in Portland and was a big cfs on Thursday and it be a completely different rapid. It was a little pourover called Kibler’s Hole, and I had just kayak porn star back in the days of VHS. He and Tao Berman finished guiding a bunch of students down the course. I got paddled a bunch of stuff together. Eric Southwick was also There’s a great 18-ft slide on the Actopan in Mexico that falls them out at the bottom, and I decided to make a last difficult one of the instructors. He won the World Championships into a spring-fed pool, with water coming out of the side of move right at the very end.