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M
en dominate sea kayaking, right? Not for long. Female participation in the sport
has doubled from 1998 to 2004. At the same time the number of female kayaking “enthusiasts” jumped 250 per cent. Enthusiasts? That’s an understatement for the 11 wild women profiled here. Between them they’ve earned the highest certifications in sea kayaking, paddled on every continent, circumnavigated Iceland, Japan, Newfoundland, South Georgia Island, Great Britain and New Zealand’s South Island, battled cancer and won, started thriving businesses, run companies, raised children, and ridden bareback on a humpback whale. So, men dominate sea kayaking, right? Not anymore.
n ea
Jen
KLECK 38 SHOP OWNER, INSTRUCTOR
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA When Jen Kleck started teaching kayaking, she figured she’d get “a real job” someday. Some 13 years later, she owns Aqua Adventures Kayak Center in San Diego and still marvels at some of the things that she gets to call “work.” For the New Hampshire native the water has always been a place of solace. “I was a loner as a kid and I loved being on the water alone messing about in small boats, like the famous quote from The Wind in the Willows.” She also whitewater and surf kayaks and was a three-time national kayak polo champion. As much as she loves kayaking for its own sake, Jen loves even more to share the sport with others. “A woman once told me, not long after learning to kayak, that for the first time in her life she felt like an athlete. Those moments make you feel like you’re doing something worthwhile.” Last year in Fort William, Scotland, Jen became the first American to earn the BCU Level 5 Coach award. IN OTHER WORDS: “It takes deep dedication to the sport to reach this top- level award,” says kayak legend Nigel Foster. “It is about, but not only about, good judgment, kayaking excellence, and coaching skill even in wild conditions. More, it’s about being totally supportive of sea kayaking and the people who do it, aware of the big picture and a giver to the overall scene. Words like consistent, persistent, dedicated to kayaking come to mind. Add very likeable, and that’s Jen!” THE PIED PIPER: Jen has introduced literally thousands of people to the sport of kayaking. Her annual Southwest Kayak Symposium draws kayakers and top instructors from across the country and as far away as Great Britain. FAST FORWARD: As a business owner, Jen wants to continue to make Aqua Adventures into a world-class centre for sea kayak instruction. As a kayaker she is interested in travelling by kayak in remote, wild, and windswept places like the Falkland Islands. “You’re not just
experiencing the environment when you’re in a kayak, you’re completely a part of it.” —MICHAEL PAUL FRANKLIN
www.adventurekayakmag.com 35
PHOTO: JUSTINE CURGENVEN
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