RAPID MEDIA 2014
THE A-HOLE, LYONS, COLORADO. PHOTO: PETER HOLCOMBE
SAGE DONNELLY AT AGE 12 IN Paddling Buyer’s Guide
AROUND K NOT
idding
Companies swallow profit to invest in the next generation of paddlers
At 13 years old, Sage Donnelly of Carson City, Nevada, already has more than a decade of whitewater experience. She’s beating adult women in freestyle, C1 and K1 slalom. Off the competi- tion circuit, she runs waterfalls and class V rivers. You wouldn’t have seen a phemon this young 10 years ago,
before Jackson Kayak introduced the Fun series of whitewater kayaks for kids under nine and as small as 30 pounds. Or before youngsters like EJ’s daughter Emily and son Dane, who ran his first class IV at age four, entered the spotlight to inspire kids and parents alike. Since the Fun came out in 2005, designer Eric “EJ” Jackson
says the average age of entry into whitewater kayaking has been cut in half, to around age eight. Youth participation statistics from the Outdoor Industry Association report that the number of whitewater kayakers aged six to 17 has more than doubled in the last five years. The number of youth participating in rec and touring is also up, though not as dramatically.
www.rapidmedia.com 47
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56