Paddler News Feed

 

•	Features
•	Hotline
•	Letter from the ACA
•	Paddle Tales
•	ECO
•	Gear
•	Skills

< SeptOct 2001
	Hotline
Hotline Blurbs

Rich Weiss Remembered in Bronze
Two-time Olympic slalom kayaker Rich Weiss, who died in 1997 while paddling Washington's White Salmon River, finally got immortalized in his hometown of Steamboat Springs, Colo., with the placing of a bronze sculpture in his namesake river park, Dr. Rich Weiss Memorial Park, in the heart of town. Created by local sculptor Tyler Richardella, the statue was unveiled at the 21st Annual Yampa River Festival. Those present included his widow, Rosie, and 3-year-old son, River, who traveled from their home in San Diego, Calif.; as well as former paddling coach Tom Steitz. "This is a better world because he walked and paddled with us," says friend Pete VandeCarr, who was instrumental in pushing the project through. "He was the best we had to give."

C-2er Honored in Kids Book
Who says C-2 slalom paddlers never get any recognition? Paying tribute to one of his own, 1972 Olympic C-1 Bronze Medallist Jamie McEwan--whose wife, Sandra Boynton, has achieved fame with a string of animated children's books--recently scripted a kids book called "The Heart of Cool," dedicated to Leck "The Original Cool" Haller. Joining the dedication page is a cartoon drawing of a moose, complete with helmet and canoe paddle. "Why did I dedicate it to Lecky?" asks McEwan. "When I wrote it I was racing C-2 with him, and when I needed a name for the character, Haller popped into my head. He has that elusive attitude…how else can I say it? He's cool." Haller, 44, who competed in last year's Sydney Olympics, has earned seven first-place finishes in National Championships and nine top-three World Cup finishes in the past eight years.

American Rivers Presents "Discovering the Rivers of Lewis and Clark" Exhibit
Now you don’t have to rely on Stephen Ambrose to relive the days of Lewis and Clark. American Rivers' "Discovering the Rivers of Lewis & Clark"--an interactive exhibit that retraces the trail of Lewis and Clark's Voyage of Discovery--is now touring the Midwest. The exhibit opened June 1 in St. Louis before moving onto Sioux City, Iowa; Omaha, Neb.; and other stops throughout the country. The exhibit combines photographs and multimedia displays to depict the rich life of the Missouri, Yellowstone, Snake and Columbia rivers as Lewis and Clark encountered them on their voyage 200 years ago. It is co-sponsored by the U.S. Army, The History Channel and The Dibner Fund of Wilton, Conn., with content donated by National Geographic. Visitors can virtually walk the length of the Lewis & Clark Trail, from St. Louis to the Pacific while learning about the plants and animals the explorers discovered, how the rivers were harnessed for human use, and how communities are restoring them in celebration of the expedition's bicentennial. Children visitors can climb into a replica of the prow of the explorers' keelboat, surrounded by a mural of how the Missouri River looked 200 years ago. An 18-seat mini-theater shows videos, and audio stations play voices of the past and present. Info: www.americanrivers.org.

Adventure Highway
It takes guts to learn a different adventure sport every weekend in one summer. As many spectators at May's Ocoee Whitewater Games discovered, that's what Tom Holm, host of Outdoor Life Network's "Adventure Highway," is doing this year between March and October. He and a five-man TV production crew are travelling the roadways of North America in a splashy 40-foot motorhome equipped with bikes, boats, ropes and even a climbing wall. They are visiting 30 outdoor sports festivals in as many weekends. Most of the stops involve mountain biking, skiing, ocean surfing or hang gliding. But he did venture out of his "comfort" zone to jump in a kayak on the Ocoee. With cameras rolling, Holm quickly learned the difference between rodeo and slalom boats--and right-side up and upside-down. "Rodeo is cool and attracts the younger set, but I've had an additional 20 years of outdoor experience to appreciate the nuances of fine slalom," he says.

--Lisa Jacobi