Paddle Press

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Arcata, CA, October 18th 2009 --- Kokatat, a 38-year-old, independent paddlewear and accessories company, will bring its premier rescue life jacket - the Ronin Pro - to U.S. market on October 15, 2009. The Ronin Pro’s release celebrates a multi-year effort to update the requirements of type-5 rescue PFDs in the United States. The Ronin Pro was launched in 2007 for the Canadian market, followed by the European market in 2008.

Heralded Kayakers Will Cross Land and Water to Educate Public

Arcata, CA, October 6th 2009 --- Kokatat, the independent paddlewear and accessories company, is sponsoring a land and sea expedition covering a never-before navigated section of the Antarctic Peninsula. Chilean kayakers and explorers Cristian Donoso and Mario Sepúlveda will use Kokatat products including the GORE-TEX Expedition dry suit, the GORE-TEX Deluxe sea skirt, and other Kokatat accessories for their self-supported journey beginning in November.

Austria, October 4th 2009 --- In a tight and thrilling final on the legendary Wellerbrücke course German kayaker Alexander Grimm won gold today at the adidas Sickline Extreme Kayak World Championship in Austria’s beautiful Ötztal. Grimm finished 68 hundreds of a second ahead of New Zealand’s Mike Dawson, who was followed by Jakobus Stenglein from Germany. Over 100 top kayakers from twenty-two countries, among them Olympic Champions and World Champions in canoe slalom, had travelled to Austria to compete for world championship honours on one of the most difficult whitewater sections on the planet.

Expedition Supports “Penny Paddle Pledge” Campaign

Arcata, CA, September 22nd 2009 --- Kokatat, the independent paddlewear and accessories company, is sponsoring a 1,300 mile journey from Norfolk, VA, to Key West, FL. On behalf of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, Justin DeForest will set out September 28th on the two-month expedition.

Winona, MN, September 20th 2009 --- Current Designs is pleased to announce the successful completion of the "Paddling for Parkinson's" expedition by Joe Forrester, 25 of Colorado. His journey took him down the world’s fourth-largest river system from the headwaters of the Missouri river in Montana to its confluence with the Mississippi River in St. Louis, and on to the Gulf of Mexico. Joe paddled a CD Storm supplied by Current Designs.

Arcata, CA, September 19th 2009 --- Kokatat, a 38-year-old, independent paddlewear and accessories company, is a founding sponsor of Anna Levesque’s “Girls At Play” paddling program. Girls At Play (GAP) is an organization designed to encourage female participation in watersports and to empower women in their daily lives.

La Seu de Urgell, Spain, September 14th 2009 --- The 2009 running of the International Canoe Federation Canoe Slalom World Championships resulted in a slate of new faces emerging amid some familiar champions.

La Seu d’Urgell, Spain, September 10th 2009 --- The 1992 Barcelona Olympics slalom course is once again host to the world’s top slalom athletes as the International Canoe Federation Canoe Slalom World Championships get under way here in the Spanish Pyrenees mountains today through Sept. 13.

Rock Island, TN, September 10th 2009 --- While he wasn’t able to hang onto his World Champion title, Eric Jackson said he’s proud of the results of his family and his team at the 2009 edition of International Canoe Federation Freestyle World Championships last week.

Arcata, CA, September 10th 2009 --- Northern Lights Expeditions, a project seeking to establish links between children of isolated indigenous communities of the Arctic and children of the U.K., has completed the first phase of this three-part service project.

Thun, Switzerland, September 6th 2009 --- Luck, skill and nerve converged on the Aare River here yesterday as 60 of the world's top freestyle kayakers competed for the chance to advance to today’s final round and a shot at a gold medal in the International Canoe Federation Freestyle World Championships.

Troutman, Jackson top quarterfinal results

Thun, Switzerland, September 4th 2009 --- A newlywed couple tops the men’s and women’s divisions heading into semi-final action at International Canoe Federation Freestyle World Championships taking place here this week.

Thun, Switzerland, September 3rd 2009 --- While the weather was less than spectacular, the competion during the second day of the International Canoe Federation Freestyle World Championships was.

Thun, Switzerland, September 1st 2009 --- Every two years since 1991, the world’s best whitewater kayakers get together for a kind of whitewater United Nations summit known as the International Canoe Federation Freestyle World Championships.

Thun, Switzerland, August 29th 2009 --- This year’s ICF Freestyle World Championships mark new milestones in the evolution of the youngest discipline in paddlesports.

Salt Lake, UT, July 21st 2009 --- In response to the recent announcement by Canoe & Kayak Magazine about its new paddlesports trade show slated for September in Minneapolis, Minn., Frank Hugelmeyer, president of Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and Joe Flynn, vice president of Nielsen's Sports Group, owner of the Outdoor Retailer trade show (OR) jointly express concern about what the new show means for the health of the industry as a whole.

Racine, Wis., July 11th 2009 --- Johnson Outdoors Inc. (Nasdaq:JOUT), a leading global outdoor recreation company, today announced it is consolidating operations for its paddle sport brands in Old Town, Maine by the end of September 2009 as part of a comprehensive effort to improve profitability of its Watercraft business unit. The decision will result in the closure of the Company's plant in Ferndale, Washington and a reduction of about 90 positions located there. Consolidation is anticipated to result in annual cost-savings of more than $4 million dollars beginning in fiscal 2010. Costs and charges associated with the action are estimated to have a negative impact on earnings per diluted share of between $0.16 and $0.20 in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2009

Winona, Minnesota 55987, July 8th 2009 --- Wenonah Canoe, Inc. is excited to welcome Dana Henry to the company effective 01 August 2009. Dana’s joins Wenonah’s sales team with responsibilities including oversight of customer service, direct sales representation for Minnesota and Wisconsin and strategic planning and execution for the Wenonah Canoe and Current Designs brands. Prior to his arrival at the Wenonah offices, Dana will staff the Wenonah Canoe and Current Designs booth at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market later this month.

Rock Island, TN, June 25th 2009 --- Jackson Kayak, champions of easy to paddle, comfortable and durable boats brings their three-part refrain to the sit-on-top genre with the debut of the Riviera. This simple kayak is already garnering rave reviews by the likes of Olympian Joe Jacobi and his guests at the Ocoee Adventure Center as well as Robert “Bear” Bass of Ozark Outdoors Riverfront Resort.

Votes Are In! Monster Wins the Contest

Easley, S.C., June 19th 2009 --- The people have spoken. After 10 days of voting, the numbers are in and the winner of the Wave Sport graphics contest is Ben Nelesen of Portland, Oregon. Ben says, “I wanted to follow the theme and see if I could convey the lunatic fun that we are occasionally blessed with experiencing in this life.”

Lausanne, Switzerland, June 16th 2009 --- The ICF is proud to launch its Official Equipment Licensing Programme that will benefit all manufacturers and providers of canoeing equipment from recreational canoeing to elite competition level.

Quebec, June 16th 2009 --- The year 2009 is proving to be somewhat unique for BORÉALDESIGN, a manufacturer of high-end sea kayaks. After signing a partnership agreement with Maelströmkayak last May, the St-Augustin-de-Desmaures company located on the outskirts of Quebec City has just announced the acquisition of a company in Quebec. Starting October 1, 2009, BORÉALDESIGN will engage in the production and marketing activities of BELUGA Outdoor Gear Inc.

Charleston, SC, May 27th 2009 --- Epic Kayaks is pleased to announce a new addition to our rep force, Chester (Chet) Rick. Chet will be Epic’s new dealer representative in the Midwest region (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD, WI) greatly enhancing our presence and service in an area we are currently expanding in.

Greensboro, NC, May 18th 2009 --- Capt. Roger Bump of Jacksonville Florida and his Ultimate 14.5 Propel beat out 430 anglers and won the grand prize in the 2009 Columbia Sportswear Kayak Fishing Classic held May 2nd in Jacksonville Florida.

Quebec, Canada, May 15th 2009 --- BORÉALDESIGN and Maelströmkayak, two companies based in Quebec, have signed a very promising partnership agreement. Henceforth, BORÉALDESIGN will manufacture two models of kayaks originally designed and marketed by Maelströmkayak. This partnership will serve to further showcase the strength of design expertise in Quebec on the international scene, since the Vaåg 174 and Vitäl 166 kayaks compare admirably with the best British kayaks in their category in terms of design, beauty and performance.

A hundred years of whitewater adventure

Colorado, USA, May 12th 2009 --- Featuring vintage footage, in-depth interviews with eclectic pioneers and captivating narrative, this compelling documentary takes a behind-the-scenes look at what inspires paddlers to answer the call of the river.

Winona, MN, May 5th 2009 --- Current Designs and it’s parent company Wenonah Canoe, are pleased to announce sponsorship of Apryle Craig and Phil Magistro’s “Go Wild” sea kayaking expedition. Go Wild will kayak along the British Columbia coast to examine and document the effects of salmon farming on the environment and coastal communities.

West River, VT Release Cancelled

US, April 22nd 2009 --- For the past four decades, over a thousand visitors flocked to Jamaica, VT each spring for the drawdown of the Ball Mountain Dam Reservoir. They won’t be visiting this year.

Outdoor Retailer's Project OR Announces the Students Selected to Participate in its 2009 Summer Market Competition

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA, April 14th 2009 --- The 2009 Summer Market Project OR competitors are Jeanne Lynn Douglass, Cornell University; Natalie Haddox, Art Institute of California, San Francisco; Wildrose Hamilton, Colorado State University; Johana Martinez, California State University, Los Angeles; Lindsey Schuyler, Florida State University.

Winona, MN, April 8th 2009 --- ImageCurrent Designs and its parent company Wenonah Canoe, are pleased to announce sponsorship of Apryle Craig and Phil Magistro’s “Go Wild” sea kayaking expedition. Go Wild will kayak along the British Columbia coast to examine and document the effects of salmon farming on the environment and coastal communities.

Year II Inclusion Expands Awareness Across Borders

Silver Spring, MD, March 10th 2009 --- The Paddlesports Industry Foundation is proud to announce that the Reel Paddling Film Festival once again includes a tribute to the International Whitewater Hall of Fame.

New Website Encourages Greater Participation as 2009 Nominations are Sought

Silver Spring, MD, March 9th 2009 --- The Paddlesports Industry Foundation has announced this year’s call for nominations to the International Whitewater Hall of Fame with the unveiling of its new communications hub at www.iwhof.org.

London, Ontario, March 2nd 2009 --- Nova Craft Canoe has a history of improving canoe design, be it structural for improved hydrodynamics or compositional for improved efficiency. Not stopping there, the production staff at Nova Craft has experimented with different themes for the graphic arts incorporated into the lamination process. After making a couch from an Angler canoe, a birchbark-coloured canoe, several different plaid canoes, and a colourful tie-dyed canoe, Nova Craft staff realized that it was possible to laminate almost any design into a composite boat. Roch Prévost, Sales and Marketing Manager, and Tim Miller, owner of Nova Craft, recognized this as an exciting opportunity to offer a unique, personalized and very different designs to customers and this is rejuvenating the canoe-manufacturing industry.

Sultan, WA, February 27th 2009 --- Werner Paddles was voted the second best company to do business in the Outdoor Industry, in the 2008 SNEWS Outdoor Retailer Dealer Survey. The survey appears in the January issue of SNEWS magazine and full results are now posted on line.

Winona, MN, February 18th 2009 --- Wenonah Canoe Inc. hosted the production team for the popular T.V. program “How It’s Made” in June 2008. The How It’s Made producers filmed the step-by-step process of how a Wenonah Kevlar® Ultra-Light canoe is built by hand. After 10 hours of filming in the Winona, MN facility, the crew had the shots necessary for a four and a half minute segment detailing the construction of a Kevlar® Ultra-Light canoe. The filming wrapped up at owner Mike Cichanowski’s river house where some of the crew experienced first hand paddling a Wenonah Canoe on the Mississippi River.

Winona, MN, February 13th 2009 --- Wenonah Canoe, a major manufacturer of premium canoes and kayaks is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Mike Cichanowski, the owner and founder of Wenonah Canoe is a veteran cross country skier of 30 Birkebeiners. To celebrate Wenonah’s 40th year and Mikes 31st Birkie Wenonah Canoe is a participating sponsor of this years event set to take place February 21, 2009.

Kayaking for Rural Schools and Environmental Preservation

Arcata, CA, February 11th 2009 --- In March of 2009, Diego Lamas, Agustin and Luis Garcia Albarido will attempt for the first time to paddle the entire length of Argentina, a distance of more than 4,000 nautical miles, to raise awareness for rural schools and environmental preservation. Starting at La Quiaca, a little town settled at 14,000ft in the northern Andes Mountains, the team will cycle and paddle for approximately 10 months to reach the end of Patagonia- the city of Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego province.

Exploring Effects of Global Warming on the Antarctic Coast

Arcata, CA, January 31st 2009 --- Cristian Donoso, Juan Pablo Ortega and Roger Rovira are currently underway on their expedition to explore the effects of global warming on the Antarctic coast from the low impact perspective of a kayak expedition.

Falkland Islands Expedition 2009 Successfully Completed

Arcata, CA, January 30th 2009 --- After paddling 22 days in strong winds and seas, New York City based sea kayaker Marcus Demuth has successfully completed the world first circumnavigation of the Falkland Islands.

Sparta, TN, January 8th 2009 --- Strong sales trends and new product releases give rise to Eric “EJ” Jackson’s sunny outlook for 2009 despite a marketplace saturated with gloomy news.