2009 VA Summers Sports Clinic

Every year we are privileged to take a bunch of our recently injured vets kayaking in the annual summer sports clinic. Knowing what these proud americans have done for our country has given me a new respect for the men and women that put there lives on the line for the rest of us. I feel so honored to help these guys in any way that I can. It is amazing to watch them be able to enjoy the sports that I am so passionate about. Here are some photos from the event. So inspirational...

Purple heart leading his team in the opening ceremony of the event.


Ron Lane leading the Pack




At the event all the guys play an on the water football game. This is one of the raddest things to watch. Kayaks crashing into each other, people falling out and smiles on every face.


In this photo Ron is getting this guy ready for the on the water kayak football game. The interesting thing about this man is that he is blind. Talk about a tear jerker... This guy sacrificed his eye sight for our country. So as Ron put this guy in the kayak the challenges of kayaking were evident let alone playing football on a kayak. With some coaching he was able to complete some catches and make some passes to fellow team mates. To see the smile of his face and the joy of accomplishing a feat such as this was amazing.






These are the VA members who put this on... Thanks Duffy and Sandy for allowing us to be apart of such and amazing event.

Battle of the Paddle

This weekend was the Battle of the Paddle stand up board race. It truly was a battle. Hayden was one of the participants in the invitational elite division, paddling against the worlds best paddlers. Hobie made some awesome race boards for the team that were very successful in the overall standings. Here are some photos of the event. (Thanks Uncle Larry for the photos.)



Here's Hayden being filmed as they take off on the running beach start.


It looks to me like Hayden in trying to spank the infamous Chuck Patterson. Haha.


Chuck soon caught up but it was a great battle for a while.








Rob Machado and Gerry Lopez... Our heros to say the least!


A conversation with the style master Gerry Lopez


The Coach with a few words on the race.


The crew... What a race.

White Sea Bass

The infamous White Sea Bass is a fish of beauty. This year I was able to see my fair share and catch a few of them. With the stealth of a kayak and the use of braided fishing line I was able to get very close with this beautiful fish. Here are a few Pics of fish that I swear I never would have caught if I was not on a kayak.