ThePADDLER 60
Ear infections were common , and he never complained about them . One morning he came out of his room with blood and puss running from both of his ears . He was two years old and never even blinked an eye . No fussing , no crying , just wanted breakfast .
He took a long time to learn to talk , and we realised he had really bad hearing . He went to a specialist school in Bethesda for speech therapy , got hearing aids , and eventually , he caught up to everyone around him . Emily was his second mom , telling him what he was and not allowed to do . When we uprooted from Bethesda and moved into a recreational vehicle ( RV ) full time , Dane was four years old .
We brought his ‘ puddle jumper ’, and Emily had one too . Flatwater gates on the Chattahoochee in Atlanta , the Nantahala , the Kern River , Ottawa River and more were his schoolyards , along with Emily . We also travelled the world . In 1999 I took the family around the world with tickets that allowed us to circle the globe one step at a time .
WORLD TOUR
We went to England , Africa , Australia and New Zealand on a three-month trip until we ran out of money , and Dane was quite at home in this environment . All of the kayakers were his parents – it was a tribe mentality . Kristine and I didn ’ t worry about him . He was always on his own , but never alone , playing with adults like Dan Gavere , Dan Campbell , Steve Fisher , Junior , etc . Foam boating with anyone who would help him make boats and play with them . At one point , he had four Team Wavesport top paddling girls in bikinis , making him foam boats at a picnic table with a sign he made , ‘ Make me a foam boat – only $ 5 ’. Kristine would help him understand , “ That isn ’ t how it works ,” but I figured if he can pull that off , how awesome would that be ?
My life was quite different but also similar . Like Dane , I spent some time in a narrow house , but mine was a single-wide trailer in a trailer park in Cincinnati , Ohio , with my dad , mom and sister . My dad is 30 years older than me , and my mom is 25 , the same difference as Dane and me . My sister is five years older than me , while Emily is three years older than Dane , but the same idea . My first kayak experience was on Pine Creek in Pennsylvania , a class 1-3 run that took two days .
While my dad and I did it in a Grumman Canoe , I begged his friend to let me use his kayak for hours each day . I had four such springtime experiences from age 6-10 before moving to Florida , where there isn ’ t any whitewater . Unlike Dane , I had an organised , physical sport to participate in early on , a swim team , and I was trying to make the Olympic team from age eight . I found out at a young age that I was willing to train harder and endure more pain than most , and it was self-motivation . It allowed me to get physically fit easier than most and enjoy the process .
FIRST ROLL
Dane never wanted to learn to roll until he turned eight , and Emily was 11 at Wausau , Wisconsin , in August 2002 . It got cold in Rock Island , the year we bought our property there , and the kids didn ’ t paddle until March of 2003 . Emily asked me to teach her to roll again , and Dane didn ’ t want to get left behind , so he joined the session . He and Emily rolled right away , and we ran the ‘ Boat ramp run ’ that day .
From that day forward , Dane and Emily paddled with me every day unless I was on a class 5 run somewhere . Dane didn ’ t like to paddle flatwater – anything that required physical effort without the recreational reward ( rapids ) put him in a bad mood . We would get to the last rapid on a river and hit a flat pool with a long paddle out , and he would go from zipping around to just giving up and sitting there . I tried everything from , “ Come on , Dane , you have this ,” with a smile on my face , to yelling at him to hurry up and stop whining , to strapping him to my boat and towing him . It frustrated me because I enjoyed hustling the flat water for a workout . “ How will he ever be an athlete if he isn ’ t willing to push himself physically ,” I thought .
At age 10 , I got the 3D award for ‘ Dedication , Determination , and Desire ’ on my swim team . I always stayed to work out with the older kids to get in another hour on the water , and it paid off with me setting the pool and team records for the butterfly and freestyle for the 9-10 age group . My dad always told me you can beat 90 % of everyone by working harder than they do . Of course , I also told Emily and Dane the same thing and believe that concept applies today .
Dane was nine . He only cried when paddling if I made him walk a rapid ! Emily cried if I made her run one . They were both fantastic paddlers very quickly and seemed to love going out in any weather or water .