whitewater

I’m a sprinter. Not in the literal runner’s sense of the word but in life. I have been really good at going hard for short periods of time which is why, I suppose, the 9-5 thing never suited me. Back in my mid-twenties, I went through what I affectionately call, my “period of misguided ambition”…

Life is full of challenge but 2020 managed to dish out an extra helping of adversity for just about everyone. The following is a collection of essays written by some of the Cali Collective Ambassadors on how they dealt with fear, anxiety and disappointments throughout this tumultuous year. The authors come from different backgrounds and…

With the advent of Coronavirus, life seemed to dive into uncertainty both for the world at large and in my own personal realm. Many questions abounded, including wondering if we were even going to be able to operate this season. And as an organization that centers around getting people together, I was understandably a bit…

I’ve been on a lot of river trips in my life and have transitioned from raft to two person kayak with my parents, to my own kayak. I’ve just returned from kayaking the Grand Canyon with raft support. As I celebrated my recent 13th birthday, I decided to write an article on how river trips…

Hi, my name is Maya, I’m 11 years old and I went on my second self-support kayak trip to the Rogue River in June. I went with my sister (Hannah), my mom (Emma), my dad (Marc), our friends Allen and Melissa. Packing our boats was much easier than last time but still pretty difficult because…

Hi! My name is Hannah Musgrove. I am a Cali Collective Junior Ambassador. Yesterday I did a new section of the river, Chili Bar on the South Fork American. Sometimes on a new river, I can feel overwhelmed and really nervous, but this time I didn’t. I definitely felt nervous, but not at the level that I usually do. I’ve been thinking about why this has happened and I have come to my conclusions. Hannah and her younger sister Maya gets some beta on the first rapid. The first reason I felt this way was because I was prepared. I have a solid roll and the skills needed for that section. I had been doing different sections of the same class and practicing my combat roll by surfing waves and doing stern squirts. I felt confident in my skills even though…

Have you ever watched a kayak video and thought, “I wish I could ask that amazing paddler how they do that [insert stroke/move/trick here]” Sometimes when you get off the water, do you wonder, “Why do I keep flipping in that [insert feature here]? It would great if I could just ask an expert.” Are…

In December 2017, when Anna Levesque of Mind Body Paddle called us to inquire about collaborating on a multi-day women’s trip in Idaho with Canyons River Company, without hesitation, the answer was a resounding… HECK YES! Cali Collective is founded on creating community and connection, and one of the fantastic perks of this is being…

    3/31/2020 In this episode, host Kyle Murphy sat down with Chief Instigator Melissa DeMarie of California Watersport Collective. Join us as we discuss women’s issues in whitewater, and the epic community she has built in the Sierra Foothills, soon to be the world… Listen

So there we were, a bunch of friends meeting at the river, hugs all around, smiles, laughter. Then we figure out which vehicles we’re taking to put-in, load boats and pile in. Excited chatter fills the car as we catchup about about our work weeks, family and that new film that just came out. We…