women

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…

After Cali Collective’s first 2-Day Women’s Whitewater Kayaking Clinic on the South Fork American in 2015, we asked our students for their feedback… “Two days just isn’t long enough!” was the overwhelming consensus. So… Chief Instigator, Melissa DeMarie, contacted an old paddling friend from her boating days on the California North Coast, J.R. Weir, who…

Whitewater Paradise in the Columbia River Gorge The name Wet Planet was first spoken in a beat up Suburban while bouncing down a jungle road in Costa Rica, when co-founders Todd Collins and Jaco Klinkenberg were discussing their vision for the ultimate whitewater company.  Wet Planet is based in White Salmon, Washington on (you guessed…

Cali Collective Chief Instigator, Melissa DeMarie, chats about the origins of Cali Collective in this video produced by Duncan Mine, a northern California production company. Thanks to Scotty Blankenfeld, Robby Hogg and Andres Silva for their awesome work. Enjoy! All words and images copyright California Women’s Watersport Collective 2019. All rights reserved.

How often have you been in a situation where you had this thought “I didn’t even think about it, I just did it and it worked out perfectly?” As human beings we often forget that instincts are equally as important as process thinking. Instincts are deep within us and come from a place that is in the absence of explanation. Because of this, we logically want to analyze it and rationalize how we were able to make a decision based on an internal voice. Instincts come out in an action that we make without much thinking at all. Sometimes these instincts launch from knowledge we are in the process of obtaining and sometimes they are from a deeper place, one of natural human intuitions. Either one can be intimidating to trust but the less we fight it the stronger and…

Cali Collective Chief Instigator, Melissa DeMarie, was recognized by the American Canoe Association California Chapter with the Paddle Heroes Award for 2019. The ACA California Executive Council created the California Paddle Heroes Award to recognize and honor members of the California paddling community who prioritize and consistently: Help share paddlesports by making others feel excited, welcome,…

    When Melissa DeMarie found herself side-lined with a shoulder injury four years ago, her dream of getting more women on the water finally found the right time to come alive. She founded California Women’s Watersport Collective and kicked it off on a shoe string budget with a few meet-up paddles and one weekend clinic for women’s kayaking on the South Fork American River. Once the first clinic’s registration overflowed onto a waiting list and people starting asking what else was available there was no turning back. Instigator, Melissa DeMarie. Photo: Adam Walker Since then, CWWC (aka Cali Collective) has gone from a few women with big ideas to an inspiring all-inclusive community on and off the water. A woman’s experience of the world is different from men’s and that holds true on the water. The way women face…