We ran across this story at Tampa Bay Online about Sean Fitzgibbon, a Florida kayaker, and thought it was worth repeating.

Stories like this really make the point that a disability does not have to keep you off the water. Kayaking and canoeing is something almost everyone can enjoy - even those with physical challenges. Paddling is truly a universal sport.

We wish Sean and his team success and safe passage!

Disability Doesn’t Faze Kayak King

By Stephen Thompson
The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 12, 2008

SEMINOLE - Sean Fitzgibbon was born without a fibula in his right leg, and his right foot was deformed, too.

So on his third birthday, the leg was amputated at the knee. But Fitzgibbon, now a 34-year-old husband and father of two, has learned to cope. He also learned that he didn’t want his disability to squelch his athleticism. And he became a champion among his peers in surfing and kayaking.

Now Fitzgibbon and three of his cohorts want to impart his message of hope and perseverance to all of those who have lost a limb, including troops returning from Iraq.

To that end, they are embarking on a 220-mile kayak trip today to circle the Florida Keys. Thirteen days have been set aside for the voyage, but Fitzgibbon and his friends hope to do it in eight to 10 days.

In addition to raising awareness, they hope to raise money for Extremity Games, an annual extreme amateur sports competition for people who have a limb loss or disability. This year’s contests will be in Michigan from July 24 through 26.

Fitzgibbon loves the Extremity Games concept because it encourages people who feel alone and isolated to come together and show how skillful they’ve become in their sports. “We want to bring a message to amputees: Love life; don’t be a victim of the amputation,” the Seminole resident said.

That call especially needs to be heard by veterans returning from Iraq without an arm or a leg, he said.

Fitzgibbon is more than aware that some amputees can’t afford the help they need. As a full-time prosthetics technician at St. Petersburg Limb & Brace, he often comes across amputees whose health insurance doesn’t cover the full cost of a prosthetic device.

The name of the quartet taking the kayak trip is Team Topahonu. “Topahonu” means “great sea turtle” in Hawaiian. Fitzgibbon earned the nickname there as a surfer because turtles are able to swim after they lose a flipper.

Other team members are Jeff Fabiszewski of Dunedin, whose wife has paralysis of her left side; David Tranor, an Orlando outdoorsman who has helped the disabled with sports such as skiing; and Brian Doehleman, a Largo war veteran whose brother owns Osprey Bay Outdoors, a Clearwater kayaking shop.

Click here for more information about The Extremity Games.

Do you have a story about an amazing paddler you know or know of? Please send it to us using our Contact Page. We’ll post it here on BornToPaddle.com.

We just got wind of these upcoming paddle events in July and August. They span the U.S., so there is most likely one near you! If you can’t make it to these kayak and/or canoe events, look at our Races & Events page. We have canoe and kayak events for all skill levels listed by state and by month.

 First, take a look at our newest events below. Whatever events you choose, get registered today. Having a great paddle to look forward to makes every day better!

If you live near San Antonio, Texas, Albany, New York, Poulsbo & Port Gamble Washington, Saint Paul Minnesota, or Lake Onalaska, Wisconsin, check out these kayak and canoe race and events that we found in your area.

San Antonio River, Texas

• If you always wanted to paddle down the San Antonio River, here is your chance. Sign up for the 40th annual Ford Canoe Challenge on Saturday,  August 16 in San Antonio TX. Over 90 teams compete in timed heats. The race begins at the Chamber of Commerce, heads east through and around the Convention Center Lagoon, through the River Center Mall Lagoon and ending back at the Chamber of Commerce. Come out to paddle or just to check out the teams of local celebrities, city officials, corporate teams, and boy scouts and girl scouts.

New York - Albany to Manhattan

• The eighth annual Great Hudson River Paddle (GHRP), a 144-mile kayaking and camping trip from Albany to Manhattan will be held Thursday, July 3 - Sunday, July 13, 2008. If you can’t paddle the 144 miles they are offering several shorter paddle courses. GHRP is being held to celebrate the 156 mile long Hudson River Greenway Water Trail (HRGWT), the improvement of public access to the Hudson River, and the diversity and heritage of the riverside communities of the Hudson River Valley. Come out to support this great cause!

Port Gamble - Poulsbo, Washington

• If you live in Washington State than check out the Paddle Kitsap on August 1-2. This paddling event will start at Port Gamble and ends at Poulsbo, Washington.  This is a 2 days fully supported paddle. Paddle the Pearls of North Kitsap communities and help establish the North Kitsap water trail.

Mississippi River, Saint Paul, Minnesota

• The Great River Energy Mississippi River Challenge, Saint Paul MN.  is a one- or two-day event, July 26 & 27, 2008, to raise awareness of the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities. The Mississippi River Challenge takes you on a journey from Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park to Grey Cloud Island. You’ll travel with voyageurs, paddle the only gorge on the Mississippi, and negotiate the cavernous St. Anthony and Ford Locks. At the historic Fort Snelling overnight camp, you will enjoy a hearty meal provided in part by Thousand Hills Cattle Company (hearty vegetarian options available as well) and celebrate with an evening of live music, historic reenactment and revelry.

Paddlers have two Challenge options: paddling the 44-mile two-day route, or paddling 22 miles on Saturday only.

• One-day paddlers get to experience the launching at Coon Rapids Dam, the prairie stretch of the river, the locks and the urban wilderness of the gorge.
• Two-day paddlers go on to experience the mighty floodplain river, paddling through downtown Saint Paul.

Lake Onalaska, Wisconsin

•  The 6th Annual Brice Prairie Canoe Race and Pig Roast will be held on Saturday, June 28, 2008 on Lake Onalaska, Onalaska WI. The canoe & kayak race is a recreational event that starts and ends at the Upper Brice Prairie Boat Landing. The canoe race is about 2 or 3 miles long and the kayak race will be longer, going out into Lake Onalaska.  Funds raised from the event are used to preserve open spaces on Brice Prairie for all to enjoy.

Got your next paddle event lined up? Why not drop us a line and tell us all about it? We’d be happy to post kayak and canoe event information and race results right here on BornToPaddle.com. Use our Contact Form to send us all the details. 

Have a kayak, canoe event or race you would like to have us post? Send us all the relevant information using our handy Contact Form. We’ll post it on our paddle blog and add it to our kayak and canoe race and events calendar.

Our boats are in the water already, and we’re starting to rediscover all the things we said we needed (ok, and wanted) at the end of last season.

Personally, I’m looking for a paddle upgrade. So I’ve checked out a bunch and think I’ve made my decsion. Since I’m a woman, and most paddles are unisex (translation: made for men!), I was really glad to find this paddle that is a bit lighter in weight in both the shaft and blades:

Great Ladies Paddle! Werner Athena 2 Piece Paddle - Carbon Fiber Blades/ Straight Carbon Shaft. The Werner Athena 2-Piece Carbon Fiber Paddle’s small buoyant blades pull effortlessly through the water so you can tour for longer.Click Picture for More Info

If you’ve got kids that you need to outfit this paddling season, take a look at this paddle designed just for kids:

Werner Sprite 2 Piece Paddle - Childrens. The Sprite uses the same shape and dihedral design that make Werner’s adult paddles so great, just on a smaller scale.Click Picture for More Info

For more kid’s gear, check out our Paddling Gear for Kids page.

Take a look at our Paddles Page to find even more styles including entry level and recreational paddles, performance and racing paddles, whitewater paddles, and a whole section on canoe paddles.

We’ve also posted a new page: How to Choose a Kayak or Canoe Paddle. It’s based on a recent post of the same name, but we thought information about how to choose the right canoe or kayak paddle for yourself was important enough to have its own, permanent page here on BornToPaddle.com.

If you’re ever looking for kayak, canoe or paddling information (about equipment, events, races, places to paddle, general information) and you don’t find it here, please Contact Us. If we don’t know the answer right off the bat, give us a day or so, and we’ll find the paddling information you’re looking for.

If you’re in the market for a new paddle, new kayak or new canoe, we’ve found some great deals for you at our affiliate stores:

Altrec.com Paddle Shop

Backcountry.com

Basspro.com

BoatersWorld.com

Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS)

MagsForLess

MasseysOutfitters.com

Moosejaw.com Kayak Shop

Paragon Sports

Sea Eagle Inflatables

Trails.com - Maps

UpsideOver.com

Viator.com Travel

Many of our stores offer free shipping, so you don’t have to worry about paying more in the long run. In fact, most of our on line paddling stores offer better prices than you’ll find in local sporting goods stores. It’s all about overhead!

Echo Hill Outdoor School is celebrating its 35th birthday with the Great Chester River Paddle on Saturday, September 6, 2008.  Paddlers must find sponsors as it is a fund raising event for the school.  There will be an 18-mile route and 2 short routes.  For more information, call Nancy or Wendy at 410-348-5880.

A little bit about Echo Hill Outdoor School, Wharton, MD from their website:
Echo Hill Outdoor School exists to provide students with positive experiences in the outdoors that are exciting, interesting, and  fun. Through our programs, students learn more about the wonders of nature, the value of history, and the diversity of individual qualities. We are dedicated to creating a safe and supportive environment for students to feel challenged and successful with the freedom to think, question, and express themselves.

Echo Hill Outdoor School is located in Worton, Maryland.

Do you have or know of an event that we should post on BornToPaddle.com? If so, please use our handy Contact Form to let us know all the details. We’ll post it here on our blog, and also on our events and races pages, which are listed by state or by date.

Looking for an event? Take a look at our paddling Events and Races pages. We list kayak and canoe races and paddling events, festivals and more. We also are building a comprehensive Places to Paddle page. Here we list places by state to put in your kayak and / or canoe, flatwater and whitewater, to satisfy every paddler.

Our best wishes go out to the folks at Outdoor Chattanooga and their OutVenture Team. Please read on, and if at all possible, let’s help these folks get back on their feet. 

This story comes courtesy of NewsChannel 9 in Chattanooga, TN:  

OutVenture Programs to Continue in Spite of Fire 

An early Saturday morning fire that destroyed the “Red Barn” at the Greenway Farm in Hixson and a large portion of Outdoor Chattanooga’s OutVenture kayak fleet will not stop spring and summer kayaking programs, according to OutVenture director Marcus Hulsey.

Lost in the fire were 20 sea kayaks, five recreational kayaks, six recently-purchased Jackson whitewater kayaks, a heavy duty kayak trailer, paddles and related gear, and a cache of trail building equipment that was donated by the Outdoor Industry Association last year.

“We use a lot of the gear for multiple programs and losing something as big as a trailer affects our programming as a whole.” says Hulsey.

OutVenture uses the kayaks, trailer, and gear for kids’ summer camps, free, public kayak events at local parks, and guided kayak trips throughout the Tennessee River watershed, including several river gorge overnight trips scheduled beginning in mid-May.

“We are especially glad no one was injured in the fire, and we can recover from this blow,” adds Hulsey. “The community has already begun to rally around us and we’re moving forward with our busy spring and upcoming summer schedule.”

Hulsey is in the process of gathering loaner equipment so OutVenture programs can continue as planned, but these measures will only be temporary.

“We have already received phone calls from various outfitters, retailers, and other Chattanooga outdoor organizations, offering loans of equipment to keep our programs running,” says Outdoor Chattanooga Executive Director Philip Grymes.

Hulsey, Grymes, and their staff are already working on soliciting permanent donations.

“It’s very important that we keep our kayaking programs going.” says Grymes. “They are a vital part of our mission to get people outdoors and active.”

“We are sad about the loss of the barn and what it meant to our programs,” adds Hulsey. “The barn is a Greenway Farm icon.”

In addition to OutVenture gear, the Red Barn also housed other agencies’ equipment and a host of antique toys, games and farm equipment used by the Greenway Farm volunteer community gardens coordinator Pete Snider. “Some of the stuff that was lost cannot be replaced,” says Snider. “The games and memorabilia I’ve collected over the years were priceless.”

Organizations or individuals who are interested in making donations of money or equipment to help with OutVenture and Outdoor Chattanooga programs this summer may call OutVenture director Marcus Hulsey at (423) 842-6629.