We do wish more journalists (and their editors) would flip the script and instead of looking back on the bad old days, they take a look at the ONE river in the world that can elegantly and directly speak to how far the ecological movement has come for a variety of reasons.
Read MoreFor those who didn’t know him, Tommy was a kayaker. Not just any kayaker; an exceptionally talented whitewater kayaker, sponsored by Jackson Kayak. He loved running wild rivers and stout waterfalls, and he did it with his own unique style and grace. His whole family kayaks, and they’re all really, REALLY good. Tommy started paddling before he was out of diapers. The guy basically grew up on the water and he was always up for an adventure.
Read MoreWhere would Cuyahoga River recreation be had the Trust for Public Land (TPL) not partnered with Cleveland Rowing Foundation to secure the former Commodore Club boathouse property, creating Rivergate Park, a public recreation space on Cleveland’s waterfront.
Read MoreDunno ‘bout where you live but here on the north coast of Ohio we were treated to freezing temperatures, snow flurries, and big gusty winds today. In other words, it’s spring in name only! But calmer days and warmer temps are not far away! We figured today was a good day to drop the 2022 Blazing Paddles Paddlfest stoke video to boost your paddling spirits!
Read MoreOn a brisk Friday afternoon in early March, we caught up with two paddlers at Cleveland Metroparks’ Merwin’s Wharf along Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River.
Read MoreCleveland Rowing Foundation’s 25th Annual Head of the Cuyahoga Regatta’s return on a splendid September day in Cleveland where over 1400 rowers in 441 shells from 50 clubs and 12 states competed on a 4,900-meter course on the Cuyahoga River!.
Read MoreOn a beautiful Sunday morning at Cleveland Metroparks Edgewater Beach, youngsters from the Kids That Tri Cleveland program took their first open water strokes in Lake Erie after a winter and spring of pool-only training. The swim was part of the broader Kids That Tri program, in partnership with the Parker Hannafin Downtown YMCA, that was created to provide a pathway for children of the Greater Cleveland area to learn how to swim, bike, and run and participate in a competitive triathlon.
Read MoreSaturday’s 20th Annual Ohio River Paddlefest in Cincinnati, OH was a return to normalcy for almost 2,000 paddlers hungry for the opportunity to reconnect with each other and the Ohio River.
Read MoreOne week ago on what some are calling a history-making day on Cleveland’s hard-working, scenic, and historic Cuyahoga River, many of you were part of the 3rd Annual Blazing Paddles Paddlefest. During a short vacation (and an exhilarating whitewater rafting trip down the Cheat Narrows) in Dryfork, WV we’ve had a chance to reflect on what transpired on that amazing Saturday morning and we wanted to share a few thoughts. And some background.
Read MoreWow. Saturday's Blazing Paddles Paddlefest was an amazing sight for us to watch unfold. Brett Fisher's drone video footage gave us the opportunity to synthesize the vibrancy of Cleveland's hard working, historic, and scenic Cuyahoga River on that epic Saturday morning
Read MoreToday is a variation on our weekly "Slow River" where we share ground level video with natural sound from yesterday’s AMAZING Blazing Paddles Paddlefest on Cleveland’s hard-working, historic, and scenic Cuyahoga River. Many thanks to our tireless volunteers, sponsors, Cuyahoga River industrial stakeholders, partner organizations, kayak rental livery partners, and yes, you, our Blazing Paddles paddlers!
Read MoreShare the River’s founder, Jim Ridge, announces the 3rd Annual Blazing Paddles will return to Cleveland’s comeback Cuyahoga River on Saturday, July 24, 2021! Registration opens at 6 p.m. tonight!
Read MoreOn a breezy Tuesday afternoon we caught this gent having a great time on his electric hydrofoil surfboard. A quick check of the web show these boards can run upwards of $12k. Fliteboard out of Australia (go figure) seems to be a market leader. What will be the next thing?
Read MoreOn a recent Saturday we caught the 630 foot long freighter Calumet making its way up a Cuyahoga River busy with recreational watercraft. It provided a great example of Cleveland’s evolving “theater of the waterfront’ and provided a few lessons on the river’s increasing popularity with recreational paddlers.
Read MoreOn a balmy Monday afternoon in July we took a bike ride along the Scranton Flats Towpath Trail to see what the waterfront scene was looking like along the Cuyahoga River.
Read MoreThe Cuyahoga River’s hard-working waterfront provided a great backdrop for Cleveland Rowing Foundation’s annual Head of the Cuyahoga Regatta, a 3.1 mile rowing race that drew close to 2,000 athletes to Cleveland on Saturday.
Read MorePHASTAR is currently looking for kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders interested in becoming River Ambassadors. If you are experienced in these watersports, want to spend more time doing what you love, and want to help keep our local Northeast Ohio rivers safe, then this is the perfect opportunity.
Read MoreIt seemed there was something going on along every piece of Cleveland’s waterfront this past weekend with:
The Tall Ships Festival Parade of Sail kicking off affairs on Thursday afternoon.
An open water swim at Edgewater Park hosted by North Coast Multisports that served as a tune-up for the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships returning to Cleveland August 9-10.
An SUP Yoga session with SUP CLE at Wendy Park.
A birds-eye view of recreational kayaks interacting with the freighter Sam Laud as it transited the lower Cuyahoga River (more on that in a future post).
A new narrative for Cleveland was blazed as 250 paddlers on kayaks, paddleboards, and canoes took part in a historic celebration on the Cuyahoga River, 50 years to the day since the 1969 fire ignited the environmental movement.
Read MoreOur goal for Blazing Paddles was to reframe the Cuyahoga River narrative and we were so pleased media picked up on a paddleboarding race as a perspective-changer for recreational use of a river that formerly served as a cultural reference point for environmental ruin.
Read More
