Meet a Fellow Water Diva....Dorothy!

Name/Nickname:
Dorothy Ann Nelson

Where are you from?
West Allis, WI

Family? Do they share your enthusiasm for paddling?
No.

Where do you work and how long have you been at it?
Budget Analyst at UW-Eau Claire – 8 years

Other than paddling, what hobbies do you enjoy?
Biking, vacationing in Colorado, roller blading, skiing

Tell us something about yourself that most people don't know (unusual skill, second language, ancestry, etc.) I enjoy finish carpentry.

Do you belong to any paddling clubs or associations? No

When did you first try paddling, and who introduced you to the sport?
Couple years ago. A co-worker was selling her kayak and I decided to give it a try.

What kind of boat(s) do you own? Otter

What's the longest paddling trip you've ever been on? 1-day

What memorable places have you paddled? Kickapoo

What did you enjoy most about it? Clear water, variety of scenery

What would you consider to be the ultimate paddling adventure? Don’t know yet.

What has been your worst paddling experience?
Getting stuck in trees, overturning, and struggling with the underwater roots and branches

Do you have big paddling plans for 2008, or in years to come? Not yet.

Meet a Fellow Water Diva....Gigi!

Name/Nickname:
Gigi Stafne

Where are you from?
I was born in Eau Claire, WI then quickly flown off to live in Key West, FL...later Newport, RI as a young Navy Brat. I think that living next to beautiful oceans in my early years contributes to my passion for the water element and paddling of large bodies of water! Other places I have lived as an adult: Boulder, Colorado, Eau Claire, New Auburn-Long Lake regions of Wisconsin...and near Lake Superior!

Family? Do they share your enthusiasm for paddling?
Everyone in my family and extended family has now been kayaking...with the exception of my mother and one sister. Including my grandgirl, Hannah, who is an avid paddler and young water diva who started kayaking with us at age 5 (now age 11). My partner, Jim Nichols, first inspired me to kayak...something like 15-18 years ago now. Although, where you will often find me teaching on the water--Lower Long Lake (Chippewa Co, WI) is where I first learned how to canoe at age 10 years. Right at the YMCA Camp Manitou!

Where do you work and how long have you been at it?
For me, work has always been play and I am passionate about my businesses: MI ZI ZAK KAYAKS (5-6 years), Adventure Botanica (new biz) & Center for Healing Arts Herb & Eco School (15+ years). My first career was running domestic abuse/sexual assault programs...the second has been natural & botanical medicine...now my passions of plants and paddling have become my businesses. I feel so fortunate.

Other than paddling, what hobbies do you enjoy, or interests do you have?
Domestic & international travel, grandkids, gardening, foreign films, ethnic foods, dancing, music, writing and time in nature.

Tell us something about yourself that most people don't know (unusual skill, second language, ancestry, etc.)
I am like a roaming & paddling cultural anthropologist. I have trekked to Cuba to study the healthcare system. I head up a WI Chapter of the group called, Herbalists Without Borders and love to write with books I am hoping to publish.

Do you belong to any paddling clubs or associations?
Water Divas now! Pure Water Paddlers (Related to paddlesports, etc: Travel Green Wisconsin, Wilderness Outfitters Guides Assoc & Paddlesports Industry Assoc (last 2 membership fees headed in right now as we speak!)

When did you first try paddling, and who introduced you to the sport?
I mentioned this above....in a canoe at age 10 years and never stopped.

What kind of boat(s) do you own?
Oh my! I have a kayak-paddlesports biz, so I am lucky to own a lot of kayaks. My favorite boat through the years has been a very responsive little Necky Gannet--originally made in Canada--but no longer made.

What's the longest paddling trip you've ever been on?
5 day paddling-camping trip, Lake Superior-Apostle Islands. Beautiful!!!

What memorable places have you paddled? What did you enjoy most about it?
Lake Superior-Copper Harbor Area near the UP, Apostle Islands-Lake Superior, Pacific Ocean & Mississippi River backwaters!

What would you consider to be the ultimate paddling adventure?
So many places, so little time!!! Top of my list: fjords in Scandinavia, paddling in parts of Asia.

What has been your worst paddling experience?
This started with an invitation that I received from a neighbor right when we moved further north in WI. We did not know the group of 15-16 mainly men that went on the trip. They just really did not know how to take care of one another, watch out for one another, etc. Most everything that could go wrong...did go wrong. Someone ruined their canoe...so my partner and I shared one of our boats with them...which meant we went down a rapids (small waterfall!!!) together in a single cockpit kayak. Lesson: KNOW the people you are paddling with if it is an unguided trip!

Do you have big paddling plans for 2008, or in years to come?
2008 is FULL of exciting programs through my business, MI ZI ZAK KAYAKS. Those will all be a thrill. In the Autumn into 2009 I am really stretching my wings. One of the trips will be to Asia...Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand...plants & paddling!

Meet a fellow Water Diva.... Susan!

Name/Nickname: Several -- Schmedley, Sushi and SAS

Where are you from? Mostly Chicago area

Family? Do they share your enthusiasm for paddling? Ed, my husband loves to kayak and canoe

Where do you work and how long have you been at it? Having retired from the corporate world, I am now actively engaged as an independent consultant doing work for an array of clients from my home office -- primarily strategic planning and corporate marketing.

Other than paddling, what hobbies do you enjoy? More hobbies than I ever have time for these days. We've had a blast snow-shoeing this Winter and in warmer months I use my free-time to landscape, garden and watch over the pigs.

Tell us something about yourself that most people don't know (unusual skill, second language, ancestry, etc.) Most people don't know that I was with the US Ski Patrol and went to school in Bozeman, Montana (so that I could be only a few minutes away from a slope!)

Do you belong to any paddling clubs or associations? Water Divas!

When did you first try paddling, and who introduced you to the sport? Have always canoed but I think my first kayaking experience was on vacation in Mexico 20 years or more ago.

What kind of boat(s) do you own? My tried and true old time Sea Otter and a newer boat from Scheels in Eau Claire but unfortunately I can't get at it to double check the make/model. Ed's got it hung up high in the barn.

What's the longest paddling trip you've ever been on? Overnighters

What memorable places have you paddled? What did you enjoy most about it? Crazy as it sounds the Red Cedar is one of my favorites floats. As far as actually using my paddles, I think the Namekagon trip was a blast.

What would you consider to be the ultimate paddling adventure? I've been reading about some great trips in China and India but they'll need to stay fantasy trips for the time being. I would like to do more paddling on Lake Superior, near Port Wing, etc.

What has been your worst paddling experience? Some cold rainy trips but nothing horrible, yet.

Do you have big paddling plans for 2008, or in years to come? Being just a few short years from retirement all I'm doing right now is arm chair traveling and planning. Quite fun.

Meet a fellow Water Diva.... Jodi

Name/Nickname: Jodi

Where are you from? Wisconsin

Family? Do they share your enthusiasm for paddling? My husband James enjoys kayaking when he has the time. Our three children are also aspiring "yakkers". Ethan is 9 years old and can paddle almost as well as I can; Tirzah is 5-1/2 and very small, so she has a hard time holding a paddle but likes to sit in my boat; Armin is 3 and sits in Daddy's boat and "helps" him with the paddling. :) I should also mention that my brother-in-law is a professional whitewater kayaker--hopefully he's going to take me out and teach me some of the ropes this spring!

Where do you work and how long have you been at it? I'm an at-home mom and homeschool teacher. I've been at the mom thing for 9 years and the school thing . . . well, really for the same length of time, but technically my oldest started formal schooling about 4 years ago.

Other than paddling, what hobbies do you enjoy? reading, stamping, photography

Tell us something about yourself that most people don't know (unusual skill, second language, ancestry, etc.) We haven't bought a loaf of bread from the store for almost two years--we grind our wheat, and I bake all of our bread.

Do you belong to any paddling clubs or associations? Just this one

When did you first try paddling, and who introduced you to the sport? When we moved back to Wisconsin from Minnesota, we bought a home on the Red Cedar River. I wanted a way to navigate the river, but it was too shallow for canoes. Then one of my husband's coworkers brought his kayaks over to our house for an afternoon, and I was hooked! When James totaled his motorcycle/scooter a few weeks later, he used the insurance money to buy our first two kayaks.

What kind of boat(s) do you own? I have two old Neckys and an Easky 15 from Venture Kayaks

What's the longest paddling trip you've ever been on? If you count canoeing, it was a Boundary Waters trip I took the summer of 1999 (one week). But kayaking would be just a day trip to the Lake Superior Sea Caves that my husband and I enjoyed for our 10th wedding anniversary.

What memorable places have you paddled? What did you enjoy most about it? The sea caves were beautiful. I enjoyed my trip to BWCA with Tammy this fall, despite the torrential rainfall . . . well, actually because of the rain. It was fun to see that we could meet the challenge and stay reasonably dry in the process.

What would you consider to be the ultimate paddling adventure? Well, I mostly kayak for quiet time and spiritual refreshment, so my goals are pretty tame (although I do want to give whitewater a try). I enjoy paddling "just a bit farther" up the creek near our home.

What has been your worst paddling experience? The evening Tammy and I took a group of women from her church paddling on Long Lake. We divided the group into two and each led one group. The weather was gorgeous, but that was the extent of my good luck that evening. About halfway through the evening, one of the ladies in my group tipped her kayak. She was in shallow water but refused to put her feet down because of the mucky bottom, so I had to get out of my boat and hold her boat steady with my thighs while I pulled her into the boat (the shoreline was lined with shrubs, so there was no place to land our boats)--it was an exhausting task! Then about half an hour later my group had a run-in with a boat full of drunk men who briefly had us trapped in a cove off of the main lake.

Do you have big paddling plans for 2008, or in years to come? James wants to do a several day kayak/camping trip in the Apostle Islands, but I'm not sure we'll get to that this year.