Look at that lucky date with three 7s! Our team in Akron, Ohio has been putting on a festival for many years! The venue is at a state park in the beautiful Portage Lakes. In 10 years of paddling and attending festivals, I may be partial in saying that we have one of the best venues around! The full course is viewable from our sandy beach. There’s also a ton of shade under the stately oak trees! We have an athletes’ village as well as vendors and massage tables. The state park recently built a beautiful visitors center with bathroom facilities. This year we had 12 BCS teams in addition to club teams, corporate teams, and community teams. Plus we are a short drive to Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Cleveland. There are so many incredible things to see and do in the area. Rent a pontoon boat and explore the lakes -14 total with 8 lakes and reservoirs connected together. From restaurants to fishing and swimming, Portage Lakes has it all (we don’t have alligators, sharks, or snakes in our waters!!)! Come for the festival and stay for a mini vacation. Akron and Cleveland are jam packed with great adventures! Who is putting this festival on their team’s calendar for next summer? We would love to host you!!

What exercise do you do during your off-season?

Days and times are one thing, but topics are another! Here are some of the ideas floated so far. • Developing a job description for coaches, drummers, and steers • The steer as coach — how to build competence and confidence • Creating practice plans and drills • Race strategy and prep • What does it take to be a kickass drummer? What would you add? Drop it below!

Every community has its own level names and perks. I'm currently at Wash Rider ... and I'm the only one here 🤣. Can't ride wash if nobody is there to make it for me! Q. Why work on leveling up, isn't it just stupid nonsense? A. Nope. Well, maybe a little. But if you poke around other communities, including my other one, then you'll see that all sorts of things unlock as you level up. It could be a free course or training, it could be a killer resource or gift. As @Joann Fegley and I figure out what prizes to add to our levels, YOU can tell us what would be a good prize AND work on leveling up at the same time! How to level up: 1. LIKE this post (I wanna level up too, haha!) 2. Comment below: either ask a question you really want an answer to, make a recommendation for a Level perk, or give us an insight that you think will help others. 3. Go LIKE and comment on AT LEAST 3 other comments. Each time you LIKE a post or comment, you'll help that person level up. And when you help someone else, they'll help you. And while you're at it, answer this poll, so that we make the prizes something you actually want, not just what we THINK you want. What would make a good leveling up perk?