Kayak Rolling with Large Barnacle

Canoecopia 2009, Rutabaga's mumblety-somethingth annual paddlesport expo at the Alliant Energy Center's Exhibition Hall, was once again a wondrous weekend of all things kayak and canoe, packed with speakers and exhibitors and movies (I recommend both Terra Antarctica and Eastern Horizons) and pool demonstrations at the nearby Clarion Hotel. In this latter category, perhaps none were more anticipated than the show put on by Kelly Blades and Danny Mongno. Indeed, the line to get in for their noon performance on Saturday was so long that many (including myself) were turned away once the room reached capacity. Undetered, I returned for their Sunday do-over performance. It's easier to gain admission to most Canoecopia programming on Sunday than Saturday: Saturday tends to be the show's peak day for attendance. By Sunday, the crowds thin out a bit.

If their audience was smaller than it had been on Saturday, Blades and Mongno put on no less of a show. Both are accomplished paddlers. They also share an irreverence exemplified in this clip. That's Blades, arranging himself on the deck like a barnacle, while Mongno, in the cockpit, executes a roll. Rolling a kayak is a difficult enough maneuver to perform as it is. The fact that Mongno can pull one off with Blades complicating things is illustrative of Mongno's skill -- and his mindset, which has a default setting of Sure, Why Not?