Jackson Kayak

Emily, Dane, and I were schedule for three pool sessions for Lotus and are paddling our Jackson Kayak models, the Fun 1, Fun 1.5, and All-Star. Yesterday Emily was in the pool with Tanya Shuman, Dixie Marie-Pricket, and Whitney Londsdale showing off the women’s line of Lotus gear. See photos- Lisa Beckstead and the rest of the design team made great looking stuff that women should be very happy to paddle in. Well, I got sidelined by an organizer of the show who said that the two big manufacturers complained to them and asked that Dane, Emily, and I not be allowed to paddle in the pool with Jackson Kayak boats, since we don’t have a booth here. Well, if you know me, or if they know me (and they certainly should by now), you would know that failure is not an option and I won’t let somebody take away such an opportunity for my kids. This is their first time being able to paddle in the pool and for people to actually see them in action. It is an opportunity for them to really see what is behind the scenes in this business, as well as for their sponsors to get some good exposure, particularly Lotus. Luckily for me, all of the people involved in this thing were understanding and willing to help me find a solution, not just shut the door on it. Well, it didn’t occur to me right away, because spending more money wasn’t something I was prepared to do, but getting a booth suddenly became the goal. Thanks to the nice people who run the show, I was able to secure a booth. I don’t have a display to put in the booth (which is REALLY little), but I do have some boats, Clay Wright has some boats too. At the last minute, after I had already put in my credit card to pay for the thing, Sid (who I now report to at Lotus as an ambassador), paid for the booth for me!!! This was something that was totally unexpected and was a great gesture.

So now, not only will Emily, Dane, and I be able to paddle in the pool to represent Lotus, we will get some pool time for Jackson Kayak!!!! So, it comes right back to my general philosophy on life, and my two golden rules, passed down to me by my dad.

Rule Number One: “No complaining, because nobody likes a complainer.

Rule Number One: “No arguing, because you can’t win an argument”

Yes, all of my rules are rule number one, just like my dad. It makes it harder to know which rule you are talking about, but, hey, at least you know it is important.

So, instead of seeing Jackson Kayak boats in the pool during Lotus time and not hearing a single word mentioned about them, I will be on the microphone while Emily, Dane, Clay Wright, and hopefully Hotrod from Sierra South get to paddle in the pool. I will be able to truly show the Fun 1.5, and All-Star to all of the dealers who haven’t seen it yet, even though they have it on order, at least now they can see them first hand.

Life doesn’t always work out this way, and it can’t be expected, but I truly believe that the second you take your eye off the ball and start watching what the other people are doing, and then try to slow their progress, you will get lost and make enemies, instead of getting closer to what you are trying to achieve.

So, what am I hoping to achieve? Well, my hand can get wet now (remember the 10 stitches, still in!), and I haven’t paddled in 7 days. I want to train for team trails the best way I can at this moment, and that is to stay comfortable with my boat, super clean cartwheels, flatwater loops, etc. etc. and the pool is my best option. I also want to see Emily do some more flatwater loops like she did yesterday for the first time, very cool!

I will wrap this up and go to the pool to show you Lotus Women’s gear!!

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