Forward motion, headfirst & horizontal to gravity!
Increasing the spirit of world-wide co-operation
Firstly, hello to all fellow river boarders.
Secondly a quick background.
My real name is Brad, but every who knows me calls me Baabaa (dodgy kiwi sheep farming background!!) I first went river boarding with Mad Dog back in 2000 as a client (that was were my love of river boarding began). The following year while on a forced break from another job, I worked for Serious Fun as I knew the owner at the time. During that season I trained as a guide, consequently working for them on and off in a driver/guide capacity until the opportunity arose in 2006 to purchase Mad Dog.
The Kawarau River, with the Roaring Meg power station outflow on the right, on a sunny summers day, at average flow. About 160 cumecs (approx 5750cfs). Just a bit of an idea of what we deal with for those from around the world that have never seen our commercial river section before.
During this time myself and many others have constantly worked on trying to creating minimum operating standards accross the industry here in NZ. As some of you will know there where 2 river boarding deaths in NZ last year. Due to circumstances I can not go into due to ongoing legal conostraints, the case involving my company was the first widely publicised world wide death in the industry. As we should all well know, it was by no means the first river boarding death, but non the less it was not publicity I ever wanted, for my company or the industry world wide.
I was not going to write this blog until after things have finished in court in a couple of months, but after see Charls post, and with it being in season in the USA, I'm going to put this idea forward now.
Over the past year things have moved a hell of a lot faster than they were prior to these 2 incidents.
In conjunction with MNZ (Maritime NZ, the government department charged with all things water) all operators have come together in a new found spirit of co-operation and developed what we believe to be some world firsts.
Firstly we created the NZWBA (NZ Whitewater Boarders Assoc. www.nzwba.org.nz) to which all operators have now become members.
We have developed minimum operational standards for all operators, current or new, which have now been ratified by MNZ. See 'regulations' 'Maritime NZ' on the NZWBA website.
Once these were finalised we created minimum training guidelines, in conjunction with NZQA (NZ Qualifications Authority - the government department charged with all things teaching). These are a 4 part training programme, the first 3 of which are identical to rafting, we just differentiate with each sector having its own 4th part which is directly the techniques needed for that specific activity. It is conceived that any commercial kayaking ventures in the future can also work from this framework. These are in the last stages of being signed off by the appropriate authorities, so as yet are not on the NZWBA website. (That and our web geek is on sabbatical for 18 months!!)
As it is now winter here, we are still writing the 4th part, the river boarding specific training, to be ready in September.
This will have a few parts, from initial training, to roles for trainee guides, guides, senior guides, trip leaders and assessors, or something along these lines.
There will be minimum standards to reach each level, from experience, to skills and also off water knowledge of operational procedures as well as a need for constantly upskilliing, attending rescue workshops at regular intervals etc.
We have already held what we believe to be the worlds first river boarding safety workshop. There will be a further 2 every year, one in each of the 2 main areas river boarding happens in NZ (Rotorua and Queenstown).
We have as a result of this been asked to help facilitate the NZRA (NZ Rafting Assoc) Safety Workshop from now on as well. Teaching them river swimming techniques etc.
What I am proposing is that with the increase in commercial operations around the world, that we all get together, well at least via the web anyway, and look at creating some international standards.
As I said above, people die river boarding, it is an unfortunate fact of life when dealing with Mother Nature. If we look at every other water sport I believe river boarding is still a very save activity, but also think that we must all work together to help it stay that way, and maintain the standards as high as we possibly can.
These standards do not have to reflect much about the NZ standards, as operational criteria will be different in every country. Instead they should hopefully be able to be used as guidelines, by which operators can set up and ensure that guides are doing what is needed, competitions are run safely etc.
I'm sure from the past 2 years of competitions of seen here on Facelevel, that you guys already have much of that in place as well.
But I feel we are in a unique situation of having a reletively unknown activity, with a great bunch of participants world wide, with a great deal of knowledge. Why not tap into some of this and make sure that as more and more people begin river boarding, they are able to do so in a safe and enjoyable manner.
I know the RIPH exists and they state they wished to create unified training criteria etc, unfortunately they seemed to leave NZ off there list, and I can't find anything other than them saying that is an intention of their organisation, I can't find any evidence of them having created anything.
For many years now we have all existed in isolation and this website has started to bring together river boarders from many areas around the world.
Although we operate in different ways, and focus on different things, and have developed different equipment, we all still have the same common goal.
To show people the thrill of river boarding, as well as advancing our own skills, and doing it in the safest and most enjoyable way possible!
This is just a thought I've had in my head for a while and I guess I'm just wanting to know if there are enough other people around the world who think this is a good idea and that it might be possible?
Secondly a quick background.
My real name is Brad, but every who knows me calls me Baabaa (dodgy kiwi sheep farming background!!) I first went river boarding with Mad Dog back in 2000 as a client (that was were my love of river boarding began). The following year while on a forced break from another job, I worked for Serious Fun as I knew the owner at the time. During that season I trained as a guide, consequently working for them on and off in a driver/guide capacity until the opportunity arose in 2006 to purchase Mad Dog.
The Kawarau River, with the Roaring Meg power station outflow on the right, on a sunny summers day, at average flow. About 160 cumecs (approx 5750cfs). Just a bit of an idea of what we deal with for those from around the world that have never seen our commercial river section before.
During this time myself and many others have constantly worked on trying to creating minimum operating standards accross the industry here in NZ. As some of you will know there where 2 river boarding deaths in NZ last year. Due to circumstances I can not go into due to ongoing legal conostraints, the case involving my company was the first widely publicised world wide death in the industry. As we should all well know, it was by no means the first river boarding death, but non the less it was not publicity I ever wanted, for my company or the industry world wide.
I was not going to write this blog until after things have finished in court in a couple of months, but after see Charls post, and with it being in season in the USA, I'm going to put this idea forward now.
Over the past year things have moved a hell of a lot faster than they were prior to these 2 incidents.
In conjunction with MNZ (Maritime NZ, the government department charged with all things water) all operators have come together in a new found spirit of co-operation and developed what we believe to be some world firsts.
Firstly we created the NZWBA (NZ Whitewater Boarders Assoc. www.nzwba.org.nz) to which all operators have now become members.
We have developed minimum operational standards for all operators, current or new, which have now been ratified by MNZ. See 'regulations' 'Maritime NZ' on the NZWBA website.
Once these were finalised we created minimum training guidelines, in conjunction with NZQA (NZ Qualifications Authority - the government department charged with all things teaching). These are a 4 part training programme, the first 3 of which are identical to rafting, we just differentiate with each sector having its own 4th part which is directly the techniques needed for that specific activity. It is conceived that any commercial kayaking ventures in the future can also work from this framework. These are in the last stages of being signed off by the appropriate authorities, so as yet are not on the NZWBA website. (That and our web geek is on sabbatical for 18 months!!)
As it is now winter here, we are still writing the 4th part, the river boarding specific training, to be ready in September.
This will have a few parts, from initial training, to roles for trainee guides, guides, senior guides, trip leaders and assessors, or something along these lines.
There will be minimum standards to reach each level, from experience, to skills and also off water knowledge of operational procedures as well as a need for constantly upskilliing, attending rescue workshops at regular intervals etc.
We have already held what we believe to be the worlds first river boarding safety workshop. There will be a further 2 every year, one in each of the 2 main areas river boarding happens in NZ (Rotorua and Queenstown).
We have as a result of this been asked to help facilitate the NZRA (NZ Rafting Assoc) Safety Workshop from now on as well. Teaching them river swimming techniques etc.
What I am proposing is that with the increase in commercial operations around the world, that we all get together, well at least via the web anyway, and look at creating some international standards.
As I said above, people die river boarding, it is an unfortunate fact of life when dealing with Mother Nature. If we look at every other water sport I believe river boarding is still a very save activity, but also think that we must all work together to help it stay that way, and maintain the standards as high as we possibly can.
These standards do not have to reflect much about the NZ standards, as operational criteria will be different in every country. Instead they should hopefully be able to be used as guidelines, by which operators can set up and ensure that guides are doing what is needed, competitions are run safely etc.
I'm sure from the past 2 years of competitions of seen here on Facelevel, that you guys already have much of that in place as well.
But I feel we are in a unique situation of having a reletively unknown activity, with a great bunch of participants world wide, with a great deal of knowledge. Why not tap into some of this and make sure that as more and more people begin river boarding, they are able to do so in a safe and enjoyable manner.
I know the RIPH exists and they state they wished to create unified training criteria etc, unfortunately they seemed to leave NZ off there list, and I can't find anything other than them saying that is an intention of their organisation, I can't find any evidence of them having created anything.
For many years now we have all existed in isolation and this website has started to bring together river boarders from many areas around the world.
Although we operate in different ways, and focus on different things, and have developed different equipment, we all still have the same common goal.
To show people the thrill of river boarding, as well as advancing our own skills, and doing it in the safest and most enjoyable way possible!
This is just a thought I've had in my head for a while and I guess I'm just wanting to know if there are enough other people around the world who think this is a good idea and that it might be possible?
-
Comment by Kevin Yount on June 23, 2009 at 11:01pm -
Brad,
Right on. I think there are a lot of factors to organizing a safe commercial trip; adequate training and equipment, guide to client ratios, making sure each guide knows and performs the specific role they are filling that day, and having procedures for every aspect of the operation.
Kudos for creating a standard and organization in NZ and I hope we all can learn from it.
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Comment by Charl van Rensburg on June 24, 2009 at 6:58am -
Absolutely Critical.
I think your suggestion is a seed sown in the right Season.
From my relationship with other Riverboarders / Hydrospeeders from around the world I know that there is a need for such a unified systematic approach to implementing standards. If we can create at least a Generic Framework which can form the starting point for Operators from around the world to enter from, we can assure that there is greater uniformity internationally. I for one would very much like to be involved in such an initiative, besides my passion for Riverboarding, I come from a Quality Assurance background, so if needed can assist in developing an International Qualifications Framework for Riverboarding. I know that the guys from RIPH will also be keen...
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Comment by Josh Galt on June 24, 2009 at 7:40pm -
Brad,
I am all for it, and am glad that the results of the past year have led to positive changes.
As far as riverboarding / safety, Sierra Rescue has been incorporating riverboarding into their curriculum for many years. Owner Julie Munger is an avid riverboarder and contemporary of Bob Carlson, and one of the top Rescue 3 instructors around. She has been very helpful and supportive of Face Level and our Team FLI athletes, and we're planning to have swiftwater rescue instruction (utilizing riverboards and riverboarding skills) as a part of every competition from here on forward. As I mentioned on Charl's blog post, it's an exciting development because it's going to raise the river IQ of riverboarders across America, and it sounds like in NZ the same thing is happening.
As far as international cooperation, I think that ultimately we all enjoy the sport in similar ways, regardless of if we use hydrospeeds and long dive fins or flat riverboards and bodyboard fins or boogie boards and no fins. It's a passion for the motion of the river, and the experience of swimming in it and feeling every nuance of the rapids.
But, we're going to have disagreements about things, and that's fine. I think as long as it doesn't get petty and personal, and as long as it's a rational discussion that deals with the facts (aka "hydrospeeds can be too buoyant for certain holes" or "boogie boards are not buoyant enough for shallow rocky rivers" etc), we can all learn from it and the sport will evolve in a positive manner.
I am fully supportive of an international organization that can create safety guidelines for commercial operators, riverboarding events, and recreational boarders to learn and follow. I have been pushing for that. I am also in favor of international competition. I know that Raphael Besson (president of RIPH) is in favor of that as well.
There are bound to be egos and people butting heads and squabbling, but it's time that we set those issues aside and focus on what positive changes can be made for the sport as a whole. It is too bad that it took a tragedy to really bring the industry together in NZ, but if it prevents further tragedy and improves the sport and commercial trips as a whole, that's an awesome thing. Hopefully this will continue the global growth of the sport in a safe and positive manner.
What I have seen the past decade and a half are a lot of passionate people who want to "claim" the sport of riverboarding as their own, but do so in a shortsighted manner. "I was the first to __________". In any new sport that's bound to happen. But I have been frustrated by many of those people wanting to simply rest on their laurels, so to speak, and resist any changes (even positive ones) in the sport that is in many ways their identity and that they feel like they somewhat own.
Riverboarding is growing. It is bigger than any one of us individuals, it is bigger than any commercial outfitters, it is bigger than Face Level - it's a global sport that is enjoyed from Peru to Indonesia and from Norway to New Zealand. As the exposure grows, more and more people that have been doing it for many years are coming out of the woodwork. It's exciting.
It's also an opportunity for us to direct the sport in the right direction. I am glad to see this Team FLI community filled with people who have similar vision for this sport. Let's do the right thing. We are reaching a crucial point in the sport's history, and we'll either remain many disjointed factions ("the French" and "the Kiwis" and "the Carlson Crew" etc) or we'll just be "Riverboarders".
I believe we'll get a helluva lot more done as simply riverboarders.
Then, at the first Riverboarding World Championships (presented by Face Level, of course ;) ) we can all wear our flags and be proud to compete for our countries, our companies, and ourselves.
But in order to get to that point, we need to seize this opportunity - as the Kiwi's have done the past year - and do the right thing for the foundation of the sport of Riverboarding.
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Comment by Mad Dog River Boarding on June 24, 2009 at 8:18pm -
Kevin, Charl and Ice
Firstly, Thanks for taking the time to respond.
As you may have noticed I have responded to Docta P in the favourite board discussion. This is not to make things personal, having watch videos of you all, I have a lot of respect for your skills. It is mearly to point out , as you say Ice, that there are many differences in the way different parts of the world do things.
As I said earlier, we need to move forward as one, and as you say Ice, that need to be as 'riverboarders'.
The RIPH guys have developed a huge skill set over many years. Charl comes from an ocean background with quality assurance. There are guys working here in NZ who have degrees in risk assessment, are ex Navy Seals, scuba diving instructors, raft guides, an ex NZ white water kayak team member, qualified first aid instructors, swift water rescue instructors. Ice, like me you seem to have come to river boarding from a 'lets float on inner tubes' type background. I'm sure there are multitudes of other amazing backgrounds to river baorders throughout the world, I just know the locals from NZ.
What this means to me is that if we can come together and combine that knowledge into a minimum criteria for river boarding throughout the world, we can go a long way.
You are right, it is not about one area telling another that they are wrong and should change what they do, although hopefully all areas are able to learn from each other, and as a whole we should all end up in a better place than we are now.
Yes some ego's will come out, but it sounds to me like there are enough level heads around now to make sure those are kept in check! That's what happened in NZ for years, but none of those guys now own companies, although we are lucky enough that they still lend their considerable skills to the industry in other ways, instruction and so on.
If you guys are able to talk to Raphael, I've never had the pleasure of dealing with him. I also think that perhaps the African expidition could be a good way for you to start talking about these things. (I would love to make it, as an ex Serious Fun guide, it's always been a dream to get to the Zam, but I have a legal matter to deal with here in Aug).
Both of you are planning on being there, as are other African guides, and American river boarders. There will also hopefully be 3 ex Queenstown staff there. Although things have changed a lot since they worked here! When they were here there was a lot of animosity between the companies, but every company has now changed hands at least once since then. However the basic principles of how we river board, have not changed. I have never met Rory or Drew, but Mikey is a bloody good guy.
As I said if you want to have a look at the 'safety guidelines' at www.nzwba.net.nz, they are a public document, and may serve as a good starting point for some of the issues that need to be dealt with.
I do not think International guidelines need to reflect these in any major way, these are what works for how the industry works in NZ, and it would be a bad idea to just copy these to other countries.
But they do deal with the major issues, of assessing commercial companies, guide training, group sizes and so on.
Obviously I would like to be kept up to date with things, I feel we all have many things we can input. So feel free to email me directly on maddog@riverboarding.co.nz as well.
I say lets do it!
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Comment by Huw Miles on June 27, 2009 at 6:53pm -
Spot on Baa Baa,
I´d like to put my hand up to be involved in anyway i can. I may not be a big mover and shaker in terms of being an operator or a public voice for the sport but I beleive i have something to offer.
For those of you who don´t know me (actually that´s everyone except Baa Baa!) In a nutshell- I have a Sports Development degree and specialised in my final year in Managing Risk in Outdoor Education and Adventure Tourism. I was secretary for the NZWBA on the Executive committee, Senior Guide of the season for Maddog and mentor to two trainee guides. I registered the NZWBA as a charitable organisation organised the first AGM and acted as a dipolmat on the executive committee trying to keep things constructive and things moving forward positively. I have no foot in any camp anymore and have riverboarded in a few different places around the world. I´m in. Especially if it means a trip to the Zam! OW!!
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Comment by Rochelle Parry on September 2, 2009 at 7:09pm - Brad, what does the verdict mean for you and your company?
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Comment by Mad Dog River Boarding on September 2, 2009 at 8:01pm
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It wasn't a 'verdict' per se, it was a plea bargain.
No matter which side lost there would have been years of appeals for various reasons, so I took accepted the plea bargain to allow my company and everyone else within the industry to be able to move forward pro-actively. Everyone was in agreeance that we had all learnt from the accident and it was time to make sure the focus remained moving forward, where it should be. The focus should always be about the next clients to go down the river, their safety is paramount.
There is a lot of 'political' stuff to be sorted yet, with authorities here etc, but for me it is time to get back in the water in the next couple of weeks and move on with things.
As far as this blog goes, nothing has changed, I still believe that the setting of international standards is positive and a move in the right direction for everyone who works commercially in river boarding.
So long as everyone accepts that we work in a dangerous environment (as we were again tragically reminded of in France just a few weeks ago), and we can not take all risk out of this or any other extreme sport (just as we can't for driving a car), but that we must work tirelessly to reduce the risk as much as possible, then we must do this.
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Comment by Josh Galt on September 2, 2009 at 8:35pm
- Glad to hear you're getting back into the water soon, I hope it's therapeutic for you. Hang in there!
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Comment by Charl van Rensburg on September 3, 2009 at 3:10am
- Pleased that you can now move ahead and focus on the future.
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Comment by Rochelle Parry on September 3, 2009 at 1:27pm
- I'm glad that your spirit remains intact. I can't imagine how difficult and challenging a time this must have been for you.
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