Women & Whitewater: Beth Rypins & Brooke Winger
Two whitewater divas reveal the great splash women have made on the whitewater industry.
by Lila Marie Thomas

Following old school extreme kayaker Beth Rypins and new school champion Brooke Winger down the river of their lives reveals just how far women have come within the world of whitewater. Twenty-two years ago, Beth was in high school and going nowhere fast. She was using drugs and getting into trouble. Then she found kayaking and it changed her life. When Beth discovered kayaking, Brooke was in diapers on a 40-acre farm in Buena Vista, California. By the late 80s, Beth had paddled countless rivers in 17 countries on six continents, and had completed numerous outstanding first descents. Meanwhile, Brooke at 12 had just begun kayaking for a kids club with her younger brother Ethan.

What it Takes to be the Best

Brooke is a 24 year-old, sparkly- eyed athlete whose greatest desire is to be the number one freestyle paddler in the world. She has already taken thirdplace in the freestyle and won the squirt boat category hands down at the 1999 New Zealand Worlds and 2001 Spain Worlds.

Her father was a ferrier and Brooke grew up horseback riding in the California hills. Her parents initially looked for a sport for Brooke’s younger brother Ethan, when Brooke got hooked. Unlike many professional kayakers, Brooke’s family didn’t have much money. It was the help she received from her first coach, Tom Long, and others along the way that enabled her to compete at a young age.

Beth also came to kayaking early, in high school. Now in her 22nd year on the river, she has a thin, muscular frame, a mop of curly brown hair, and an energetic personality that never tires. She has overcome incredible odds her entire life.

At eight years old, she suffered a stroke and was paralyzed on the right side of her body. Although she recovered physically, the emotional scars were long lasting. When she discovered kayaking she found not only a passion but therapuetic outlet for her anger.
"Kayaking demands my attention:there is no room for anything but the present.”

Beth’s career in whitewater has included rafting and kayaking expeditions all over the world. She is fluent in at least three different languages and has witnessed first hand the revolution of kayaking. She now blends her experience of whitewater with media. She has narrated and led raftingexpeditions for National Geographic Television. She is a primary athlete in ABC’s Sport’s Passion For Play: Women As Adventurers; she produced TightSqueeze, a kayak video about women, and she is often a commentator for televisedspecials like the World Rafting Championships.

“Have you ever heard the quote ‘it’s the fight that keeps ya young?’

Working in the whitewater world, whether it’s guiding or teaching or making TV shows about whitewater sports means I have to be plenty fit enough to function in that environment.The thing I like about guiding is providing an experience for people. Being out on a river is a special thing, and to share that with someone is a gift, an intimacy."

Divas Unite Beth and Brooke first met in the early 90’s. Brooke was in her teens and on the Junior Olympic Slalom Team and had heard about Beth who was an icon in the sport.

“I knew she was out there running knarly Class V rapids and I wanted to be just like her.”Beth is impressed and inspired by the next generation of women kayakers.

“When I first met Brooke, I couldn’t believe how aggressive she was on the water. The women today show no fear.”

Years later they paddled on the same whitewater raft racing team and took first place in the Zambezi World Whitewater Challenge in Zimbabwe.

Old School vs. New School

The new school and old school ways of boating have changed as much as the kayak designs. Beth can recall a time when she paddled 12-foot long boats and was the only woman on the river. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, she paved the way for women. Today, the females are fierce competitors in 8-foot long boats that are constantly breaking the limits of what was thought possible—like Shannon Carol who holds the world record waterfall at 76 feet.

The onslaught of new school women paddlers has enhanced almost every aspect of what can be done on the river. Brooke feels that most of the progress is due to progressive new boat designs.“The boats that are out there today allow us to do more diverse moves than the old long boats.” “Gals of Beth’s day either ran Class V or they competed, there wasn’t much cross-over; but today women who do freestyle are also out there running big water.” says Brook.

Beth has seen the distinct changes kayaking has been through. “Back then it was so wild. Now, there is a lot of hype associated with kayaking, it’s a big scene. I still love the sport, doing the activity, being on the water, but it’s a scene. It’s not quite what snowboarding is, but its on its way. Because the focus wasn’t on play boating, but running rivers, there was a wildness associated with it. “I also love the hull speed of the long boats we used to paddle. I find them really hard to turn when I paddle them now, but I still dig the speed.”

Problems in the Field

Although women have made enormous headway in the industry, there are stillobstacles to overcome. Little consideration has been given to the differences of female anatomy within modern boat designs. Women commonlyhave larger hips and a smaller frame which is often overlooked by the predominately male boat designers.

“Women are seen as one step behind the guys, not because of athleticism but because of the crafts provided. It is much harder for a woman to maneuver a boat than a 160 pound man.” Brooke has devoted much of hertime to help design the Siren, a Wavesport boat especially designed for women.

The Siren is smaller with icier ends that cut through the water better.
“Lots of women get angry that the prize money for men is more, but in all reality girls have a better chance to win because there are fewer competitors.”

Women have also gained a reputation of having bad attitudes towards each other in competition. Part of this hostility is due to how young the sport is for women.

“The Pro women are separated out in their abilities and don’t have the confidence or awareness of an even playing field. This leads to a lot of backstabbing and bad sportsmanship on the circuit.” says Brooke.
Despite these limitations, Brooke feels there are more opportunities for women to win and improve themselves in the field than men because thereare fewer women out there compared to the guys.

What it’s all about.What is it about kayaking that has changed these women’s lives and keep them coming back for more?

Beth describes a conversation in her head before she faces a huge rapid. "One voice says ‘you can’t do it’ and another says ‘you can’ so it is a kind of battle in my head and it is up to me to take control.” Beth feels she has devoted her life to finding an emotional balance, and kayaking has helped her achieve that. The days on the river she recalls as her best.

“There was a wildness associated with it, of being in a remote canyons, among a tight group of friends.”

“The most important thing in whitewater is to believe in your talents. When I was 18, I decided I wasn’t good enough to go to team trials and I’ve regretted that decision ever since. I was good enough—I just didn’t believe in myself.” says Brooke.

The personality of women within kayaking has long been a stong influence. Whitewater divas are leading the way in all aspects of the sport. Whether it is the Futaleufu or the Ocoee, chicks will continue to kick ass on the water.

Lila Marie Thomas: Being raised in Asheville gave me the wonderful opportunity to build a connection between my passion for kayaking with the problems facing the aquatic ecosystems of the region. The French Broad River, Nantahala River, Pigeon River and many more were training grounds forme in my boating and understanding their uses opened up a bigger picture for me intellectually that encompassed many of the same issues I am now facing in my Master’s thesis on “Water in the west”. I recognize many of the same problems on rivers throughout the country and am anxious to tell their stories, and the stories of the women and men who build their lives around them.