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New Paddling
Style - Freya Hoffmeister
Freya Hoffmeister, the
“Woman in Black”, lives in Husum, North
Germany, when she’s not traveling for sea
kayaking around the world. She’s either
picking her van, tent or a rental car to
sleep in, independence is her lifestyle.
Freya is accomplished in
several styles of paddling, including
marathon racing, Greenland style rolling,
expedition paddling and rough water
kayaking, and who knows what else she’s
going to try next...she seems to choose
boats, paddles and gear depending on the
conditions, her moods, and by pure chance. A
squeeze into a squirt boat, a sidestep to
white water rivers, a sprint and balance act
on a surf ski, it’s all about variety in
life! No time for her to get bored, and when
you see her having fun playing around or
experience her endurance on a race or trip,
you might feel what a kayaker’s life is all
about.
Freya won the Arctic Sea
Kayak Race in Norway 2004, placed 2nd in the
300 km race around the Danish Island Fyn,
and took 14:07 hrs for a 120 km one-days
trip around the Isle of Man.
Greenland style rolling
has become her trademark. She has not only
mastered most of the 35 Greenland rolls in a
very short period of time, but has also made
up some of her own, and added some creative
balancing movements ON the kayak.
Freya won the overall
women’s class on the 2006 Greenland national
championships. Her total of 8 gold medals in
rolling and races makes her the most
successful foreign competitor ever.
Having been a former
gymnast, bodybuilder and skydiver, Freya has
the balance and flexibility needed for
rolling. Soon after she started Greenland
style rolling, she was already teaching
rolls at symposiums all over the world.
She’s been a guest
teacher in Japan, New Zealand, America,
Sweden, Great Britain, Denmark, Holland,
Scotland, Spain and Germany – so far!
Combining this teaching with various
kayaking trips in the area has been a most
efficient way of traveling for the last
three years.
Freya’s longest trip so
far is a three week expedition in May 2006
on the remote south coast of Newfoundland,
where she joined Wendy Killoran. Her
appetite has now been wettened for longer
trips on even more challenging coastlines.
Where is she going next?
Together with her partner
Greg Stamer, she’s at least traveling on
her mind already for 2007, on a huge 2,5 x 4
m world map, which is stuck to the ceiling
of her living room.
Freya is working with
Rockpool Kayaks in the UK to develop the
Rockpool “Underground”, the first European
Greenland style fibreglass kayak, which will
be launched in spring 2007.
Freya is part of Justine
Curgeven’s “This is the Sea III” video.
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