Women’s Adventure Summer 2011

The Summer Issue is here!

Editor’s Letter

It was the best moment of my day: when the standup paddleboard under my feet tilted and I didn’t fight back. I gave in, let go, and dropped into the water with a splash.

I’ve never really struggled with balance in its most literal sense. Not as a child gymnast, not as a novice cyclist, and not as I stood on boards all day, paddling for the reviews in this issue. I’m not claiming that I’m 100-percent steady—slacklining, occasional yoga poses, and even slick, muddy trails sometimes have me flailing for control—but when it comes to balancing on my own two feet, I usually manage better than most.

Maybe that’s why my struggles this year to balance my life have come as a bit of a shock. Maybe that’s why as I shifted my weight, purposefully searching for (and finding) the instability sweet-spot of that board, I felt more than just the embrace of the frigid water. I felt a liberating release of my own expectations; I felt the mild panic of being overcome by momentum; I felt the giddiness of falling into something unexpected and invigorating; and I felt the hopeful anticipation of a fresh start.

No amount of practice will make balance inevitable, and maintaining equilibrium is something that requires effort—at work, at home, and at play. What I’m just beginning to understand is that, unlike the muscle-memory perfection you’re trying for when you swing a golf club or visualize the crux of a climb, when it comes to practicing balance, you learn as much from consistent perfection as you do from complete and total failure.

This issue provides proof that even some of our adventure heroines struggle with balance. Jennifer Pharr Davis juggles her endurance training with a successful business and an ambition to break the Appalachian Trail’s overall speed record. Jenny Kalmbach balances more literally—atop 16- foot waves as she paddled across the Hawaiian Islands to raise awareness about plastic in the oceans. And almost every writer that I work with to produce this magazine—from freelancers to contributing editors—weighs family responsibility against careers and adventures that make the story of creating this magazine almost more inspiring than what you’ll read in its pages. Even here at Women’s Adventure, we’re finding a new equilibrium as we mourn the unexpected passing of our leader and our close-knit company’s owner, Dave Oskin.

We’ve all struggled for balance whether physical or philosophical, fundamental or incremental. Until recently, my M.O. has been to hold on tight and try to make good of a teetering performance, to overpower imbalance and try to muscle it into submission. What I didn’t realize is that a shaky hold on balance is actually a blessing; it keeps me constantly engaged, nimble, and creative in my approach to challenges. And, like leaping off a standup paddleboard, succumbing to imbalance—giving in and allowing for a natural self-righting—isn’t as scary as I had thought. I know it’ll be a challenge to balance my time and priorities this summer. My calendar is jam-packed with mountain-bike trips, family functions, meetings to plan Women’s Adventure’s future, weekends with friends, and fundraisers—a Project Athena trip to the Grand Canyon and the three-day Courage Classic benefiting the Children’s Hospital Foundation. Instead of fighting to control it all and grinding my teeth through the effort to balance it, I hope I’ll be able to continue to embrace the gentle teetering and swaying imbalance that’s part of my reality. Even if it results in an occasional dip into uncertainty or a cold re-awakening that sharpens my focus, I know that the practice won’t end in perfection. But I also know that it will ensure an exciting adventure education.

Yours, Kristy Holland

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Summer 2011 Table of Contents