Manufacturers have donated $6,000 worth of paddling gear for a contest to help American Whitewater sell memberships at the 25th Anniversary of its annual Gauley Fest in West Virginia next weekend.


Over the weekend of Sept. 19-21, hundreds of paddlers and thousands of people flock to West Virginia to celebrate the derailment of a hydro-eclectic project that would have decimated the flows in the upper river.

In an effort to drive more American Whitewater membership, several manufacturers have teamed up for a fun Ro Sham Bo (Rock, Paper, Scissors) game of chance at this year’s Gauley Fest.  To qualify for the game, players must be an AW member. So sign up, or renew your membership, in advance and avoid the lines at Gauley Fest. 


“Rock-Paper-Scissors is a game that everyone understands, even with a few beers in them, and is a super fun way to try to win gear,” says Woody Callaway of Liquidlogic.

Everyone gets to play for every prize; it works like this. A prize will be brought forward, a beautiful Werner paddle, for example. Everyone in the crowd will play the “RPS Master,” Wood Callaway, at the same time. If you tie or beat Woody you stay in the game. The game is played using the honor system and peer pressure. (It is Rock-Paper-Scissors, who can honestly cheat at that.) We will continue playing until there is a winner. Then we bring up a new prize and everyone is back in the game.   Partnering with AW on this membership drive is:


Liquidlogic   2 Kayaks
Werner Paddles  2 Paddles
Astral Buoyancy  2 PFD’s
Shred Ready    2 Helmets
Immersion Research   2 Skirts
Lunch Video Magazine 2 Collectors Volume DVD’s
Gaia     5 Dry Bags
Smith Optics   5 Pair of Sunglasses