practice in the Chattahoochee. The parking lot is located just one block from the river, making the whitewater course conveniently accessible from the kayakers’ winter home-base. This set up lends itself to a scenario that is “unique in all the world,” says Paige Swift, who is affiliated with the production of the documentary and upcoming Wild and Scenic film festival.
By Natalie Downey
Jeff Springer Interviews Abby Holcombe
inter in the south might seem like a W quiet time for most, but for kayakers, the season means more time spent in the water, and Columbus offers the perfect place to do just that. In December of 2019, filmmaker Jeff Springer made his way to Columbus, Georgia. He had
then they’re in this unconventional environment, squatting in this parking lot basically, but also welcomed by the city - I thought that was a really interesting story in itself,” Springer explains. There are many reasons kayakers from all over the world, including world class athletes, choose to spend their winter in Columbus each
Perhaps just as noteworthy as the fact that this community exists in a parking lot down the road is the fact that the community has been largely supportive of it being there. “A lot of cities, if you want to park your van and go kayaking every day, they’re like, ‘You can’t park here’,” says Rachel Scheffe, a kayaker who has spent her past two winters at The Wintering Grounds. “They’ve made it so easy for kayakers to come here and stay, and use the whitewater features.” Jeff Springer experienced the Wintering Grounds lifestyle firsthand during the filming of the documentary, staying in a camper at the
Jeff Springer Setting Up Interview With Stephen Wright Jeff Springer, Director the Wintering Grounds
caught wind of a story of a vagabond community of squatting kayakers and was intrigued. Springer formed the idea for a documentary about these kayakers and the parking lot they camp out in, and began filming this past winter. An Emmynominated filmmaker from California, Springer took an interest in the whitewater course in uptown Columbus, fascinated that whitewater rapids of such intensity could be found in the Jeff Springer Filming Makinley Kate Hargrove
year. The lifestyle of a professional kayaker is a transient one of chasing white water all year long. The whitewater course offers many advantages to kayakers: it’s the longest urban whitewater course in the world, it has safe, man-altered whitewater elements, rapids of varying challenge levels, and something not many whitewater courses in the US can boast of – warm water all year long. Because kayakers’ lives are spent largely on the road when not in the water, they often travel by van or camper, looking for places to set up camp at each stop. The influx of kayakers to our city during the winter months, plus their need for a place to set up camp while in Columbus, resulted
Jeff Springer Interviews Luke Pomeroy Inside White Water Express Shop In Phenix City
middle of a city. The more he learned about the kayaking community, the more he wanted to tell their story. “You’ve got interesting characters, and they’re world-championship level kayakers, and LocaL
in the unique establishment of the gravel parking lot winter home-base known as “The Wintering Grounds.” RV campers, vans, and kayaks fill the lot each winter, as kayakers who cross paths in other rivers settle in for a few months of play and 14
SEPT EMBER -OCT OBER 2020
