Rush Sturges
Encyclopedia
Rush Sturges is an American professional whitewater kayaker
, film maker, and musician.
, where his parents own and operate Otter Bar Lodge, a destination kayak school on the Salmon River
. Sturges' upbringing at Otter Bar Lodge exposed him to kayaking and film making at a young age. As a young teen, Sturges filmed and edited videos of Otter Bar's week long kayaking retreats, which he would then sell to that week's clients.
when he attended Adventure Quest, a traveling kayaking high school. Sturges co-founded Young Gun Productions to document the kayaking exploits of his peers and himself through film with two other Adventure Quest students: Brooks Baldwin and Marlow Long. Each member of the production company was under 18 years old when they released their debut film, The Next Generation.
In 2003, Sturges won the Junior World Championships of freestyle kayaking in Graz
, Austria
. After turning 18 he has returned to represent the U.S. at the freestyle kayaking world championships twice.
Sturges is credited with having invented several freestyle moves including the pistol flip and the hail mary. The hail mary involves doing a complete front flip over a waterfall, and is one of the most cutting edge moves in freeboating
.
With Young Gun Productions, Sturges produced three more successful kayaking films, then went on to create his own production company, River Roots. River Roots partnered with Tyler Bradt's
production company, Revolutionary Innovations, to release Africa Revolutions Tour in 2009. The sister companies released their second joint project, Dream Result, early 2010. Sturges films, edits, produces, and stars in each of his films.
For his numerous accomplishments in whitewater kayaking Rush Sturges was named an Outdoor Idol by the Outdoor Industry Foundation and was chosen with fellow Young Gun Productions film makers as one of the 20 greatest outdoor athletes by Outside Magazine.
and Subliminal Sabotage.
Whitewater kayaking
Whitewater kayaking is the sport of paddling a kayak on a moving body of water, typically a whitewater river. Whitewater kayaking can range from simple, carefree gently moving water, to demanding, dangerous whitewater. River rapids are graded like ski runs according to the difficulty, danger or...
, film maker, and musician.
Early life
Rush Sturges grew up in Forks of Salmon, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where his parents own and operate Otter Bar Lodge, a destination kayak school on the Salmon River
Salmon River (California)
The Salmon River is a tributary to the Klamath River in western Siskiyou County, California.The river has its origins in the high mountains of the Trinity Alps, Russian Mountains, and Marble Mountains...
. Sturges' upbringing at Otter Bar Lodge exposed him to kayaking and film making at a young age. As a young teen, Sturges filmed and edited videos of Otter Bar's week long kayaking retreats, which he would then sell to that week's clients.
Kayaking and film making career
Sturges began competing in freestyle kayakingPlayboating
Playboating is a discipline of whitewater kayaking or canoeing where the paddler performs various technical moves in one place , as opposed to downriver whitewater canoeing or kayaking where the objective is to travel the length of a section of river...
when he attended Adventure Quest, a traveling kayaking high school. Sturges co-founded Young Gun Productions to document the kayaking exploits of his peers and himself through film with two other Adventure Quest students: Brooks Baldwin and Marlow Long. Each member of the production company was under 18 years old when they released their debut film, The Next Generation.
In 2003, Sturges won the Junior World Championships of freestyle kayaking in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. After turning 18 he has returned to represent the U.S. at the freestyle kayaking world championships twice.
Sturges is credited with having invented several freestyle moves including the pistol flip and the hail mary. The hail mary involves doing a complete front flip over a waterfall, and is one of the most cutting edge moves in freeboating
Freeboating
Freeboating is a branch of whitewater kayaking that combines playboating and creeking. Freeboating tricks usually originate in holes/waves and then are adapted to rapids and waterfalls. An example of a freeboating trick is the Hail Mary...
.
With Young Gun Productions, Sturges produced three more successful kayaking films, then went on to create his own production company, River Roots. River Roots partnered with Tyler Bradt's
Tyler Bradt
Tyler Bradt is an American professional whitewater kayaker who holds the unofficial world record for the highest waterfall successfully run in a kayak.-World record:...
production company, Revolutionary Innovations, to release Africa Revolutions Tour in 2009. The sister companies released their second joint project, Dream Result, early 2010. Sturges films, edits, produces, and stars in each of his films.
For his numerous accomplishments in whitewater kayaking Rush Sturges was named an Outdoor Idol by the Outdoor Industry Foundation and was chosen with fellow Young Gun Productions film makers as one of the 20 greatest outdoor athletes by Outside Magazine.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Production Company |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Next Generation | Young Gun Productions |
| 2004 | New Reign | Young Gun Productions |
| 2006 | Dynasty | Young Gun Productions |
| 2008 | Source | Young Gun Productions |
| 2009 | Africa Revolutions Tour | River Roots and Revolutionary Innovations |
| 2010 | Dream Result | River Roots and Revolutionary Innovations |
| 2011 | Frontier | River Roots |
Musical career
Rush Sturges performs hip hop and freestyle rap under the stage name Adrenaline Rush. He has not yet released an album, but his songs have been featured in various kayaking movies, and he has opened for the hip hop groups Swollen MembersSwollen Members
Swollen Members is a Canadian hip hop group from Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada consisting mainly of the duo Mad Child, and Prevail. Frequent collaborators include vocalist Moka Only and producer Rob the Viking, an official group member since 2002...
and Subliminal Sabotage.