VELVET NOT NYLON: PADDLING THROUGH A REVOLUTION The Hiko Story

While the Czech Republic fought for its autonomy and a place in the free world under a fraying iron curtain, so too did Hiko. Theirs is a story of ingenuity, determination, innovation, and humble beginnings. Born from the names of its founding families —Hilgert and Košt'álová—Hiko evolved alongside the Velvet Revolution, both family and business growing with their burgeoning homeland. As Hiko navigates its future with new players at the helm, they remain firmly rooted in their history and grounded by a lifetime passion for sport and water.

McKenley Newman

The hiko story As morning broke on the 17th of November 1989, students began lacing up their Botas sneakers in preparation to march the streets of Prague. Fifteen thousand citizens were unaware that the communist national police were getting ready just the same. The Velvet Revolution and the end of communist Czechoslovakia had unknowingly begun. A few meters away, two young boaters were training on the Vltava River in their 13-foot-long fiberglass slalom kayaks. Oblivious to the history being made just past the riverbank, Ivan and Marcela Hilgert were among the few who had already been secretly pursuing their paddling dreams under the watchful eye of the Iron Curtain. As the sound of footsteps began to echo through Národní třída (National Avenue), the riot police, backed by the Czechoslovak Socialist…

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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, Fall 2024

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