Instructor of the Month

Wolf Albury’s journey into sea kayaking began under the guidance of the late, great Russell Farrow of Sweetwater Kayaks in St. Petersburg, Florida. What started as an introduction to the sport quickly evolved into a passion, with kayaking becoming a form of therapy and a way to deeply connect with nature.

As an ACA Coastal Kayaking Instructor, Wolf primarily teaches beginners and those who have never received formal instruction. His passion lies in making paddlesports accessible to individuals who may otherwise have limited opportunities to experience them.

Based in Nassau, Bahamas, Wolf teaches at Bonefish Pond National Park, a stunning natural setting that serves as both a classroom and an inspiration for new paddlers. His work aligns with the ACA’s mission to bring kayaking into local communities, and he works particularly hard to extend these opportunities to at-risk youth. Wolf, like the ACA, believes in placing a strong emphasis on safety, ensuring that every paddler is equipped with the knowledge and skills to enjoy the water responsibly.

Through his dedication, Wolf Albury is not just teaching paddling techniques—he is opening doors to adventure, connection, and confidence for a new generation of kayakers!

Joey Taguding, ACA Coastal Kayaking Instructor, is a dedicated advocate for paddlesports safety and ACA Instructor of the Month! Often seen teaching on the Potomac River near Washington D.C., Joey’s passion for the water extends far beyond the classroom through leadership and community services. 

Joey’s paddling journey began unexpectedly. As an avid largemouth bass fisherman, Joey sought a way to interact with the water without the traditional bass boat and ostentatious engine. After dabbling in kayak fishing, he quickly discovered that he really enjoyed paddling and began leaving his fishing rods and reels at home! 

Since then, Joey earned a Coastal Kayaking Instructor certification and has become deeply involved in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Paddlecraft (AUXPAD) Safety Division. As Branch Chief for Paddlecraft Operations Ashore, Joey leads safety education efforts, conducts on-water patrols, and mentors new paddlers. His commitment also extends to youth programs, providing paddling and safety training for the Boy Scouts of America Sea Scouts and the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps. 

A career highlight came in February 2024 when Joey instructed at the first-ever AUXPAD Winter Training event at Fort DeSoto Park, Florida. The event gathered Auxiliarists from across the country for a weekend filled with skill-building and camaraderie. Passionate about expanding access to paddlesports, Joey is a strong supporter of the ACA Kayaking 101 Partnership. In 2024, this volunteer-driven initiative trained over 470 beginner paddlers across seven states, kicking off National Safe Boating Week with a day of affordable, introductory paddling classes. Watch the 2024 Kayaking 101 Highlights reel! 

Through tireless service, mentoring, and dedication to paddling safety, Joey Taguding embodies the best of the ACA. His passion inspires others to discover the joy of paddling while fostering a safe and inclusive environment for all.

We are proud to shine the spotlight this month on Ingrid, a dedicated Coastal Kayaking and Flatwater Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP) Instructor. With her passion for paddlesports and a deep commitment to teaching, Ingrid has become a cornerstone of her local paddling community, sharing her knowledge and love for the water with students of all ages and abilities.

Ingrid’s love for paddling was sparked during her childhood, which she spent camping and canoeing. As her skills and passion grew, she transitioned to sea kayaking. She later added flatwater SUP to her repertoire, accumulating a robust collection of canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards.

Wanting to be the best paddler she could be, Ingrid pursued formal training to hone her skills. Her dedication to learning naturally led her to the ACA. From there, her teaching journey progressed with the Carolina Kayak Club, where she served as Training Director, helping to expand instructional opportunities for fellow paddlers.

Ingrid spends her summers teaching at Falls Lake Recreation Area, just north of Raleigh, NC, as well as conducting lessons at the Optimist Pool—an ideal setting for practicing rescues. Beyond instruction, she also loves leading paddling trips, including weeklong adventures to the Suwannee River and Everglades in Florida, the Adirondack Paddle Trail in New York, and the Boundary Waters in Minnesota. Closer to home, Ingrid explores the Roanoke River, the NC coast, and many local waterways.

Her favorite moments as an instructor come when her students experience breakthroughs—whether it’s learning to brace against a wave, completing a rescue, or simply gaining confidence in their paddling abilities. “Seeing the sparks when someone gets it is so rewarding,” Ingrid shares. She’s especially moved by the joy and accomplishment she sees in individuals with disabilities when they experience the freedom and connection of being on the water.

Ingrid is also passionate about making paddlesports more inclusive. She’s currently working to improve adaptive facilities at local launch sites and docks, an initiative she admits is challenging but vital. “Getting to the right people who control our lakes and waterways has been difficult,” she notes, “but we will keep trying.”

As an instructor, Ingrid sees a pressing need for foundational paddling education, from basic paddle skills and safety training to trip planning and even loading boats onto cars. Her comprehensive approach ensures her students are not only prepared but also empowered to explore the water safely and confidently.

Through her teaching, trip leadership, and advocacy, Ingrid has enriched the lives of countless paddlers. Her efforts remind us that paddlesports are not just about recreation—they’re about community, connection, and empowerment.

Thank you, Ingrid, for your dedication and for making the paddling world a more welcoming and approachable place!

We are proud to recognize Bob Myron as Instructor of the Month! With over 30 years of experience as an ACA Instructor, Bob has dedicated his life to sharing the joy and skills of paddlesports with countless individuals. His journey, rich with learning and growth, exemplifies the passion and commitment that inspire others to connect with the water.

Bob’s relationship with paddlecraft and the outdoors began early in life, fueling a love for the water and a desire to share outdoor skills with others. In 1986, he became a licensed Maine Guide and thought he was a skilled paddler—until a challenging river experience proved otherwise. This humbling moment led him to an ACA Whitewater Canoe Skills Course in Northern Maine, where he encountered a transformative learning experience. Inspired by the patience, encouragement, and passion of his instructors, particularly lead instructor Walter Abbot, Bob left the course with a new perspective and a goal: to become an ACA River Canoe Instructor and share his newfound knowledge and inspiration with others.

Shortly after completing his skills course, Bob pursued an Instructor Certification Workshop in Massachusetts, where his journey as an educator truly began. Over the years, he has expanded his certifications, becoming a Whitewater Kayak Instructor, Coastal Kayak Instructor, Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) Instructor, and Instructor Trainer Educator (ITE) in Canoeing and Coastal Kayaking. Today, Bob actively teaches canoeing, kayaking, and SUP through his organization, Outdoor Leader Trainers of America (OLTOA), specializing in training aspiring leaders to share paddlesports with their communities.

Bob’s teaching career is filled with moments that highlight his dedication and empathy. One of the most pivotal lessons he learned as an Instructor Trainer (IT) is the profound impact an ACA certification course can have on participants. Recognizing the importance of thoughtful and encouraging exit interviews, Bob ensures that each candidate feels supported, understands their strengths, and knows how to achieve their goals—even if they fall short of certification on their first attempt. This approach fosters a positive and inspiring experience, encouraging individuals to continue their paddling journey. Bob’s skill in conducting exit interviews emphasizes the importance of clear communication, constructive feedback, and fostering resilience, leaving participants motivated to grow and succeed.

Although Bob has achieved higher-level certifications, his passion lies in teaching Level 1, 2, and 3 courses in canoeing and kayaking and Level 2 in SUP. His teaching takes him across the lakes, rivers, and coastlines of Maine, as well as other states and countries. Despite decades of experience, Bob remains a student of the sport, continually learning and growing from his mentors and peers within the ACA community.

Bob’s ACA journey began on a river in the late 1980s, and it continues to inspire him decades later. He credits the many mentors and icons of the ACA for shaping his path and is committed to passing on that inspiration to others. For those interested in connecting with Bob or learning more about his work, visit his website at www.oltoa.com or contact him via email at bobmyron@live.com.

Congratulations to Bob Myron on being named ACA’s Instructor of the Month, and thank you for your outstanding contributions to the paddlesports community!

This November, the ACA proudly recognizes Jess Lewis as our Instructor of the Month! A seasoned river enthusiast and dedicated educator, Jess has spent a lifetime embracing the river’s power and beauty. Her passion for paddling started early. She recalls her first overnight river trip on Desolation Canyon at just two years old, guided by her parents, both professional river guides.

Her career in paddlesports truly blossomed during her time in Chile, where she immersed herself in a thriving, professional guide community. It was there she discovered not just her own capabilities as a paddler, but also a profound respect for the global paddling community.

Jess brings her expertise to the Arkansas River in Colorado through Canyon River Instruction. This March, she looks forward to expanding her teaching internationally with a co-teaching trip in Chile alongside her mentor, Elisha McArthur.

Reflecting on her journey, Jess shares how a pivotal moment at 30 reshaped her career path. Facing what she calls a “young life crisis,” she sought clarity in the desert and emerged with a renewed purpose: to focus her energy on instruction and creating meaningful connections through paddlesports. This shift inspired her to dedicate herself to empowering women and non-male-identifying paddlers, fostering confidence and resilience on the water.

One of her proudest achievements is the creation of Boaters Anonymous, a program designed to support and celebrate paddlers while building strength and community. “I love setting the stage for people to learn how much grit, strength, and beauty they have through the discipline of the river,” she says.

Beyond her personal work, Jess is an advocate for the ACA’s rafting initiatives, highlighting the recently launched internationally recognized guide certification. This program provides guides with opportunities to meet international standards, enhancing their ability to work and thrive globally.

Thank you, Jess, for your dedication, passion, and tireless efforts to inspire paddlers of all backgrounds. The ACA is proud to celebrate you as November’s Instructor of the Month!

The AMAZING painting of Karen was created by Nathan Florence, an adaptive paddler that Karen has taken rafting.

This October, we are celebrating Karen Locke as ACA Instructor of the Month! Karen has been teaching swiftwater rescue courses for the past 6 years. Recently, with the help of her amazing mentors, she earned her Swiftwater Rescue Instructor Trainer certification as well. Last month, Karen also became certified as a Whitewater Rafting Paddle and Oar Instructor. 

Karen primarily teaches in Moab, UT but will be branching out to other destinations in 2025 by securing several permits on other rivers and hosting some courses internationally. Next August, Karen will be teaching a Swiftwater Rescue Instructor Course for guides who work on the Zambezi in Zambia!

For the past 8 years, Karen has managed an adaptive rafting company in Moab. For Karen, the lessons she has learned from folks with adaptive needs have been priceless. She hopes to bring more of that knowledge to the ACA and her courses.  

After years of professional guiding and teaching on rivers all over the world, Karen settled down in Moab where she is the proud owner of Confluence Rescue, a low-cost and scholarship-based rescue company. She strongly believes that life-saving rescue courses should not be cost prohibitive and has scholarship funds available for all Confluence Rescue courses.  

Karen knew paddling was going to be a lifelong pursuit since her first time on the river. “I had a true ‘Excalibur’ moment in March of 2009 when I picked up a paddle for the first time. I was on the New River and although I felt like a deer looking into headlights, I knew instantly that rafting was going to be part of my life forever. The beginning of my career was challenging, and I am thankful to have found my direction again when I attended an ACA Swiftwater Rescue Conference in 2017. I was motivated to become more serious and skilled within Swiftwater Rescue disciplines after an adaptive rescue on Gates of Lodore.”

The ACA applauds Karen’s commitment to fostering creative opportunities that allow anyone to fall in love with paddling. All ACA members and instructors know how it feels to find community, challenge, pride, and joy through paddlesports. The best of us knows how it feels to share that experience with someone else. Congratulations Karen on a well-earned ACA Instructor of the Month award! 

Please join us in congratulating Dave Bumgarner — ACA’s Instructor of the Month for September 2024! Dave is an instructor trainer for whitewater kayaking, swiftwater rescue, and packrafting as well as an instructor for whitewater canoeing. Dave also is a member of the ACA Swiftwater Rescue Committe. 

Based in Colorado, and the founder and lead instructor for the Gunnison Kayak Program, Dave most often teaches on the Gunnison River near Crested Butte, Colorado. He has also traveled to bring ACA instructor courses to paddlers abroad. He taught the first ACA packraft instructor courses in China and the first ACA swiftwater rescue instructor course in Chile. Dave will be returning to China to run a couple more packraft instructor courses and he highly recommends that ACA instructors expand their reach outside the United States. 

Dave was first introduced to paddling while working at his college outdoor program in North Carolina. Paddling grew to be a more important part of Dave’s life when he began working at the Fort Carson Adventure Program where he started a wounded warrior kayak program while running their kayaking and rafting programs. 

The Wounded Warrior Project serves veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury during their service. Paddlesports are one of the ways that the Wounded Warrior Project promotes community, recovery, and wellbeing. These kayak programs allow veterans to have the knowledge and confidence to be safe and have fun on the water. 

For Dave, there aren’t specific moments in his career that stand out. Instead, it is all one great positive experience “I just love teaching paddlesports and inspiring others to get out on the river. Getting youth excited to kayak, teaching rescue courses to all river users and training the next generations of instructors all bring me so much joy.” 

Dave is an exemplary instructor and instructor trainer whose impact extends beyond the borders of the United States. Paddling is for everyone, and Dave makes it a priority to make sure his students are able to learn in safe and fun environments, no matter who they are, or where they come from.

Congratulations to ACA Instructor of the Month, Brett Davis! This August, we are celebrating Brett, who is a whitewater kayaking and a whitewater pack rafting instructor trainer based out of Durango, Colorado.

Brett was first introduced to paddling by mentors and former ACA instructor rockstars, Earl and Glenna Alderson. They convinced Brett to start kayaking while a graduate student in western Massachusetts. Eight weeks after his first time in a boat, Brett was paddling down the Grand Canyon and has been hooked ever since.

Paddling and career have gone hand in hand for Brett for the past 26 years, throughout which he has worked with collegiate outdoor recreational programs. Most recently, Brett has worked as the director for the Outdoor Pursuits program at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.

“Every program I have worked in has had a strong paddling program where we are inspiring and teaching the next generation of paddlers.  It has been an amazing career with paddling adding tremendous value to it.  Though retirement is impending, I will continue to teach in the coming years,” shared Brett.

When the pandemic hit, Brett was grateful to still be able to continue to get students outside despite many outdoor programs not being able to offer programming for their students. Due to Durango’s proximity to so many outdoor venues, they were able to have students meet them at the river where they had all the equipment ready for them for their “learn to whitewater kayak” course.

“After the first day, one student went out and bought a used kayak along with skirt, paddle and helmet and showed up with it all on the second day.  We had hooked them on the sport!  More importantly though, the students in the course were so grateful for the experience, as given how the world was influx, the course allowed them to forget about it all and made them feel like everything was right in the world (at least while they were learning to kayak).  That was all the validation I needed to keep doing what I did during that time,” Brett reflected. 

Recently, Brett worked with the Protect the Dolores River coalition to bring awareness to the Dolores River corridor to further protect it from further development and preserve it as a natural wonder. They have been doing this through a campaign initiated by a film, The River of Sorrows, which can be streamed for free on Outside Magazine or viewed at the Paddling Film Festival World Tour.

Please join us in congratulating Alan Cammack, ACA Instructor of Month for July 2024! Alan is certified in almost every whitewater discipline and enjoys teaching primarily on the Arkansas River near Salida, Colorado. On occasion, Alan enjoys traveling to teach in partnership with other instruction companies, particularly on the Rio Grande, near Taos, New Mexico. 

“I love paddling whitewater of all kinds, and I love teaching on the river. It’s very satisfying to both share this passion and to help someone on their own path. I feel that helping to set someone up for a lifetime of success so that they too can safety enjoy these natural river resources is the best way that I can give back and be a member of this community.” 

Alan’s first introduction to paddling was as a child, in an old Grumman aluminum canoe. At 6 years old, he would solo paddle that canoe among the cypress trees in a shaded inlet. Even then, he would have said that paddling was his favorite thing to do.

Fast forward to when he was 14 and living in Texas — Alan and his mother, looking for an activity they could do together, participated in a two-day ACA Intro to Moving Water class in whitewater kayaks. He loved it! 14-year-old Alan got his roll at the end of the second day and begged to be let into the whitewater class that the instructors were running two weeks later.  

“I was hooked, and I think I knew then that river running, somehow, was what I needed to do with my life. I credit the then vibrant Austin Paddling Club and the amazing members and instructors who were involved there at that time for much of my life paddling path, some of whom I have instructed alongside and with whom have been life-long friends.” 

From that point on, being a river paddling instructor has always been a defining feature of his world view. One of his favorite parts of teaching is progression — particularly the moments where students and friends, whom he had introduced to the sport, advanced to run bigger whitewater than he felt comfortable on at the time. 

Alan is an exemplary instructor and his ability to create fantastic learning settings in a dynamic river environment really sets him apart. A participant from one of Alan’s courses shared that, “Alan offered one of the most professional, safe, and supportive outdoor-related courses in which I have participated throughout my three-decade career in the industry. His Swiftwater Rescue Instructor course and certification went above my expectations for a professional level course.” 

Thank you, Alan! We are so grateful for you and everything that you bring to the paddling community! 

We are also grateful for his perspective on the value of local engagement. Alan shares that he is glad to see the ACA State Directors and others working to bring some vibrancy to the paddling clubs across the country. “Because of my positive experience with the Austin Paddling Club, I think that connecting these groups of enthusiasts with the ACA in general, and quality ACA instructors in particular, is one of the best ways to engage the next generation of paddlers and river stewards.”

This June, please join us in celebrating our newest Instructor of the Month, Chris Bracamonte! Chris is a Coastal Kayaking Instructor based in Washington State. He most often teaches on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Washington Coast.  

When word of his ACA Instructor Certification got out, he was enamored by the outreach that followed. The support and inclusion from the kayaking community, instructors, and organizations like the Mountaineers and the Olympic Peninsula Paddlers has been incredible. Chris’ skill sets specialize in the surf zone, and he has had so much fun sharing that knowledge with those looking to understand it better. 

Before paddling, Chris lived a completely different life. He rode Freestyle BMX professionally and, by the time he turned 30, had the scars to prove it! His knees no longer able to take to abuse, he made the tough decision to take a big step back from riding and began to search for his next passion. “I was lucky to find kayaking as soon as I did and am thankful for the places it has taken me”, shared Chris. 

In 2018, Chris was living in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. He had taken a trip to Lake Powell and opted to rent a kayak to explore Antelope Canyon rather than the more common hiking trail. From that live altering moment, he was hooked. “I went home and sold all my bikes and committed to a life behind a paddle. I spent the next two years Kayak Camping along the lower Colorado River, Lake Powell and Blue Ridge Reservoir.” 

Paddling became more than a hobby for Chris when, one weekend while paddling south on Lake Havasu to Parker Dam, he found himself in a significant tailwind and learned the thrill of surfing a kayak. From that point on, Chris has been actively working on refining his technical paddling skills and sharing those skills with friends! 

When teaching, Chris has found a lot of success by meeting his students where they are. “Everybody has a different learning style and comes from different backgrounds. When I’m working with new people I work hard to find common ground and make my teaching methods more relatable. Moments that stand out to me are when I can bridge the gap in their understanding by drawing parallels to their other hobbies or interests.” 

Chris and his community have been working hard to make the joys of paddling more accessible. In Port Angeles, Washington, Chris is blessed to have such amazing venues for teaching. He and his colleagues, Deb Volturno, Kristy Dahlquist, and Scott Dahlquist are all doing their parts to share open coastal skills with paddlers from areas where surf and rock gardens are not common.  

Chris is well known in the Port Angeles area for his welcoming and inclusive nature. He is such a positive influence on the paddling culture in Port Angeles and we are proud to have him as a leader in the ACA network! His flexible approach to instruction and dedication to sharing the sport with all who are interested are what we love about Chris and why we are excited to be featuring him this month! Well done, Chris! 

This May, we are excited to be celebrating Anne Sontheimer as our newest Instructor of the Month! 

Anne has spent the last 30 years teaching full-time with the Nantahala Outdoor Center and she teaches all levels and ages. Anne seeks to create independent paddlers in her students while supporting their individual goals. Her impressive credentials include certifications as a Whitewater Kayaking Instructor Trainer Educator (ITE) and Advanced Whitewater Kayaking Instructor Trainer (IT)! 

Her first introduction to paddling was in 1991 when she took a beginner kayaking clinic from Wayne Dickert at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. She then continued her paddling career as a raft guide, kayak guide, and instructor on the Chattooga River. In 2000, Anne made the switch to instructing full-time, spending her winters working with Adventure Travel in Central and South America — an experience that she highly recommends and is exceptionally grateful for.  

“Moments that stand out to me along the way would be the adventures where we found ourselves improvising and adapting to all the varies scenarios that the river provided for us and the resilience it has provided for myself and many others.” 

Anne further supports paddling education within the ACA in her role as the River Kayaking Committee Chair, where she helps progress and modernize river kayak discipline initiatives to empower paddlers to navigate risk and find joy in improvising and adapting! 

Those lucky enough to have paddled with Anne know the true value of quality paddlesports instruction! Thank you, Anne, for your deep involvement with the ACA and your commitment to paddlesports education! 

This April, our Instructor of the Month comes to us from Seattle, Washington! Congratulations to Robert Nissenbaum, who not only teaches solid coastal kayaking technique but emphasizes the why behind the technique!

In 2016, Robert was living in a cabin on the Tacoma Narrows and was offered a sea kayak and gear to borrow. He was hooked immediately. At the end of 2018, Robert took a class with Nigel Foster and decided to pursue becoming an instructor. After earning his first instructor certification in late 2020, he reached out to a local outfitter, was hired, then transitioned to teaching full-time under his own brand.

“When working with students, it’s more than just about the strokes and proper technique. Every paddler is unique — their abilities, limitations, learning styles, and even their kayaks. This all has an impact on individual skills progression and as a result, each class I teach is adapted to the student — and most of my classes are one-on-one or small groups for this reason.”

Robert teaches from a concept-based approach. He wants students to learn good technique – but also the WHY behind the technique. This aids in paddler progression as students aren’t learning to memorize steps – they’re learning how to perform the skills. Robert wants to train his students to be able to adapt and work through things like rescues when things don’t go smoothly. “I want students, even if they only plan to paddle in the L2 remit, to be able to have confidence in their abilities should they find themselves in bigger conditions. For those looking to advance, they’ll be better prepared.”

Though Robert loves teaching bracing and rescues, his true passion is Greenland paddling and traditional skills instruction. More paddlers, especially beginners, are choosing Greenland paddles and helping students make that transition to improve strokes and techniques with traditional blades has become something of a mission for him.

While I am based in Seattle, WA, I will travel to teach – this allows me to structure classes in a variety of remits, opening new paddling venues for students, and most importantly, creating one less obstacle to quality instruction for those who don’t live close to typical teaching venues.

Beyond instruction, Robert is a dealer for Turning Point Boatworks, a Gearlab Outdoors Athlete (and retailer), as well as being fully invested in the ACA as the current State Director for Washington State, and an affiliate member of the Coastal Kayak Committee.

Paddlers looking to progress their skills or connect with traditional methods of paddling in the Pacific Northwest would find an incredible instructor in Robert! We are so grateful for Robert’s involvement with the ACA and commitment to paddlesports education! Check out Robert’s website to learn more and find a class near you! 

This March, we are celebrating Federico Haffner as the ACA Instructor of the Month! Federico calls Buenos Aires, Argentina home, and he is a self-proclaimed devourer of kilometers that never stops paddling! He is an experienced touring kayaker and offers courses in Argentina, Brazil and other countries. In addition to being an ACA Coastal Kayaking Instructor, Federico is a member of the AMGGA Escobar Lifeguard School. 

A lover of our planet’s natural spaces, Federico found his love of paddling through exploring the Buenos Aires Delta. Wanting to share his positive experiences paddling and create an environment for his community to safely learn to paddle, Federico pursued his ACA instructor certification. He spent many hours training with experts and refining his technique.  

Federico is a well-known resource for paddling education in Buenos Aires and was instrumental in bringing structured opportunities to learn paddling to the community. To meet the high demand for paddling education, Federico founded C.A.K. (Centro de Actividades para Kayakistas). Serving as the director of C.A.K, Federico provides his community with sea kayaking courses, trip reports, free safety and rescue events, and first aid training opportunities. 

Kayaks offer a unique means of connecting with the planet. Federico teaches his students the importance of connecting with the water. This enables them to make smart, safe decisions and get the most out of the paddling experience. “Just thinking about exploring the most hidden places makes me feel in a state of constant adrenaline and freedom. You never know who you will inspire. Today we offer everything from small walks to instructional courses to complex journeys and explorations. We approach teaching with a focus on challenge,” shares Federico. For the best results in his students, Federico uses objectives and achievements to motivate growth while prioritizing fun and safety. 

We are thrilled to announce the February ACA Instructor of the Month, Rachel Nagle! Rachel’s journey with the ACA and paddling began back in 2006, not as a hobby but as a job that would transform into a career. While working for both a university outdoor recreation program and Five Rivers Metroparks, in Dayton Ohio, Rachel became a Kayaking Instructor and began to dabble in moving water. When Rachel moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 2011, she found her true passion for paddlesports, stand up paddleboarding. Infatuated by the growth of the SUP discipline, Rachel pursued a Stand Up Paddleboarding Instructor Certification and then a Stand Up Paddleboarding Instructor Trainer Certification. Not to worry though, Rachel didn’t leave Kayaking behind! She is currently a Whitewater and Coastal Kayaking Instructor, a Stand Up Paddleboarding Instructor Trainer, a Whitewater and Coastal Stand Up Paddleboarding Instructor and has Adaptive Paddling and Advanced Communications endorsements! 

Rachel is currently teaching for Cleveland Metroparks Outdoor Recreation as the Outdoor Recreation Manager. She and her team have had the privilege of introducing guests to a wide variety of outdoor recreation activities including backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and of course, paddling. All this magic happens through their Try-It, Learn-It, Live-It program model.  

“We encourage guests to try paddling to see if they like it.  If they do, they can learn more advanced skills, techniques, and rescues through our Learn-It programs. Our goal is for people to Live-It by joining us for a paddling tour or trip, competing in a local race, or planning their own micro adventure. This program model allows us to start teaching guests on flatwater and progress to open water paddling on Lake Erie.” 

Meeting guests where they are at, understanding their goals, and helping them work towards achieving them are why Rachel loves being a paddling instructor. One of Rachel’s favorite teaching moments was during a youth kayaking camp. One of the girls was afraid of the water, and by extension, kayaking. By meeting her where she was at, Rachel fostered a love of paddling with the girl by taking small steps like towing her and allowing her to hold onto her boat. By the end of the camp, the girl was paddling around independently and grinning from ear to ear as she joined everyone else in fun kayaking games. 

“I always try to think of myself as both an instructor and as a student. As instructors, sometimes we can forget how intimidating it is to be a student trying something for the first time.  In pushing myself to be a student, I can become a better instructor. In doing this, my true ACA story unfolds.” 

In 2019, Rachel attended her first ACA Instructor Trainer Conference. Apprehensive about attending the Whitewater Stand Up Paddleboarding session, Rachel received a little encouragement from fellow ACA Instructor Trainers and Instructor Trainer Educators. At this point, Rachel had never paddled a SUP on moving water and had previously had some intimidating experiences while whitewater kayaking. In that moment, she felt like a student again, experiencing fear, excitement, and apprehension all at once. As it is for many students, stepping out of her comfort zone was one of the best decisions Rachel ever made. She got off the river that day in love with whitewater SUP! Before she got home, she bought a whitewater SUP and talked her friends into doing the same. This instant even inspired her to explore other SUP activities like SUP surfing on Lake Erie.  

To other ACA Instructors, Rachel says, “Always keep learning”, and “You never know who you will inspire”. Her fellow ACA instructors had no idea the life altering path they had put her on that day.  

“We’ll never know just how big an influence we will have on our students today, tomorrow, or a year from now. What I do know though is that now when there is rain in the forecast or a small craft advisory, I’m grabbing my SUP and creating an adventure! My personal mantra is to “Always follow the adventures in your heart!”  In addition to teaching paddling classes, I try to inspire adventure through my YouTube channel @AdventurousHeartRachelNagle. In my spare time, you’ll find me stand up paddleboarding. I’ve been known to take my pets: dogs, skunk, and African crested porcupines SUPing with me as well!

I love being an ACA instructor and am thankful to have broadened my community of practice by being part of the SEIC SUP Committee.  I have proudly been serving on the SUP committee since 2020 and served as the chair since 2022.  The SUP committee is working hard to update candidate evaluations and SUP curriculum. If you have other ideas about how the SUP committee can best serve your needs, please let us know.  If you are on the fence about getting more involved with the ACA, I strongly encourage you to take the next step and feel like a student again because you never know what opportunities that can lead to!”

Thank you Rachel for brightening the ACA community and reminding us what we have to gain by being both a student and a teacher in paddlesports and in life.

Please join us in congratulating Harriet Götze, the first ACA Instructor of the Month of 2024! Harriet is an Instructor Trainer for Canoe Touring and for River Canoeing. She teaches across Europe, primarily in Germany but also in France, Austria, and Slovenia.  

Harriets first time paddling was in a Klepper tandem folding kayak her father had bought, hoping to paddle with Harriets mother. Instead, Harriets’ father found a paddling partner in Harriet. Books about paddling adventures later led Harriet to the open canoe. To Harriet, the open canoe was the greatest vehicle for wilderness exploration and adventure. These trips, along with skills she learned in ACA instructional courses, were a transformative part of Harriet’s life. 

Harriet’s passion for paddling transitioned into a career when she assisted in hosting trial courses or ‘Sniff Courses’ as they are called in Germany with, Wenonah Canoes.    

“One way that significantly influenced my development as an instructor was working with experiential educators. Supporting groups of twelve to sixteen students through a two-year process to their certification, living with them in camps, listening to their stories, and receiving their feedback really built up my interpersonal skills. I highly recommend reaching out to organizations working to improve lives through outdoor recreation.” 

The ACA loves Harriet’s commitment to expanding access to the healing side of paddling. ACA instructors are uniquely qualified to support organizations who work to support people through experiential learning by offering to share our knowledge on how to paddle safely and have fun while doing it. Learning and sharing is key to a long and healthy career in paddlesports education. We look forward to many more years of learning from Harriet Götze! 

Congratulations to our final Instructor of the Month for 2023, Sami Hawkins! As both a River Kayak Instructor Trainer and a Swiftwater Rescue Instructor, Sami brings joy and safety to every river she paddles.  When teaching kayaking with DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking, Sami can most often be found on one of the many iconic multi-day rivers in the west, including the Owyhee, Yampa, Gates of Lodore, Middle Fork Salmon, Main Salmon, Rogue, and Grand Canyon of the Colorado. When teaching Swiftwater Rescue with Sierra Rescue, she primarily teaches on the South Fork of the American River in California, as well as the Salt River and Colorado River in Arizona. 

As for many of us — rafting was Sami’s introduction to whitewater. Her older brother became a raft guide and took Sami and her family down the river. She was unsure about whitewater until she went through guide school herself the summer after graduating high school. Through her rafting community she was introduced to kayaking and picked it up as her main hobby during her junior year in college, after a long, arduous process of learning how to roll.  

“Growing up, I was under the impression that there were certain jobs that were deemed fit for a career and other jobs that were ‘just for fun’. It took ten years guiding and teaching in the whitewater field, and a degree in outdoor education, before it dawned on me that ‘Kayak Instructor’ and ‘Swiftwater Rescue Instructor’ were viable career options. I understood that the time and effort that I had put into understanding rivers, leading multi-day river trips, diagnosing safety concerns, and fine-tuning teaching theory, were valuable tools that I needed to capitalize on. I was lucky enough to have some amazing mentors who truly showed me that whitewater is a career option and not just a hobby.” 

Watching students accomplish something that they were afraid of; witnessing an ah-ha moment; and seeing her students faces light-up with joy from moments on the river is what Sami lives for in her career. The ACA celebrates Sami for being the instructor who facilitated those events. At the root of all paddlesports instruction is helping students find excitement and achievement through moments on the water. One would be hard pressed to find an instructor who does this better than Sami! 

Thank you, Sami, for spreading so much happiness on the river. The ACA appreciates you and all you do to take care of the river and the people who love to play on it.  

As a closing note, Sami would like to highlight for doing the important work of fighting for the health and wellbeing of rivers are American Rivers, American Whitewater, and Idaho Rivers United. “Check out what they do, and support where you can. Keep our rivers clean, healthy, and accessible.” 

Congratulations, Scott Dahlquist, November’s ACA Instructor of the Month! Scott is an Advanced Open Water Coastal Kayak and Stand-Up Paddling Instructor, and a member of the Dagger Pro Team. He and his wife are currently living in Sequim, Washington — drawn to the area by the incredible access to the rugged coastal kayaking found in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. He especially loves helping paddlers develop their skills in the surf zone and rock gardens in this coastal kayaker’s paradise. 

Scott grew up learning outdoor skills on his own. From the oceans to the mountains, Scott self-taught himself how to surf, ski, and mountain bike.  

“Consequently, I learned everything the hard way. When I discovered kayaking, I was fortunate to be in the company of people who understood the coaching process, people who could provide structure for the many skills it takes to be proficient in a kayak. As a result, my skills progressed much quicker than if I tried learning on my own.” 

Guided by his coaching philosophy, Scott tries to learn something new every time he hits the water. His strategy, which makes him such an effective coach, is to identify the student’s goals, strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. Scott’s methods for instruction include the IDEAS model, teachable moments, guided discovery and self-discovery or just having fun. 

“I strive to make all my classes enjoyable. When it’s fun it doesn’t feel like work. Nearly all kayak students want to be on the water, however some are doing it to push their boundaries – like fear of the water. I always keep it fun and work to the level the student is most comfortable while encouraging them to challenge themselves by providing a safe environment where students can be themselves and take risks. It’s important to be aware of when to use soft skills. Others are driven by the pursuit of excellence and the thrill of dynamic water in rock gardens or the surf zone. It’s not only my job to make sure everyone is comfortable and competent with safety but also to understand the science of a wave and the artistry of riding one with style. It’s always gratifying to watch a student get the AH-HA moment of something like getting their first roll.” 

The ACA is so grateful for Scott and his thoughtful, student-centered approach to paddling instruction! If you would like to get in touch with Scott to book a tour or a private coaching session, reach out to him via email at seacreaturescott@gmail.com! 

Congratulations to Nik White, ACA Instructor of the Month for October 2023! Nik was awarded Instructor of the Month for his commitment to learning and his dedication to serving paddlers as an educator, community leader, and steward of rivers. Nik is a swiftwater rescue, river kayak, and packraft instructor based out of Denver, CO. His whitewater instruction company, Whitewater Workshop features experienced instructors and small class sizes. Volunteering his time for the benefit of future instructors, Nik serves on the ACA Packraft and River Kayak Discipline Committees. Nik also works with the largest Paddle America Club in Colorado, Colorado Whitewater, filling the important roles of Instruction Coordinator and Access & Conservation Director. 

Nik also works with the largest Paddle America Club in Colorado, filling the important roles of Instruction Coordinator and Access and Conservation Director at Colorado Whitewater. Nik also serves on the ACA Packraft and River Kayak Discipline Committees with the intention of benefiting future instructors. 

While Nik was going to school in Pittsburgh, he participated in a lot of whitewater rafting trips through a school discount program. After his sixth trip in a single season, one of the guides said “Nik, why don’t you just become a guide?” Nik went to guide school the following spring. While working as a young raft guide on the Lower Youghiogheny River in Ohiopyle, PA, Nik learned to kayak. Soon he was asked to teach kayaking lessons but despite his confidence and skill in a boat, he had no idea how to teach.  

After graduating college, I went to the dark side and got an engineering job which brought me out to Colorado in 2011. The local paddling club was looking for instructors, so I joined an Instructor Certification Workshop and finally learned something about how to be an effective instructor. It took many more years to actually be good at it though! I’ve been blown away by how much better of an instructor I’ve become just by teaching more. I always say the easiest way to become a better boater is to go boating more, but it took me a long time to realize that the same applies to being an instructor. I’m always looking to co-teach classes with other instructors to share what I know and to soak up other techniques that they use. 

In 2018, Nik founded Whitewater Workshop so that he could get paid to teach kayaking on nights and weekends around a full-time job. Then when the pandemic hit and demand for outdoor instruction skyrocketed, he decided to go full-time as an instructor. With Whitewater Workshop, Nik personally got to teach skills classes to around 160 people this year, in addition to about 70 kayak rolling classes.  

The Human Factor in Paddling Accidents 

This fall, Nik gave a presentation on Heuristic Traps during the ACA Swiftwater Rescue Conference. Understanding the heuristic traps, a concept taught in Avalanche safety courses about the human factor that leads to most paddling incidents, is a great way to minimize your risk and maximize your fun out on the water. There are six main heuristic traps that contribute to most incidents in the outdoors: 

• Familiarity – things that are familiar to us appear to be safer, even when that might not be the case 
• Acceptance – taking risks to be accepted socially by others in the group 
• Consistency/commitment – making decision that remain consistent with the initial decision and to avoid re-evaluating the plan 
• Expert halo – follow the most experienced person in the group without questioning their decisions or verbalizing doubts 
• Tracks/scarcity – allowing the lure of resources or opportunities to justify poor decision making  
• Social facilitation – following another group instead of evaluating the risk independently 

“The conference was hugely beneficial in improving my teaching skills, taught me new technical skills, and it was amazing to meet other rescue professionals I had met online or heard about as the best in the industry. It really inspired me to expand my rescue courses to keep sharing skills with the local paddling community.” 

Where does your water come from? 

Nik encourages ACA members to learn about where their water comes from – drinking water or river water! Who are the decision makers who manage this water? Is there a paddling representative in the room where the decisions effecting the water are made? 

Paddlers in the Denver area for instance are often surprised to learn about the proposed Two Forks Dam and how it would flood three amazing late season runs in the area. Fortunately, paddlers are in the room influencing the decisions on that project, but there are smaller projects that come and go that we miss all the time. “It’s difficult to know where to spend our community’s resources without feet on the ground going to meetings, getting on mailing lists, and talking to other stakeholders.” Stay vigilant and get in touch with your ACA State Director or regional representative, local paddling club, and American Whitewater if you come across and issue that needs intervention on the behalf of paddlers. 

The ACA is endlessly grateful to Nik and instructors like him who are dedicated to the pursuit of learning, and passionate about protecting the places that we love to paddle. Thank you, Nik, and keep up the good work!

Kira Tenney, ACA Instructor of the Month for September 2023, doesn’t simply teach kayaking. She teaches her students to be compassionate individuals united by their love of rivers. Kira has been teaching kayaking for almost two decades and is currently in the process of becoming an ACA Instructor Trainer. She most often teaches for Ríos to Rivers, an incredible organization whose mission is to inspire the protection of rivers worldwide by investing in underserved and indigenous youth who are intimately connected to their local waters and supports them in the development as the next generation of environmental stewards. We are honoring Kira for her understanding that environmental stewardship and activism must be part of kayaking and instruction. 

Rivers have always stood out to me as special places. There is something about being on the river that washes the unnecessary inner dialogue away and lets you just enjoy being present. While cliché to say, there is no doubt rivers are also great life teachers that teach you about getting worked, eddying out, and finding a balance of going with the flow and putting in well-timed effort. While in a way,, paddling was always more than a hobby to me, there was a moment when I started to realize that our rivers are paramount, crucial to human and ecological health, as well as cultural well-being and yet under significant global threat in the face of mega-hydropower development and increases in industrialization and extractive industries. As paddlers, it’s up to us to be voices and advocates for rivers; they give us so much and we all depend upon them. 

One specific moment that stands out in Kira’s teaching career is from 2019. She was instructing for the River Guides of Panbang in Bhutan. The circumstance and remoteness of this rare opportunity to teach kayaking in the remote region of Panbang made this experience especially memorable. The high student to instructor ratio during this course made teaching especially difficult. Kira realized that she needed some support. She began this course by teaching students how to support each other. She started with an underwater comfort series on how to safely roll kayaks upright and support their peers during wet exits. Teaching beginner students how to safely support these key beginning steps as instructors built the students’ confidence, allowed the students more opportunities to practice, and helped them develop an instructor mindset from day one. 

Kira and the ACA encourage all paddlers to support Save the South Fork and to take action to stop the proposed reopening of the Stibnite Gold Mine by Perpetua Resources (formerly Midas Gold) in Idaho. We also urge paddlers to learn more about the work of Ríos to Rivers and other prominent organizations to UnDam the United Nations. Dams are not a climate-forward solution to clean energy. Go to the UnDam the U.N. petition to learn more and tell the U.N. to eliminate dams and other harmful offset projects from the Paris Agreement. 

Be sure to check out Ríos to Rivers’ Paddle Tribal Waters, Kayakimün, and Amazonian Rivers Initiative. These programs connect underserved and indigenous youth to paddle sports, rivers, stewardship, and indigenous knowledge and leadership. “I am constantly in awe of our students and instructors-in-training and how kayak instruction is so powerful when interconnected with holistic stewardship education and action.” 

Thank you, Kira, we are so proud to call you an ACA Instructor, and we thoroughly look forward to when you begin teaching future instructors to teach not only for their love of paddling but for their passion for protecting the places that we paddle. 

Photo Credit: Will Stuaffer-Norris; Kayak Instructing for Last Descents in China

Please join us in celebrating JoAndra Proia, this month’s recipient of the ACA Instructor of the Month Award! Jo is a kayak, SUP, and yoga instructor based out of North Carolina, and Owner of the guide company, Outdoor Women by Jo Proia. What makes Jo standout is her passion for educating, empowering, and exciting women of all ages to pursue adventure through kayaking. 

Jo is a fierce believer that no matter how much time or money you have, there are still abundant opportunities to have “micro-adventures” close to home. Spending time becoming familiar with the local flora and fauna by kayaking near-by bodies of water can be crucial to building connections both socially and physically. Many of her clients are middle aged and beyond, and some had no idea that they were looking reconnect with the outdoors until they tried kayaking.  

Rather than seeking out adventure, adventure found Jo when a co-worker challenged her to go on a three-day coastal kayaking trip with their local paddling shop. The challenges Jo overcame during that trip made her feel more alive than she had felt in years. Naturally, the first thing she did when she got home from her trip, she bought a kayak.  

Jo paddled without much additional training for about four years after her first kayaking trip. “Back then there weren’t any paddling schools or programs in my area. I got into a couple of sketchy situations and realized I wanted more information.” Many of Jo’s women friends were asking her for instruction and to take them with her on her next adventure. Coincidentally, she also needed a job. This is when Jo decided to get certified and fill the need for a women’s kayaking education program in her area. Over the past 12 years Jo has taught over 3,000 women how to kayak.   

As a part of her Instructor of the Month Feature, Jo wanted to share with the paddling community a current paddlesports education initiative in her state. This past May, during National Safe Boating Week, ACA North Carolina partnered with the North Carolina State Parks, North Carolina Wildlife Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, to provide an education day of affordable and enlightening instruction. “This initiative is awesome and is a huge opportunity to reach the throngs of folks who clamor to our State Parks each year. Every unnecessary drowning, or water related incident inspires me to keep teaching and spreading water safety awareness, I believe it is more important than ever and am so grateful for the education, structure, standards and opportunity the ACA provides to do this.” 

Congratulations, Jo! This recognition has been well earned! Keep up the good work and thank you for your commitment to helping women safely rekindle their adventurous spirit through paddlesports.  

Congratulations, Amanda Lasley, ACA’s Instructor of the Month for July 2023! Amanda and the ACA share a desire to help anyone, and everyone experience the joys of paddling, regardless of craft or waterway. She has been an ACA instructor since 2014 and teaches at multiple North Carolina State Parks, primarily educating the park’s rangers and staff.  

“For me, being on the water is the closest thing I’ve found to the meaning of life. I have always loved to teach, but what really motivates me is knowing that I’m providing North Carolina State Park rangers with an exciting way to engage future park visitors and allow them to experience some of our best public resources by being on the water, learning, and having fun!” 

Amanda truly discovered her passion for paddling on a whitewater rafting trip on the Cumberland River in southeast Kentucky. Participating in guided river trips changed her life forever. Amanda went on to become a raft guide herself, working for Sheltowee Trace Outfitters. This job solidified Amanda’s love for paddlesports and our country’s incredible public lands and waters. Hoping to share these life-changing experiences with the North Carolina State Parks, Amanda sought to earn a professional instructor certification with the ACA. 

This May, Amanda was involved in the Kayaking 101 course taught over National Safe Boating Week at Lake James State Park.  

“We had multiple individuals with little or no experience. One older gentleman shared with me that he had never been in a kayak, but he was excited to try. During the course, successfully completed a self-rescue and told me that he now looks forward to exploring more of his local waterways. The huge grin on his face at the end of the day made all the planning and effort worth it! 

The recent partnership of North Carolina State Parks, following Tennessee State Parks’ lead, with the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Safe Boating, is phenomenal. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy, North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission, North Carolina State Parks, countless local paddling clubs, nonprofit public lands partners, volunteer ACA instructors, and paddlesports sponsors from across the state came together to offer Kayaking 101 Safety Courses at 12 venues across North Carolina, all in a single day! It was a phenomenal way to get more people introduced to safe paddling and out on our many waterways from the mountains to the coast. We hope to continue to participate in this in the future and encourage other state park systems to join the fun!”

The ACA commends Amanda’s commitment to safely exposing her community to the joys of paddlesports. We, too, are very excited about the impact of the Kayaking 101 courses that were taught over National Safe Boating Week. Thank you, Amanda, for donating your time and expertise, we hope to see you at these events again next year! 

This June we are excited to honor Lizzy Gardner as ACA’s Instructor of the Month! Lizzy began her teaching career in 2012 where she worked with Instructor Trainer (IT) Steve Spencer on rivers and Creeks in Kentucky as well as the Big South Fork and Buffalo River in Arkansas. Currently, Lizzy focuses on creating opportunities for education, awareness and skill building for new paddlers in her work with the Tennessee RiverLine. “Through this multistate trail initiative, one of my many objectives is to create paddling opportunities for our communities in KY, AL and TN along the Tennessee River and break down barriers to participation in paddlesports.” 

Lizzy was introduced to paddling in college. Without any previous paddling experience or the financial means to pursue paddlesports on her own, it was through her mentorship with Steve that allowed her to grow into the incredible educator and paddler that she is today. 

“I realized how impactful those kinds of relationships can be on someone’s ability to succeed, build confidence and navigate challenges. Paddling and outdoor recreation evolved as a conduit for my personal growth and exploration. Because of that, I want to provide that opportunity to people of all backgrounds and experience levels.  Paddling should be an accessible tool to anyone, and I’m motivated to bridge the gaps between desire/interest and someone’s ability to take personal action.” 

Lizzy has played a huge role in making the first year of ACA Leadership, Exploration, and Development (LEAD) Initiative a success and we are excited to be working with her again this year. The LEAD Initiative is specifically crafted to empower and uplift individuals of color by providing them with the necessary training, education, and skill development to make a positive impact in their local communities through paddlesports. The program is a 4-day immersive experience that includes comprehensive coursework and ongoing mentorship, ensuring that participants are fully equipped to achieve their goals and bring representation to the paddling world. This initiative is an opportunity for individuals to enhance their leadership skills on the water, build community, while simultaneously creating a ripple effect of increasing paddlesport accessibility and participation in their home communities.   

In June of 2022, prior to the first LEAD event, Lizzy worked with Anna Levesque to help plan and facilitate the inaugural Paddlesports Leadership Academy (PLA), developed by Gerry Seavo James. Like the LEAD program, PLA is returning in 2023 and was designed to train, educate and empower people from historically excluded communities to be leaders, with a goal to give participants tools to transform their communities and provide representation in paddlesports.  

“At this point the ACA LEAD program and Paddlesports Leadership Academy program are two really impactful teaching moments for me. I’ve always enjoyed teaching and helping people gain skills and confidence. A huge part of being successful in that is creating an environment where people feel seen and safe, and that opens doors for people to get outside of their comfort zone to try, fail, learn and grow. Those programs have demonstrated for me that paddling is so much more than just paddling. It can be a space for personal and community development, a chance to provide opportunities to those who have historically been excluded from paddlesport, and I can be a conduit for that. Needless to say, that has been undoubtedly impactful for me.”

Lizzy is a wonderful instructor and human and we are so proud to have her as part of the ACA community! 

Meet Nicole Smedegaard, May’s ACA Instructor of the Month! “I’m one of the newer ACA Instructors and I love teaching! I’ve worked with youth in outdoor settings my entire career, doing environmental education and outdoor education. I strive for others to have the privilege of connecting to the natural world in the same way that I do.” 

Nicole’s Motivation and Teaching Philosophy  

“Sometime around 2019 I truly began to evaluate my role as a leader and my long-term intentions around continuing to progress, mentor others, and create a lifelong strategy for working and living on rivers.” Nicole’s teaching style combines a fun-loving passion for water and a present, committed teacher-student relationship that is sure to create the next generation of lifelong paddlers. 

Nicole was motivated to become an ACA instructor to align the curriculum of her business, Nature Nicole Whitewater with industry leading best practices and to begin offering swiftwater rescue courses. Seeing firsthand the demand for instruction from the private and recreational boater community in Oregon and California, Nicole sought to become the solution to an ever-growing market of paddlers seeking formal education. The ACA gave Nicole a path to become the instructor that whitewater paddlers in California and Oregon were looking for.  

“I hope to earn an Instructor Trainer credential eventually as well as continue to add disciplines to my repertoire.” Nicole currently holds certifications as a Level 4: Whitewater Rafting Instructor (Paddle and Oar) and a Level 4: Swiftwater Rescue Instructor. 

A Glimpse Behind the Scenes of Nicole’s Teaching Process 

I can think of more than a few moments while I was teaching, I was also learning about how to manage dynamic situations. I have been continuously challenged to present each course in a new and different way to accommodate learning styles, ability levels, flows and weather conditions. 

In Oregon, our most exciting boating season is winter and early spring. My most challenging course was my last Swiftwater Rescue on the Smith River in January. I planned a 3-day winter course to address special considerations for winter boating like high flows, short days, and cold conditions.  

We spent a lot of time covering thermal layering techniques, risk assessment, and pre planning for potential accident recovery. The flows spiked up last minute to over 30,000 CFS and I needed to decide whether to cancel the course or if the risk could be mitigated by changing my regular venue. I arrived early to scout out appropriate locations for river-based activities, and involved my entire class in deciding what we could do to manage the environment and achieve our learning goals. We worked together to run the course, but we started every day with a serious group discussion about what was appropriate for our skill set and group dynamic based on flows that day. The course was immensely stressful for me but afterward when I shared that with the group, people said they felt safe and appreciated how I involved them in decisions every step of the way. 

At the ACA, we love Nicole’s authenticity, and the thoughtful, collaborative way she delivers instruction. 

3 Stewardship Initiative’s Nicole Wants the Paddling Community to Know About 

1. Support expansion of protection for the Smith River to include the North Fork Smith watershed in Oregon by signing this Petition to Include Oregon in the Smith River National Recreation Area! 
2. Get involved with Rogue Riverkeeper film festivals, fundraiser trips, water monitoring, and clean ups. 
3. Nicole will be coordinating an Illinois River cleanup and boater/ floater safety weekend in spring 2024, contact her if you would like to be involved using this dedicated email address for the event. 
    

This April, we hope you will join us in celebrating Andee Dow, our newest Instructor of the Month! Andee teaches Level 4: Swiftwater Rescue Courses, most often on the Cache la Poudre River (the Poudre) in Fort Collins, Colorado. Andee is greatful for all the incredible places that teaching and paddling has taken her, everywhere from the Gauley in West Virginia to the Salmon in Idaho and even paddling internationally on the Pacuare River in Costa Rica. 

At 14 years old, Andee was first introduced to paddling on a multi-day river trip down Desolation Canyon. At 18, she became a commercial raft guide on the Poudre where she learned a lot about reading rivers, and more about herself. “I watched the other guides I worked with who had been around for a while, and I decided there was nothing else I wanted to do more than be a whitewater professional.” 

In Idaho, Andee was part of an all-women’s raft guide training taught by female instructors. It was during this training that Andee realized just how beneficial it is to have a strong, supportive group of women working together and challenging themselves in a judgement free space. 

For the last few years Andee has been regularly teaching Women’s Only Swiftwater Rescue Courses to help open a space that can be intimidating and difficult to break into. “I hope to break down the barriers to entry that women experience in the industry and get more powerhouse ladies out on the water! I am motivated to be an instructor so that I can make it more accessible for people to be safe and learn about the river environments they want to play in. I think the greatest thing we can do for the paddling community is get more people comfortable in whitewater and knowledgeable about rescue techniques.”  

“It’s been a long road of hard work and confidence building for me to be where I am. I am still working on some things, but whitewater always helps me become better, as a person and a paddler. I just hope to inspire others to build the confidence they need to grow and journey to new places.” 

Andee definitely inspires us at the ACA! It takes a lot of work to break down barriers and create lasting cultural change. Thank you, Andee, for your role in building a network of capable and supportive paddlers in your community! 

Jordan Taylor (he/they) is freeing paddlers to come as they are. For this reason, Jordan has been chosen as ACA Instructor of the Month for March 2023.  

Specializing in River Kayaking, Solo and Tandem River Canoeing, and Swiftwater Rescue, Jordan feels at home on the river. Some of their favorite haunts are on well-known rivers out east (Potomac, Youghiogheny, New, Cheat, Gauley, Shenandoah) but they will stray to rivers out west as well (rivers in northeast Mexico, sections of the Green River, the Main Salmon, the San Juan, and the Rio Grande).  

Revolutionizing paddling instruction 

The ACA has helped Jordan to take ownership of his paddling instruction. “I wanted to become an Instructor Trainer because as a queer man in the paddlesports industry there were so few spaces that were ever built to truly let me let down my guard.” Through intentional learning and reflection, Jordan has developed a teaching style that encourages a lifelong relationship with paddling and results in better outcomes, regardless of how experienced the paddler.  

Transforming the most stressful parts of paddling into a positive experience is one of the ways that Jordan accomplishes this. Jordan shares how, “the culture of how one is welcomed into the eddy after a hard swim helps them feel a deep sense of belonging”. Whitewater paddling is a unique sport that requires just as much mental fortitude as athletic skill. Jordan is reforming instruction so that paddlers aren’t told how they should feel in a situation, but how to acknowledge one’s emotions and manage them in a productive way. 

With paddling instruction, not only do the students change, but so does the classroom. No two rivers are the same, and each day the conditions on the same stretch of the river can vary greatly. Jordan appreciates the freedom accorded to ACA Instructors to be creative and adapt to variable teaching conditions while keeping within the framework of the ACA Curriculum. 

Navigating turbulent waters 

“I’ve become deeply invested in how paddlesports can open our eyes to community beyond connecting with other boaters.”  

On a canoe trip on the San Juan River, Jordan and their group stopped at the Gooseneck State Park in Utah. They met up with hired professionals from the Navajo Nation which resides on river left of the San Juan River where the group was paddling. 

When a student asked about what COVID was like on the Reservation, they learned about how dire water access is for the Navajo Nation. The pandemic exacerbated an already precarious water situation. Simply having enough water for livestock, drinking, and handwashing became an even bigger challenge.  

The American Southwest and the Colorado River are currently being plagued by severe draught. The Navajo Nation relies on water from the Colorado and two of the rivers’ tributaries, the San Juan River and the Little Colorado River. A staggering one-third of the 170,000 people who live on the reservation do not have running water in their homes. Residents must choose between driving miles to refill barrels and jugs or using unregulated wells that have become dangerously contaminated from Uranium mining during the Cold War. 

Right now, the Navajo Nation is engaged in a lawsuit before the supreme court over the federal government’s need to assess and address the Navajo Nation’s need for water. The idea of not having running water in the United States can be difficult to wrap our heads around, but as paddlers, the effects of climate change on our waters are especially visible. Seeing first-hand the effects of increased drought, flooding, and pollution affect how and where we paddle. It is so important that we are good stewards of the waters that we love to paddle. 

Jordan would like to highlight organizations who partner with indigenous groups like the Potomac River Keepers, American Rivers, and Rios to Rivers’ Paddle Tribal Waters program for their work in bringing awareness and meaningful change to some of our favorite places to paddle. 

Jordan is a truly wonderful instructor and human. If you would like to take a class from them, check out the Calleva River School! 

For the month of January, we are celebrating Andy Lex, our first Instructor of the Month for the new year! Andy stands out because of his outstanding teaching skills and capacity for building meaningful relationships with his students, peers, and fellow paddlers. An instructor who works with Andy commented that, “Andy always has such a great presence with people, connecting in all the ways that matter… In addition to being a rad boater with a broad and well-rounded skill set, he values teaching skills, and it shows in (the way) he talks about helping students and instructors alike to gain new skills and refine existing ones.” 

Andy first became certified by the ACA in 2010 in whitewater kayaking. Since that time, he has continued his educational path with the ACA and has earned L4 Certifications in Whitewater Kayaking, Swiftwater Safety & Rescue, and River Stand Up Paddleboarding. Speaking from his own experience, Andy tells us, “There is so much transferable learning that not only happens for the student groups, but also for instructors when teaching multiple disciplines.” He credits having multiple ACA certifications for the opportunity to work with a diverse learning community over the past 12 years. Additionally, Andy also acknowledges how teaching multiple disciplines to wide ranging audiences has helped him become a stronger educator.  

“My motivation to be an ACA Instructor, and to advocate for developing river educators to pursue these certifications comes from the love of sharing my passion with others in a safe and logical way. I think the ACA has done a great job with curriculum and assessment to provide Instructors, and ultimately their students, with a safe and linear progression to become competent river users.” 

Andy had his first experience whitewater kayaking in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Barry Smith from the Mountain Sports Kayak School introduced Andy to kayaking in a safe, fun, and non-intimating way. In the early stages of his learning. Barry emphasized Andy’s successes instead of his deficiencies. Each time Andy got out of the water he felt like he had achieved a new skill, fostering an intense desire to continue building his paddling skill set. 

“With such a powerful learning experience, I was inspired to become a student of the sport and to learn more about paddlesports instruction. Barry allowed me to shadow his courses, eventually teaching components of lessons until I was ready to lead courses myself. This positive learning experience ignited my interest beyond a personal hobby and to become a professional river educator.” Instructors have powerful and marked impacts on their students’ lives as Andy just testified to. We at the ACA are grateful for Andy and all instructors who continue to share paddling through positivity and connection. 

After learning how to kayak in Colorado, Andy moved to Jackson, Wyoming to spend time on the rivers and in the mountains. He was welcomed into an extremely competent and passionate paddling community at Rendezvous River Sports & The Jackson Hole Kayak School (JHKS). “The instructors I started working with at JHKS were not just river guides, they were true educators. Working for the JHKS is the defining moment and paradigm shift in my teaching career. I had the realization that I wanted to become an educator, a professional in my craft, and I knew I could make a career by combining passion with work.”  Teaching for one of the nation’s premier paddle sports schools inspired Andy to pursue further professional development by becoming a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) River Instructor and later to pursue a graduate degree in Education. 

On a final note, Andy offers the ACA community some words of advice: “Always be a student of your craft. With any subject, sport, or trade, the learning is continuous. I’ve seen so many talented educators become complacent and rigid with their lessons. If you are open minded to learning from both more experienced and less experienced instructors, pour your heart into your lessons, incorporate 360-degree feedback, and teach with positive vocabulary and by student successes, I promise you and your students will have a successful experience and career in sport.”   

Thank you, Andy, for sharing your wisdom, experience, and good vibes with the ACA and the paddling community. We are grateful for your time, insight, and continued dedication to the promotion of paddling education.  

Serendipity led Joshua Hall to his career in paddlesports education. In 1996, Joshua made an unplanned move to Charleston, South Carolina where he took a job as a summer camp counselor for Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission’s (CCPRC) Adventure and Teen Venture programs. He credits Pete Hampson and Steve Hutton as the first of many influential mentors that made paddling an integral and fulfilling aspect of his life. Just two years later, Joshua was promoted to the Youth/Camp Coordinator at CCPRC and paddlesports became a full-time carrier. Joshua still works at the CCPRC today as the Manager for the Outdoor Program.   

An ACA member since 1998, Joshua has accrued multiple teaching certifications as an instructor, IT, and ITE. He has also held a seat on the ACA Board of Directors and been a chair member of the ACA’s Coastal Kayak and Stand-Up Paddleboard Committees. At the heart of his teaching, Joshua believes that “outdoor pursuits are a unique and special medium that can strengthen people in mind, body and spirit.” As an adventure sports coach, Joshua is dedicated to experiential based education, in a diverse and ever-changing setting. He is committed to stimulating learning and modeling outdoor skills that promote safety, foster skill development, encourage autonomy, develop leadership, and campaign for an appreciation and respect of the environment we get to play in. “Through the provision of hands-on experiences, I strive to support and challenge adventure sport athletes in a relaxed, FUN, flexible setting adapting to the learners needs, and strengthening the application of such skills and knowledge in a growth-oriented venue. I value the rich diversity that each student brings and revere the experiences they offer to both me, and the group, to help us all grow every time we get on the water. The lessons and bonds that we discover together will enrich our lives in sport and beyond.” 

This summer Joshua had a camper with the Adventure Camp Program at CCPRC who informed him that he had taught her father when he was twelve as a camper in the same program. These moments make Joshua feel a lot of pride, knowing that the experiences he shares with his students have a lifelong impact, and continue to propagate across generations.  

A current initiative that Joshua would like to highlight for the ACA community is the Leadership Environmental Adventure Program (L.E.A.P.) that CCPRC has instituted for youth in the rural communities of Charleston County. This program provides youth in underrepresented communities in Charleston with the opportunity to learn about the fundamental principles of stewardship, experience outdoor adventure sports like paddling and rock climbing to practice team building and provide leadership opportunities. Thank you, Joshua, for your dedication to paddlesports and paddlesports education! 

Please join us in celebrating Mike Wang, ACA Instructor of the Month for November 2022! Mike has been an ACA instructor for 8 years, primarily teaching SUP. As the owner operator of Mike’s Paddle, he has taught hundreds of students how to paddle, some of whom are now certified instructors. As an Instructor Trainer for the ACA, Mike trains instructors for Level 1, 2, 3 Surf and Coastal SUP. Though he mostly teaches at his shop, Mike’s Paddle in Alameda, California, he often travels to Northern and Southern California for instructor trainings on rivers, bays, and on the Pacific Ocean. Mike and his local paddling friends also created the first SUP club (under ACA Paddle America Club) called Ohana Paddle Club.

What motivates Mike as an instructor for ACA is the Ohana spirit in the paddling community; taking care of each other on the water, having fun, and being safe. “Regardless of the technical aspect of paddling, what makes it worth it are the people that I have met, taught and paddled with together. Our community is strong and thriving. I have made life-long friends through paddling and am still stoked that I get to make a living from my passion.” Yes, Mike! We, at the ACA, couldn’t agree more.

Mike was first introduced to paddling when he became a whitewater raft guide in 2000. He had come from the sport of caving – long distance repelling, crawling through dark holes, and carrying gear for scientists. Though it was exciting work, it was all underground. Finding rafting was a revelation and a gateway into paddlesports for Mike. Within his first year of raft guiding, he also became a paddle guide and took on sea kayaking and whitewater kayaking as well. That same year Mike rowed Desolation and Grey Canyon on the Green River and the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. Soon after, Mike became more serious about whitewater kayaking and teaching raft guides. He trained as a slalom kayaker for several years and continues to this day to train raft guides for various non-profits.  

In 2014, Mike quit his corporate job to pursue a full career in paddling. He found himself drawn to the simplicity and versatility of stand-up paddle boards. This led to Mike founding Mike’s Paddle. In the past 8 years, he has attended many local and International SUP races, circumnavigated San Francisco Bay on an inflatable, and became certified in Whitewater, Coastal, and Surf SUP.  

We asked Mike to tell us about a teaching moment that was especially impactful for him. He recalled a timid student that he taught to stand-up paddle board several years ago. “She had previous trauma in her life that made her extremely afraid of the water. A personal touch was needed. We planned our lessons accordingly, slow and steady. I keenly remember that in her second lesson, it took 30 minutes for her to let go of the dock once she was on the board. In a way it was symbolic of her efforts, she had to let go of the trauma and fear (in this case the dock).”  

More recently, one of Mike’s students commented on his thoughtful and patient instruction. “As a first-time paddler with little to no experience on the water, Mike was able to coach me to feel as if I had all the skills necessary to be successful. For those who do not know or understand the feeling of being uncomfortable on the water, it is no easy feat to empower someone throughout the experience and instill confidence that fuels a desire to want more. Mike is more than an instructor; he is an amazing facilitator and mentor. He embodies what the ACA should continue to strive for as we think of inclusive leadership throughout the organization.” 

For Mike, it is also important to be a person of color on the water representing Asian Americans as well as spending time and effort to train more BIPOC folks to become paddlers and instructors. “My most recent Community Paddlesports Leader (CPL) training for BIPOC folks from Outward Bound Adventures was extremely rewarding and motivating.” The ACA is grateful for Mike and his willingness to be a wonderful and committed instructor for this program. In 2022, the ACA’s DEI Committee was able to secure funds to provide this program in four cities in the United States. Plans to continue mentoring current leaders as well as training other leaders in the future are underway!  

As a member of the SEIC SUP sub-committee, Mike would also like to share their current work towards making SUP Yoga and SUP Race curriculum and certifications more accessible. “If you are interested in helping in either of the programs, please feel free to contact me at mike@mikespaddle.com!” 

Thank you, Mike! We are so grateful for all that you do to promote SUP, a positive culture, and the Ohana spirit within the paddlesports community! 

Julie Carey has been selected as October’s ACA Instructor of the Month for her dedication to educating her community on how to safely enjoy their local waterways. She is a certified L2 River Kayaking instructor and is part of a volunteer team that teaches members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary paddle skills as part of the Auxiliary’s new AUXPAD programs. Julie can also be found at the Ozark National Scenic Riverways assisting with the free paddle clinics and eco-floats hosted by the National Park Service and Ozark Riverways Foundation. To encourage and support women in the environmental and STEM fields, Julie also works with regional paddling and watershed conservation organizations like James River Basin Partnership and Friends of the Kaw. Go Julie! 

While working on her masters at Oklahoma State, Julie had expressed an interest in taking a remote-controlled sailboat to the city’s Boomer Lake to relax. Her dad in all his fatherly wisdom suggested that she might enjoy kayaking more. For Christmas that year, he gifted her a kayak and as soon as she found a way to get her kayak up and down the stairs from her second-floor apartment, she became a regular at the lake for study breaks.  

After school she had taken some time off paddling while living in Kansas. Once the Coast Guard Auxiliary launched their AUXPAD program, and she moved to Missouri, Julie was back on the water. The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the Coast Guard’s uniformed, civilian enrolled component. Volunteer members participating in the AuxPad program, whether onshore or afloat, engage paddlers where they are on the nation’s waterways. Members talk about how to find a properly fitting life jacket, safety equipment, what to do in emergencies, as well as environmental protection topics such as trash and invasive aquatic species. While the program was initially developed for coastal waters, the 8 Western Rivers AuxPad team has been working to make the program work on inland lakes and rivers throughout the country’s heartland.  

As an ACA instructor, Julie hopes that she can help teach her students that when properly prepared, boating can be a lot of fun! “We get several students in our classes each year who are there because they’ve been ensnared in a strainer, experienced foot entrapment or another harrowing experience, and are looking for a way to regain their confidence.” Her favorite moment when teaching is watching the nervous student who isn’t sure they want to get in the kayak transform into the group standout – leading the pack and working through obstacles and challenges with confidence. Julie also notes how the quintessential Missouri “float trip” typically features lots of alcohol and no life jackets. “The more education we can provide about the dangers of that combination, the more people we help go home at the end of the day.” Thank you Juie for all the time you spend helping your community become safer and more knowledgeable paddlers!

Congratulations, Patrick Higgins, September’s ACA Instructor of the Month! Patrick is currently a Level 4: Whitewater Kayaking Instructor Trainer, a Level 3: Packrafting Instructor Trainer, a Level 2: Essentials of Kayak Touring Instructor Trainer, a Level 5: Advanced Open Water Coastal Kayaking Instructor, and a Level 4 Whitewater Stand Up Paddleboard Instructor! There isn’t a body of water or type of boat that Patrick won’t paddle, and since moving to Alaska, he has become especially passionate about teaching packrafting classes.  

Patrick’s first experience paddling was in a river kayaking class at Mt. Hood Community College in Oregon. Showing natural skill and an aptitude for paddling, Patrick was offered the opportunity to assist his instructor in the afternoon of his first class. That experience prompted him to switch from pursuing a Master’s Degree in Forestry to a Master’s in Outdoor and Environmental Education. Now an accomplished ACA Instructor Trainer, Patrick is happiest when he sees his students progress beyond his own ability. “When I was working at Next Adventure in Oregon, one of the new hire kids was incredibly motivated to go boating. We would pick him up and promise his mom we would take good care of him. Fast forward to before he left for college: he was showing me lines down the Little White I had never tried before, or I (had previously) opted to portage.” 

When Patrick moved to Alaska and started teaching packrafting courses, he saw lots of upside-down paddles and people wearing paddling gear that was not suitable for whitewater. People would regularly post on his local Facebook groups about lost packrafts and “suffer fests” that involved hiking out long distances…in areas with not-so-friendly bears. “There were a lot of near misses. It’s interesting because most of these people wouldn’t go backcountry skiing without taking an avalanche course, but they were willing to wing it on the river.” Patrick hopes that working in the community and introducing a standard of instruction will reduce the frequency of risky boating activities and also motivate people to take classes with a certified instructor to increase both safety and fun! Thank you, Patrick, we look forward to seeing the paddling safety culture in your community change through your hard work! 

Congratulations, Debbie Briscoe, ACA’s Instructor of the Month for August 2022! After more than twenty years of paddling, Debbie thought she knew all the ins and outs of Swiftwater Rescue…until she took an ACA Level 3 Instructor River Safety and Rescue Course. This sparked her teaching career and got her hooked on the feeling of accomplishment she experiences when her students improve and are excited to learn more. Debbie is a Kayaking and Safety Instructor at the Nolichucky Outdoor Learning Institute in Tennessee where she plays a leading role in their flatwater safety classes.  

Debbie graciously credits the ACA with teaching her not only the fundamental skills needed to paddle safely, but the ability to convey this knowledge in an effective and engaging manner. “I was astounded how well the ACA teaches their instructors and how it instills focus and direction in every angle: from teaching theory to practical application. During that course I learned so much about how to teach different types of students because everyone learns in different ways and at different speeds.”  

More than twenty-five years ago, a local river outfitter in Tennessee sponsored a “try-out day,” where Debbie was able to demo different canoes and kayaks. She had gone to the event thinking that she was going to purchase a canoe but ended up with a Perception Acadia recreational kayak because she could load it on and off her Jeep with ease. This boat allowed her to get out and paddle every day after work, teaching herself and her friends the different paddle strokes that she learned from a book she had purchased at a used bookstore. In time, Debbie joined the Appalachian Paddling Club to explore more rivers and find a community that helped her paddling develop exponentially. By the end of that summer, she transitioned from paddling her Perception Acadia on the lake to paddling a Dagger RPM on the Nantahala River in North Carolina. Debbie gives Scott Fisher of the Nolichucky Outdoor Learning Institute a special shout out for the role he played in transforming paddling from a favorite pastime to a rewarding career.  

Debbie found that her skills in instruction were most needed for paddlers who frequent inland flatwater lakes because de re-entry rescue trainings are hard to find in those areas; seeing this gap in instruction, Debbie used what she learned through the ACA to help create and promote a flatwater safety and rescue course tailored for paddlers on Watauga Lake in East Tennessee. She has seen how arming paddlers with the tools they need to self-rescue, or to assist another paddler to self-rescue, can make all the difference in the world. If you have noticed that there aren’t many instructors in your area, become an instructor yourself! Help fill in the gaps like Debbie, as she will be happy to tell you, it’s worth it!

This July, we honor Lyle Phetteplace as our newest Instructor of the Month! Lyle takes the hard parts of life and uses them to create joy and purpose.  He really stands out for his ability to teach others to do the same. For Lyle and many of us, paddling is more than recreation – it gives us purpose, a community to lean on, and a deep and indescribable feeling of joy and accomplishment. Lyle is an ACA Instructor Trainer for Whitewater Kayaking and Swiftwater Rescue, and he runs the Colorado River School, a Denver-based nonprofit organization that provides transformative growth through whitewater kayaking and outdoor recreation, education, and adventure.

Lyle’s first day kayaking was his first day of sobriety. “In short, paddling saved my life, and the transformational effect paddling has had on my life has motivated me to teach others.” He believes that whitewater kayaking unlocks a large potential for growth within each person. He has often found that the challenges he faces while on the river are great metaphors for the challenges he has faced in life. The ways that paddling can equip a person to handle stress and pressure translate into a person who has a much greater capacity for handling stress, managing addiction, and curbing depression off the water as well. Paddling gives people the ability and will to heal.   

When asked about a teaching moment that stands out in his career, Lyle recalls his work with cancer survivors. “We had one participant, nicknamed “Johnny.” Johnny had been diagnosed with aggressive stage IV cancer. She had been through one round of chemo and had shared that she wasn’t going to do any more. On her fourth day in a kayak, she told the group that if she had one more day like that day (kayaking), she would do anything to live, including more chemo. It was through watching Johnny transform from a survivor to a thriver that gives me chills to this day. In my early days teaching, I was driven by the “Aha!” moment when a student overcomes fear or learns a new skill. What motivates me to teach today is how transformative kayaking can be within people’s lives. I saw this with Johnny, who switched from trying not to die, to living her best life.” Lyle likens his experiences to Scott Lindgren’s documentary, “The River Runner,” and Lindgren’s ongoing participation in a study of how kayaking may have a healing effect on his brain tumor growth. It is worth a watch if you haven’t seen it yet!  

Since the start of the pandemic, Lyle has restructured the programming at the Colorado River School to better serve the youth in his community. Forming this nonprofit has allowed him to fundraise, which has provided his program with the resources to provide paddling instruction to those who would not be able to afford to whitewater kayak, and to those who have never been exposed to the paddling world in the first place. “We have opened several paddling programs with local high schools, as well as a weekly pool program just for kids. We have purchased additional kid’s boats and have had record success with introducing many brand-new paddlers to a fun and supportive paddling community. My biggest plug to the ACA community is let’s get kids together, paddling outside, and learning how to be kids again.”   

We are incredibly lucky to have Lyle as one of the ACA’s many talented instructor trainers. We know countless lives have and are being changed for the better through the introduction to paddling and through Lyle’s mentorship. To learn more about the Colorado Rivers School or to check out their awesome programs, click here. 

Laura Zulliger’s name might sound familiar from her recent recognition by the ACA California Chapter as one of their annual Paddle Heroes award winners for Leadership in Instruction. We are honoring Laura again as June’s Instructor of the Month for her passionate work to develop safe, inclusive, and joyous paddling communities, as well as for the steps she has taken to help shatter the glass ceiling for women hoping to paddle and teach at the highest level of their disciplines.

Laura first became an ACA instructor when she was 19 years old, and she was heavily involved in her college’s outdoor education program. With the help of talented peers and incredibly supportive mentors, she earned instructor certifications in three different disciplines all before she graduated college. She has now guided and taught kayaking for nearly 18 years, with a two-year hiatus when she taught middle school in rural Yunnan, China. Laura stands out for her choice to paddle multiple different crafts; in an interview with Kokatat, she cites how whitewater kayaking aided in her quest to become a Level 5 Advanced Open Water Coastal Kayaking Instructor. To read more about Laura’s journey to becoming one of the handful ACA Level 5 instructors who are women, check out her interview linked here.

These days, Laura primarily teaches coastal kayaking, surf kayaking, and whitewater kayaking in northern California through California Watersport Collective, an organization committed to providing quality instruction for all levels, ages, and bodies, with the ultimate aim of expanding and diversifying the paddlesports community. Laura describes how the ACA benefited her growth as a paddler, saying, “The ACA has provided me so much support throughout my paddling and coaching journey: from connecting me with fellow instructors, instructor trainers, and instructor trainer educators, to providing curriculum and training to further my coaching prowess. I am honored to volunteer my time in this stage of my involvement with the ACA to give back and strengthen the organization so we can continue to serve new generations of paddlers and educators.”

We asked Laura to share a special teaching moment that stands out to her. She responded, “Oh my – there are so many! While on our expedition to Taiwan, fellow coach Kelly Henry and I taught a series of intermediate and advanced sea kayak classes to local paddlers. Through those classes and throughout our time in Taiwan, I came to appreciate how a shared love of kayaking can accelerate building friendships even among folks who have radically different backgrounds, life experiences, and speak different languages. I will never forget teaching a class in YiLan along with the most adorable Golden Retriever, A-Rod, who would bolt into the water to help anyone who was participating in a rescue, frantically swimming around the swimmer until they got back in their boat.” Laura brings up what we at the ACA believe is one of the most important parts of paddlesports: its ability to unite people (and dogs!) from all over the world. All who call themselves paddlers have something in common and that is pretty special. Every time we receive a nomination for Instructor of the Month, we are reminded how extraordinary our community is, and we thank everyone who has taken the time to share their stories and recognize outstanding instructors from all over the world!

As a leader in her own paddling community, we asked Laura what she hopes to see from her fellow paddlers. Laura responded with a call to action for all ACA members to get involved in any area you feel compelled to contribute. “There is so much room and opportunity for folks from many different backgrounds and experiences to get involved. From serving on a Discipline Committee, to sharing feedback on new curriculum or ideas, to getting more involved in preserving your state’s waterways. If you are reading this, you are the ACA - this is your organization, make it one that best serves you and our community.” At the ACA, we couldn’t agree more. The ACA is a member-based organization that aims to serve all paddlers. If you recognize an area where the ACA could be doing more, take the initiative and help us make the change that you want to see in the paddling community. If you want to see how Laura has shaken up her own paddling community in person, check out the California Wavesport Collective.

The ACA has chosen to honor Gil Hidalgo as May’s Instructor of the Month! Gil is an ACA Level 4: Open Water Coastal Kayak Instructor and a Level 2: Touring Canoe Instructor. Residing in Winter Park, Florida, Gil splits his time between his two passions, paddling and photography.  

If you come across a body of water within 300 miles of Winter Park, you can guarantee that Gil has paddled there. When he is not out paddling on his local springs, rivers, lakes and ocean, he can be found paddling around his backyard pool! Professionally, Gil teaches on intracoastal waters near Cape Canaveral, St. Augustina, Matanzas Inlet, and Vilano Beach, FL.  

When we asked Gil what made him want to be an ACA instructor, he responded, “My biggest motivation to be an ACA instructor is sharing my love for paddling in a way that keeps everyone on the water safe while having fun learning.” Gil began his paddling journey through his high school and college job of renting canoes and kayaks at the local park. Gil first received paddling training and mentorship when a few community members took him under their wings and taught him safe paddling practices. He now reflects that their mentorship likely saved his life from all the risks he was unknowingly taking, not knowing many of the hazards, rescues, and judgement skills needed for paddling. Once he felt confident in his own paddling skills, he realized it was time to pay it forward, thus transitioning from paddling as a hobby to paddling as a way of life.  

For Gil, any time you get on the water there are opportunities to learn. Whenever Gil is on the water or on the shore, he feels he has the responsibility to help educate the public, just as his mentors did for him. When chatting with other local paddlers, he hopes to help bring awareness to the importance of wearing a life jacket. Gil has been quoted as saying, “There are countless reasons why a paddler could find themselves out of their craft and countless more reasons why a life jacket could make a huge difference in the outcome of such a scenario.” 

Gil looks forward to contributing to a paddling community where instructors spend more days volunteering their time and hosting community events both on land and on the water. He believes that as an ACA instructor, it is his duty to help spread safe paddling practices to as many people as possible. Community building and helping people recreate safely is what ACA’s instructor programs are all about! Every moment spent on the water or helping others safely do the same is time well spent. Thank you, Gil, for your commitment to safety and community in paddlesports! 

We are excited to announce April’s Instructor of the Month, MacKenzie Holbrook! We have chosen to recognize MacKenzie for her thoughtful teaching style and commitment to creating safe and welcoming spaces for women and other minority groups to deepen their knowledge of paddling and paddling safety. She is an ACA certified Level 4: Swiftwater Rescue Instructor and she works at Colorado Mesa University where she teaches multiple classes for the Outdoor Recreation program, including rafting and swiftwater rescue. Being able to share her passions and educate others on how to get out on the water safely while taking care of, and respecting our public lands is something she hopes to pursue for the rest of her life.

Raised in Texas, MacKenzie grew up kayaking on flat water rivers and in the ocean. As she got older, she was introduced to whitewater on the Pacuare River in Costa Rica where a friend invited her to raft for the day and stay in the town of Turrialba. She had so much fun that she went multiple days in a row and helped the company with lunch set up and other odds to be able to afford to go rafting each day she was there. This experience began her transition from paddling recreationally to paddling professionally.

MacKenzie began raft guiding in 2015 in Glenwood Springs, CO, where she worked primarily on the Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers. In 2021, MacKenzie took an ACA Swiftwater Instructor Course where she was the only woman in a class of eight. Despite her strong and confident personality, she found that she was still being overshadowed by men’s pride and attitudes. Instead of letting this uncomfortable situation turn her away from paddling, she began to take steps to start her own business, Human Kinda, an LLC that focuses on providing swiftwater rescue courses specific to women, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and any other communities that find it hard to break through the barriers of entry into the whitewater paddling and rescue community.

When asked to share a special teaching moment in her career, MacKenzie remembers an all-women swiftwater rescue course she taught on the Moab Daily, in Utah. She and her students were all sitting at camp one evening practicing knots after a full day of class. When she saw how her students’ faces would light up when they finally understood a knot, she knew she was right where she was supposed to be. “These small moments are what create change in the world, and I am so fortunate to get to educate individuals on topics I am passionate about,” said MacKenzie, reflecting on this moment. There is so much value in these courses, far beyond the inherent benefits of fast and efficient rescue techniques.”

Thank you MacKenzie for taking the time and care to make the classes you teach as welcoming, fulfilling, and rewarding as possible.

As we welcome back the Instructor of the Month program, we honor Kyle Thomas who is an exemplary member of both the ACA and the greater paddling community. Kyle works hard to teach his students to be thoughtful paddlers and creates programming that benefits his community now and for generations to come. Kyle recently became a Level 4: Whitewater Kayaking Instructor Trainer and continues to teach as a certified Level 5: Advanced Whitewater Kayaking Instructor and a Level 3: Coastal Kayaking Instructor.

As an ACA Instructor, Kyle believes that he has the power to open the door to life-changing experiences, and help people find a pursuit that may help them to live free of the influences of substance dependence, anxiety, and depression. When asked what he finds most rewarding as an ACA Instructor, Kyle responded, “I have witnessed the transformative effect of paddling in my personal life and the lives of those I care about. I live a better and more fulfilling life because of this pursuit. I also believe we have the power to save lives and prevent tragic moments from occurring through educating our communities on paddling best practices and safety and rescue techniques.” Those who know Kyle best can see how deeply he cares about paddlers and their ability to plan properly, enact preventative measures, and execute basic self and partner rescues.

Kyle currently lives in Washington where he works at Ballard Kayak, hired to further develop their instructional program, focusing initially on sea kayak instruction, with an interest in expanding to whitewater kayak instruction. Last year, Kyle volunteered at a BIPOC Paddling Skills Day held on Lake Sammamish, in Washington State. This was a free event where participants needed only to come in non-cotton layers and rain jackets while the community supplied boats, gear, and basic instruction. He left that event inspired and a filled with a desire to partake in similar events and initiatives. Kyle reflects, “there are so many people in my community who can benefit from the transformative powers of an outdoor recreation experience, but some of those individuals encounter roadblocks and barriers preventing them from participating. Whether that be financial, cultural, or not having time to pursue a hobby while working multiple jobs, I hope to provide additional opportunities.”

In addition to attending events aimed at making the paddling community more inclusive and accessible, Kyle has worked hard with Mary Pedrick on the ACA River Kayak Committee to develop the ACA’s curriculum for hand paddling. If you are looking to engage with the water in another way, or you keep a pair of hand paddles in your stern as a spare paddle but haven’t had a chance to practice with them outside of a pool, this is the perfect course for you! The ACA’s first River Kayak Hand Paddling course will be held this April of 2022 in North Carolina. Thank you, Kyle and Mary, for the work you have put in to get this course up and running!