I knew I ‘d fallen into the deep end when I began to mark seasons by what kind of boat I strapped on my car: polo in the winter, whitewater in the spring, coastal in the summer and fall.
In my early years, I was mostly self-taught. I absorbed tips from good natured, equally clueless comrades and we all had clumsy fun. My first formal class, not surprisingly, was a revelation. Seeing someone brace, roll, and turn with grace—and be able to explain why—changed everything. Hosted by the Sebago Canoe Club and held in 1992 at the Lake Sebago ACA camp, it fired my imagination.
I first began instructing in 1999, and in 2008 certified as an ACA L4 instructor in coastal kayaking and whitewater kayaking. I enjoyed other outdoor activities, but paddling grabbed my imagination and most of my free time. It still does.
Much of my paddling now is with the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse and The Kayak Foundation. The mission of both organizations is to enable people to get out on the water and paddle, with a special emphasis on kids and people who don’t otherwise have many options for outdoor adventure. New York Harbor is an incredible venue—one of the great urban paddling destinations in the world—and a challenging one. Our goal is to help train up the hundreds of volunteers who make free public paddling possible across the region, collectively serving over ten thousand people a year.
I never wanted to be a full-time instructor. I love New York, but it’s an expensive place to live! I appreciate that the ACA lets instructors pursue a relatively high standard of semi-professional skill, while still allowing us to make a living doing something else.
I like helping build organizations. It’s been the focus and through-line of my personal career. Applying that experience to paddling organizations has been both fruitful and satisfying. I can’t be of much help curing cancer, but this is something I know how to do. Most of my paddling buddies probably think I should spend more time on the water and less in organizational meetings, but I don’t see it as a sacrifice. I’ve enjoyed enduring friendships and felt a useful part of a community that I care about. I’ve worked with at least a half-dozen ACA Affiliated Organizations in and around New York City and had fun with all of them.
Thank you, ACA — and happy 145th birthday!
The ACA extends a warm thank you to Tom Potter for sharing his story, “Falling Into the Deep End in New York City” to the ACA Story Project! Through his thoughtful writing and decades of leadership, Tom continues to inspire and expand what’s possible for urban paddling communities.
About the Author
Tom Potter is an ACA Level 4 Coastal Kayaking Instructor and has been an ACA member since the early 1990s. He is the co-founder and chair of The Kayak Foundation, co-founder and former chair of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse, and hosts an annual ACA instructor forum in the New York region. In his professional life, Tom is the CEO of the New York Distilling Company, and previously served as chair of The Brooklyn Brewery and Brooklyn Roasting Company.