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Founder & President, Head Instructor ACA Whitewater Certified ACA Open Water Coastal Certified Paddling since: 1993 Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland Rivers run/seas toured: Potomac, Shenandoah, Futaleufu, Naranjo, Savegre, Blackwater, Severn, Gunpowder, Middle Fork of the Salmon, Youghiogheny, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, Pacific, Abel Tasman Sea, Chesapeake Bay Favorite spot: Center Chute, Potomac River Best memory: My first wave wheel Favorite piece of gear: AT2 Superlight paddle When I'm not paddling, I like to: Walk in the woods Advice for new paddlers: Use your torso muscles! 
Sea Kayak Program Director BCU Coach Level 3 Sea/Assessor ACA Open Water Instructor Trainer Educator BCU 4-star "New" ACA Advanced Open Water Instructor Paddling since: 1992 Hometown: Kenosha, Wisconsin Rivers run/seas toured: Wales, Alaska, Coastal SC and GA Favorite spot: Hollyhead , North Wales Best memory: Circumnavigation completion of Stiga Island, North end Kodiak Islands Favorite piece of gear: Space pen When I'm not paddling, I like to: Read Advice for new paddlers: After all the instruction and training, remember the main reason for all this: "TO GO PADDLING." 
ACA Open Water Instructor BCU Level 1 Coach Paddling since: Seriously since 2002 (I took my first sea kayak course in 1989) Hometown: Wayne, New Jersey Rivers run/seas toured: Various coastlines, bays, inlets, rivers, and lakes from Maine to Florida (i.e. Bar Harbor and Stonington, Maine / Point Judith, Rhode Island / Indian River Inlet, DE /Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River / Lake George, Hudson River and New York Harbor, NY / Corson’s Inlet, New Jersey / Tampa Bay, FL) Favorite spot: Martha’s Vineyard, MA Best memory: The first time that I participated in an attempted rescue in the surf zone Favorite piece of gear: My boat, an NDK Explorer When I'm not paddling, I like to: Spend time with my family in the outdoors One piece of advice for new paddlers: Be patient. Developing your paddling skills takes time and it is a lifelong process. 
ACA Whitewater Certified Paddling since: September 2007 Hometown: Potomac, MD Rivers run/seas toured: The Potomac, Upper & Lower Yough, Cheat, Lower Big Sandy, Gauley, Susquehanna, Shenandoah, Green Narrows, Casselman, and Difficult Run. Chile: Futalefu, Rio Azul. Norway: Otta, Ulla, Sjoa, and Driva Favorite spot: Great Falls, MD lines Best memory: Running Great Falls for the first time Favorite piece of gear: Sweet helmets When I'm not paddling, I like to: Think about paddling, plan my next paddling adventure, run, hike, and read Advice for new paddlers: Be confidant in your abilities, take calculated risks, and enjoy the beautiful ride... 
ACA Whitewater Certified Paddling since: June 2003 Hometown: Harrisburg, PA Rivers run/seas toured: Potomac, Shenandoah, Lower/Upper Yough, Cheat, New, Upper/Middle/Lower Gauley, Tohickon, Maury, Gunpowder, Savage, Ottawa, Futaleufu Favorite spot: Babyface on the Ottawa. Or sitting *upright* at the bottom of any big rapid. Best memory: Hanging out with my friends in the cabin on the Ottawa, across from McCoy's rapid. Favorite piece of gear: My trusty AT2 paddle with the duct-tape "X" and my IR shorty drytop When I'm not paddling, I like to: Play guitar, read, study foreign languages, mountain bike, and my most recent interest, snowboard. Advice for new paddlers: Read "The Inner Game of Tennis", "Inner Game of Golf" and "Inner Skiing" by Timothy Gallwey. Even if, like me, you don't practice those sports, the principles will make you a much better kayaker. 
ACA Advanced Whitewater Certified Paddling since: 1996 Hometown: Grosse Ile, Michigan Rivers run/seas toured: Potomac (Great Falls), Futaleufu, Gauley, New, Youghiogheny, Tuolumne (Cherry Creek), South Fork of the American, Yellow Dog, Cuyahoga, Moose, Ottawa, Amoskeag Falls, Dead, Kennebec, Penobscot, Lachine, Green Narrows, Cheat, Upper Blackwater, Lower Meadow…etc. Favorite spot: Chile Best memory: Running the Kennebec Gorge at 6,000 cfs in a Riot Glide, my first day in a kayak. Favorite piece of gear: Patagonia Canoe Paddler's Board Shorts When I'm not paddling, I like to: Study for law school and manage investments. Advice for new paddlers: Whenever possible, paddle with people better than yourself. You never conquer a river, only go for a ride. Respect! 
ACA Whitewater Certified Paddling since: 2003 Hometown: Wherever I feel comfortable. Born in Anchorage, AK Rivers run/seas toured: Some in VA, PA, MD, OR, NV, WA, WV Favorite spot: Anywhere with water, a boat, and the right company Best memory: When three of us started kayaking, the weekends of paddling to exhaustion, laying on the floor and having a nice cold Ekstra Castle Weisse Favorite piece of gear: A tie between my first aid kit and a water bottle with filtration system When I'm not paddling, I like to: Jog or practice yoga Advice for new paddlers: Enjoy the trip 
ACA Open Water Coastal Certified Cyndi is one of Potomac Paddlesports' most seasoned instructors. Equally comfortable in rough open water conditions and in whitewater, Cyndi brings a broad range of knowledge and expertise to each sea kayak class she teaches. Did we mention she's fast? Really fast. When she's not teaching, you'll find Cyndi training for, racing in, or winning one of many area competitions, or even organizing some races herself! 
ACA Advanced Open Water Coastal Certified, ACA Whitewater Certified Paddling since: 1998 Hometown: Alexandria, VA Rivers run/seas toured: Much sea, surf, and river paddling on the east coast. Major trips: Sea: crossed Lake Ontario (NY), paddled the length of the Everglades (FL); Surf: many overhead days on at 'Town Landing' (RI); River: Bottom Moose (NY), many days on the Potomac (VA/MD), Watauga (and the Suicide Boof!) (NC). Favorite spot: Just about anywhere in NY Best memory: Sitting out in the middle of Lake Ontario with the closest land being 500 feet straight down. Favorite piece of gear: Whatever is keeping me warm that day When I'm not paddling, I like to: Hang out with my son, Carsten Advice for new paddlers: Careful, it's addicting. 
ACA Whitewater Certified Paddling since: 1992 Hometown: Durango, CO Rivers run/seas toured: Rivers out West in: Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, and California. Rivers in the East in: West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia. Rivers outside of the U.S.A. in: Ecuador and Kyrgyz Republic Favorite spot: Anywhere with a good group of people Best memory: Paddling the Upper Animas for the first time when I was 14 years old. The Animas was running around 5,000 CFS in town. I didn't sleep much the night before and was scared stuffless. Favorite piece of gear: The toe slots of my Vibram Five Fingers When I'm not paddling, I like to: Travel, ski, rock climb, hula hoop, read, listen to music, drink alcoholic beverages, and ponder international economic development issues. Advice for new paddlers: I like to splash water in my face and then take a few deep breaths whenever I get tense. It helps me to focus and stay in the zone. 
ACA Whitewater Certified Paddling since: 2004 Hometown: DC, but born and raised in Rumson, NJ Rivers run/seas toured: Potomac, Youghiogheny, Gauley, New, Cheat, Farmington, James, Ottawa, Futaleufu (Chile), White Nile (Uganda), Otta, Ula, Frya, Driva, Sjoa (all Norway) Favorite spot: The Ottawa, especially Garborator and Bus Eater Best memory: One of my first rides on Nile Special on the White Nile River in Uganda, the biggest wave I had ever been on at that point. When I finally made it onto the wave, I looked up to see a huge rainbow in there with me as the sun was shining through the water spray. It was super cool. Favorite piece of gear: My Level Six sprayskirt When I'm not paddling, I like to: Travel to remote corners of the world Advice for new paddlers: Lean forward and paddle hard. 
ACA Whitewater Certified Paddling since: 2004 Hometown: Fairfax, VA Rivers run/seas toured: Arkansas (Salida, Brown’s Canyon), Colorado (Glenwood Springs area), Gauley (Upper & Lower), Potomac, Salmon (Main), Savage, Savegre (Costa Rica), Youghiogheny (Upper, Middle, Lower, & Ohiopyle Falls) Favorite spot: Lower Yough with fall leaves Best memory: There are so many…Probably double surfing Center Chute wave with my son Favorite piece of gear: My helmet. It’s shown me lots of love. When I'm not paddling, I like to: Do fun things with my family One piece of advice for new paddlers: Look up instead of staring at your bow. You’ll paddle where you wish to go, have better balance, and see a lot more scenery. 
ACA Whitewater Certified Paddling since: 1992 Hometown: Cabin John, MD Rivers run/seas toured: 200+ including Potomac, Gauley, Big Sandy, Yough, James, Bottom, Susquehanna, Ottawa, Kennebec, Housatonic, Deerfield, Green, Racquette, California, Colorado, Washington, Idaho, BC, NZ & Ecuador Favorite spot: Skookumchuk tidal rapids in B.C. Best memory: There are so many... Favorite piece of gear: I never go anywhere without my Sidekick ;-) When I'm not paddling, I like to: Float along One piece of advice for new paddlers: Paddle to enjoy every moment of it. 
ACA Whitewater Certified Paddling since: 1998 Hometown: Medford, NJ Rivers run/seas toured: Rivers: A good chunk of WV and PA. Also various rivers (and seas) in Canada, Alaska, Central America, Australia and New Zealand. Also several first descents in the Garden State. Favorite spot: Accessible: Probably a toss up between S-Turn and Center Chute holes. If I had a private jet: Anything on the Ottawa. Best memory: Running my first real drops in WV on the Big Sandy. Favorite piece of gear: My helmet(s). They've saved my noggin more than once. When I'm not paddling, I like to: Do too many things: Mtn. biking, distance running, surfing, climbing, triathlon, photography, violin. One piece of advice for new paddlers: Don't drink the water. 
ACA Whitewater Certified Paddling since: On and off since 1994 Hometown: Chicago Rivers run/seas toured: Green (Utah), Futaleufu, Shenandoah, Chattooga, Ocoee, French Broad, Nolichucky, Youghiogheny, Chesapeake Bay, Gulf of Mexico, Abel Tasman Sea, and of course, the Potomac Favorite spot: The Futaleufu's "White Mile." The name says it all. Best memory: A two-week river trip through Dinosaur National Monument and Canyonlands National Park. Favorite piece of gear: My Kokatat Gore-Tex Drysuit When I'm not paddling, I like to: Read, ski, draw, paint, and go on hikes Advice for new paddlers: Learning to kayak can be frustrating and everyone learns at a different pace. Don't beat yourself up over it. Just keep practicing and the skills (and fun) will come. 
ACA River Certified Paddling since: May 2006 Hometown: Ashton, MD Rivers run/seas toured: Atlantic off of Topsail Beach, NC, Potomac, Shenandoah, Chesapeake, Eastern Shore tributaries Favorite spot: Mather Gorge Best memory: The excitement of buying my first boat! Favorite piece of gear: Nose plugs! When I'm not paddling, I like to: Hang out with my kids Advice for new paddlers: Time in the seat! Practice, practice, practice. |
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