Introducing Taylor Cote

Hello everyone! Wayner your friendly NOC Ambassador here. I wanted to introduce you to one of the faces from our kids and teens programs Taylor Cote. She is the recipient of the NOC Photo scholarship at the New River Academy. This fall she will be sending her updates from beautiful Chile. We invite you to follow along with her adventures as she travels the world studying and paddling. Enjoy...

"Kayaking. Such a simple word, yet it is everything that I am now.

Paddling has helped me grow up from my younger years into the teen that I am now. Boating has brought me through so much. Kayaking is that good output instead of getting into the mess and sickness the world has. It gives me the confidence to walk with my head high everyday even in the gloom. I love to be me and be my own little individual in this huge world.” ‘I Am Significant!,' screamed the dust speck” –Calvin and Hobbes.

Kayaking has given me many friends. I definitely have made friendships that will last a lifetime. Then there is the trust between those friends especially, when you need them in the scariest of rapids- but also during our regular everyday lives. The amazing rescues we’ve done to get each other out of trouble on the river have helped us bond together. I’ve even seen my kayaking buddies weddings seeing them getting married. I probably wouldn’t have met all these amazing people if it hadn’t been for kayaking.

Kayaking gives me my individuality because really, how many girls kick ass like me on the water? Have the guts to drop into the holes on the Ottawa? How many girls have hucked themselves off Short Creek Falls? The aroma of the outdoors is spread all throughout me, with the mountaineering, mountain biking, and a many other plethora of sports I’ve worked at. I still can recall the crunching of the snow under my mountaineering boots and crampons, leaning on that cold pick axe for support. Even though I do all those things, I still have those nights where I wear the prettiest of dresses; my dad taking me to a lovely musical at the Fox Theater in Atlanta.

Kayaking has brought me to many places no one will ever see, even in their wildest dreams. So far, it has brought me many places around the U.S., Canada, the Dominican Republic, and now even Chile. It lets me see the world."

Taylor Cote is a NOC Teen Camper and winner of the New River Academy Photo Scholarship. To read Taylor’s blogs click here.