River Leader of the Month – September 2011: The Other Side of Pat Keller

I do realize a lot of you already know Pat Keller or at least heard of him.  You probably know him as a big name in the paddling community, may have read prior interviews with Pat or seen footage of him on the internet, maybe met him in person or even had the opportunity to paddle with him.  Pat’s well known for his many paddling accomplishments including multiple first descents, Green River Race wins, World Kayak Freestyle Championships, river expeditions and the list goes on.  You can read about all of this in his other interviews.  But I’d heard there was much more to him than just all of these wins and accomplishments.  My mission: Meet the other side of Pat, the one that’s having fun while getting others involved in paddling.

Recalling the first time I met him, I didn’t think much of it.  Simply a really nice guy at the Dagger tent one demo day.  After that I continued to see Pat come up in cool videos and articles online and hear his name around town amongst my paddling buddies.  Even one of my friends that has been showing me the ropes (as I am just beginning to paddle) was stoked about having paddled the Green River Narrows with Pat for the first time a couple months back.  I didn’t think much about it and then realized, huh, this guy’s really trying to get others out there and into paddling, opening up, sharing his knowledge and leading the way as a role model for a younger generation of paddlers. 

It all began for Pat with his first experience on the water at age 3 when his father took him down the Nantahala River.  As a youth he continued to return to the Nantahala and progressed over the years to inflatable kayaks eventually getting his first boat, a Dagger Blast.  NOC is a home to Pat having grown up visiting the gorge frequently as if it were chapel.  But Pat was an active child involved in paddling, gymnastics, karate and skiing.  At age 9, when he tore his ACL all else ceased and he turned only to kayaking.  He began attending NOC Paddling School Youth Camps where he learned to steer, ferry and turn.  This made kayaking easier and allowed him to focus his attention on fewer things at once having the basic skills coming to him naturally.  “Learning to kayak is such a fun progression. A fun dance!” as Pat likes to put it.  “It builds self-confidence and awareness even with all of the real consequences.”  He pushes himself now by blending the skills he has gained from years of paddling across disciplines, combining freestyle, slalom and creeking to create new challenges.

 A Few Fun Lines on the Green River Narrows with Pat

Good role models are hard to come by in athletes these days.  We hear it almost everyday on the news and in the media about scandals: baseball player Mike Jacobs testing positive for HGH, Tiger Woods’ infidelity, Michael Vick’s dog fighting fiasco, and many more.  Pat desired to not only further himself and his paddling career meeting personal goals but also wanted to help others get into the sport and be a role model for paddling.   In 2001, he became an American Canoe Association certified instructor and began teaching at NOC’s Paddling School.   “To not spread the love seems bad. Everyone’s welcome.”  He continues to get friends and beginners out on the water even offering his own gear for use, showing the way and giving pointers.  “The life experiences paddling has brought me and the fun of it is satisfying.  Bring others in and you see it click.”

Pat is now living his life as a chameleon: working in the “real” world and continuing to progress his involvement in the paddling world.  He is a “suit and tie” at Merrill Lynch a few days a week working toward his professional career goals.  But he has “a foot in both worlds” and feels comfortable.  His passion for paddling continues to consume his free time.  “I haven’t lost who I am.”  Pat is a Dagger Team member, an Ambassador for American Whitewater and is working on his latest venture: a creek boating safety video.  “Your level of knowledge influences perception.”  Pat has plenty of paddling experience he has gained over the years and now he’s sharing it.  This year he’s looking forward to accomplishing a few personal goals as well and continuing his “Grand Adventure” with paddling in Mexico, getting back to the Green Race and skiing throughout the winter.  “My life is good!”  So, be on the lookout as Pat’s making waves and paving the way as a role model in the paddling community. 

Outside Magazine Picks NOC as the "Best Whitewater Kayaking School"

Thanks to Greg Melville at Outside magazine for selecting NOC's Paddling School as the "hands-down best whitewater school in the country." Melville was writing for the "Adventure Adviser" feature and answering the question "What is the best Whitewater Kayaking School?"

Previously the magazine has noted NOC as a "Top School"and a "Best Place to Learn" in its "Zero to Hero" feature that runs early in the calendar year. This feature encourages outdoor enthusiasts to pick up a new pursuit as part of their new year resolutions.

Upon hearing the news Jon Clark, Director of NOC's Paddling School, commented "It's great to be recognized by an authority like Outside. Our instructors are always refining their techniques, developing new programming and simply working hard to help their students improve. I'm proud that we're contributing to the tradition of excellence this school has built over decades."

For a list of NOC Paddling School programs, including a brand new Stand Up Paddleboard program, click here.

Congratulations to Jon and all the NOC instructors!

River Leaders of the Month July 2011: Kristin and Sean Bierle

Here at NOC we're looking forward to the Camp Cup Challenge next Monday and Tuesday. The Camp Cup is an exciting youth paddling event that gets a dozen summer camps and about 150 kids on the water for a slalom competition and a downriver race. It's likely the biggest kids whitewater paddling event anywhere. And though we enjoy, welcome and support the event here at NOC, the fact is it wouldn't be happening without two motivated and committed volunteers: Kristin and Sean Bierle. They come all the way from Boise to put this amazing event together for the campers. Why? According to them, "It's one of the highlights of our year."

Sean, Pebbles and Kristin paddling on one of the Alzar School's recent sessions.

Kristin and Sean spend most of their time supporting the Alzar School, a non-profit school that currently runs three-week programs focused on cultural exchange, service learning, leadership training and outdoor adventures. Between these programs the couple is devoted to building the foundation for the school's first full academic year in Fall 2012. Kristin works as the school's Executive Director and Sean is the school's Head Teacher overseeing curriculum development and implementation. The school's main campus will be near Boise, and students will get to embark on two international adventures a year. It is a really cool organization, and it's going to be even better when it goes year-round.

So why do these educators from Boise want to put on a race in North Carolina? Well, Kristin is a Tar Heel from Cornelius, NC who grew up paddling and going on outdoor adventures with her father. When she was 13, her father bought her a kayak, and she took a few lessons from NOC's Paddling School. She further developed her paddling with Gordon Grant at Camp Green Cove, and also at Green Cove she participated in the Camp Cup Challenge as a racer. Back then the race was organized by the Nantahala Racing Club with sponsorship from the American Canoe Association.

Though Kristin moved on to bigger rivers and now has her own kayaking students, the "Camp Cup" stuck in her memory as a wonderful event, and when she learned that the event stalled out in the early/mid 00's she decided to bring it back, which she and Sean did in 2008. Besides just executing on the event, the couple has rallied a strong coalition of manufacturers, instructors and outfitters for support, and the Camp Cup has grown very strong again over the past three years. The expectation is for another 150 kids to hit the water again in 2011.

Racers pose on the banks of the Nantahala before a run through the Camp Cup Challenge slalom course.

The event allows kids and teenagers to compete in a low-stress, supportive environment; they paddle one-person kayak (K-1), one-person canoe (C-1), open-canoe (OC-1) and two-person open canoes (OC-2). Racers get paddling experience, but also get to meet new paddling friends and practice leadership skills by rallying their camp teams.

The camp cup even brings together paddlers who already knew each other: more than once Kristin and Sean have seen kids who attend the same high school "back home" discover that they both like paddling, but they've been at different summer camps. Our hope at NOC is that the race participants will form lifelong paddling friendships and become the future leaders of paddling in the Southeast.

A Camp Cup Challenge downriver racer punches through the bottom of Nantahala Falls.

In the meantime though, we're looking forward to the riverside cheers, exciting gate runs, downriver sprints and, yes, even some of the "carnage" these boaters will provide early next week as they push and expand their abilities on the water. These guys and gals go all out.

So if you happen to be here Monday or Tuesday of next week, stop and thank Kristin and Sean for their meaningful impact on whitewater recreation and their extra effort to make an impact on the water and in the racers' lives.

Spring Rains + Rising Creeks = Paddler’s Paradise!

From Jon Clark, Director of NOC's Paddling School. "Creeking" or "creek boating" is a type of whitewater paddling for kayakers and canoeists that takes place on smaller (both in width and volume) streams. Creeking tends to be steeper, more technically demanding and, if you take the word of many advanced paddlers, even more fun than running full-size rivers.

Rain in the Southeast means one thing for whitewater paddlers: creekin’! As cold fronts roll in off the Gulf of Mexico they creep into the Appalachian Mountains dumping massive amounts of rain. The creeks begin to rise, and I become reminiscent of days past creek boating with friends on some of my favorite Southeastern creeks.

Here at Nantahala Outdoor Center’s main outpost in Wesser, NC we’ve been experiencing heavy rain making for plenty of on-the-water action. The rivers are rising and NOC Paddling School instructors are back for the season just in time to join in on the fun. With so many creek boating options near NOC, part of the fun is just deciding which river to paddle.

Spend a week (or a weekend) with the pros and experience creeking at its best on a different river every day. With an instructional focus, Advanced Creek Clinics are designed to take advanced paddlers to the next level giving them the right tools and skills to do so safely. At the same time, you will be introduced to rivers and creeks that you may never have the opportunity to experience again on your own, creating the adventure of a lifetime.

NOC’s most distinguished instructors are teaming up to lead this year’s Advanced Creek Clinics. Our team will be by your side the entire time on the water aiding in the development of new skills and techniques as well as refining those you already have. Participants receive hands-on instruction that hone in on each individual’s specific needs and goals. Our instructors’ profound knowledge base and extensive creek boating experience create the perfect team to lead you down some of the best runs in the South.

Our goal at the NOC Paddling School is to teach both the hard and soft skills necessary to develop the most solid and competent paddlers. Just making it to the take-out is not enough. We want to see our paddlers come away from every course capable of adding to the overall experience of everyone on the river. Good decision-making, planning, and self-awareness are skills just as important as the boof stroke, dual sided roll and rescue. Often forgotten, these soft skills commonly create adventures that reach the “epic” level. We strive to teach a balance of these skills, helping paddlers excel at being not only a great paddler, rather a great paddler that is also a competent leader.

So come get your boof on and join us in one of the most rewarding courses you’ll ever experience! Advanced Creek Clinics have just kicked off with our first weeklong session and will be followed by two weekend sessions March 26-27 and April 16-17. A final weeklong course is available April 25-29 just in time to wrap up the peak of creeking season. These courses are all-inclusive with meals, lodging and daily transportation to all rivers and creeks. Gear is also available upon request.

Safe Paddling!

Cheers,
Jon Clark