Hey! My name is Amanda and I’m excited to be the new ambassador for the new Western North Carolina Region.

I started kayaking when I lived in Atlanta and my dad dragged me down the Upper Chattahoochee River in Georgia for Father’s Day in 2002. We met some nice folks who invited us to kayak with them the following weekend and we paddled the Nantahala River and Cartecay River. It was oddly terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time–and even after my first swim on the frigid Nanty, I was hooked!

After a few years, kayaking and the outdoors consumed more and more of my life and I slowly began a migration north, toward the mountains, eventually leaving Atlanta for the Nantahala Gorge. I spent most of 2011 road tripping around the US and Costa Rica, before returning to Western North Carolina–my favorite place on earth.

My favorite part of kayaking is running rivers and the anticipation of exploring a new run for the first time or challenging oneself with new lines on a familiar run. I love seeing parts of the world that cannot be seen by any other method except a boat. Kayaking is such an independent sport and really challenges each of us individually, yet there is group camaraderie and such a sense of community among boaters that is so appealing. My proudest accomplishment was running the Grand Canyon in an 18-foot oar rigged raft. Twice! Navigating a huge craft loaded down with gear and supplies down a huge river (12,000 to 16,000 CFS) and doing this EVERY day for 2-3 weeks was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And I can’t wait for my next opportunity to do it again!

While I don’t consider myself to be a competitive kayaker, I did participate in my first kayaking competition in 2009–the Dagger Shootout Freestyle competition. I decided one week before the event that I wanted to do it–and so I had one week to learn to play boat. It was grueling and the experience of competing in front of hundreds of spectators and against professional athletes was a great personal challenge and such a rewarding experience. I grew both as a person and as a boater. It was then that I really saw the value of competition in helping boaters to push themselves and also to have fun while bringing the boating community together. This is why I see such value in the Hometown Throwdown events, which encourage participation from ALL skill levels, and why I’m excited to be a part of World Kayak!

~Amanda “River Chick”