I grew up loving water activities starting with 6th grade swim team, then working summers as a lifeguard and swim instructor. As I grew older it was zipping sail boats across glassy Colorado lakes and canoeing excursions to rivers in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and Minnesota’s Boundary Waters. Although I dabbled in kayaking when in college it wasn’t until I retired that I got back into the sport, rediscovering what an incredible life affirming activity it is. However, coming back and starting from scratch wasn’t easy…learning the roll, losing the roll, learning it again only to have my roll wash down the river when I needed it the most. It took time and a lot of perseverance but that bombproof roll finally did happen, creating a spring board toward developing greater skills and running harder water. I understand the terrors and triumphs of whitewater kayaking, especially as I move into playboating, an activity where I often find myself under the water as much as I am on top of it. I am thrilled to be able to share my love of the sport with others while helping teach the “mystery moves” of rolling and other essential kayaking skills through Colorado Whitewater’s terrific training program.