Birthday: October 25, 1985

Home: Asheville, NC

Favorite Shred Ready helmet and color: Yellow Shaggy

Describe the time you were most glad that you were wearing your helmet:
I am very glad to be wearing my Shred Ready helmet any time things don’t go exactly as planned on a big drop and I’m about to land on my head.

What person do you respect the most? Who is your hero? Two people who come to mind right away are Scott Lindgren and Laird Hamilton. I believe that both of these people’s respective sports would be far behind their current state if it weren’t for them.

Who on the Shred Ready team do you most admire and why? Gotta go with Pat Keller on that one. No one else I know can break a rapid down quite the way he can, and stick the hardest lines imaginable.

What movies/books/comics/TV shows, etc are you into right now? I was pretty darn addicted to the OC last semester and still enjoy watching it once in a while. I also love The Simpsons and reading anything by Michael Crichton or C.S. Lewis.

What are you listening to these days? I like all kinds of music. What you’d probably find me listening to however is Rise Against, Strike Anywhere, Yellowcard, Tracy Chapman, Our Lady Peace, or Matisyahu.

What was the best concert you attended? Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters.

What are some things that motivate you? I am 100% in love with bedrock, granite creekboating. I'm so in love with it, I think I'll marry it. Granite bedrock creekboating, will you marry me? These days, that motivates me more than anything else.

What sports do you enjoy watching or participating in besides your main sport? I love playing hockey and sailing when not in my kayak.

I am absolutely fascinated by the sport of surfing, and would love to take it up in the future. Just from my limited experience surfing waves on the river and ocean in a kayak, I am convinced that big wave surfers capable of riding Mavericks, Teahupoo, and Jaws on the Nolichucky are probably some of the most core athletes on earth.

What's the most fun you've ever had while participating in your sport? Anytime that I am on the Toxaway River, Bus Eater Wave, or the New River Dries. Let alone best days paddling, the best days of my life can be attributed to the three of these places.

What's the best trip you've ever been on? That’s a tough one, the first trip that comes to mind is two days of kayaking with my buddy Max Kniewasser on the best wave on earth, High Tension, on the Gatineau River in Quebec. Heli-boating in New Zealand is up there as well.

What goals are you working towards right now? I find myself working towards running certain drops these days more than competition titles, but I’d love to attend/possibly organize a lot more extreme races this year. I truly believe that extreme racing is the future of whitewater kayaking.

When people look at your life, how would you like to be remembered? I would love to be remembered simply as someone who had passion. I put my foot in my mouth a lot so hopefully people won’t remember all the stupid stuff that I’ve said.

What do you view as your biggest accomplishment? Probably racing the Green Narrows two years ago at high water. Coolest competition I’ve ever been to.

What advice do you have for other people coming up in your sport? Don’t let other people influence the decisions you make or the attitude that you take with regards to your own progression. Make sure you are 100% confidant with the situation before running a new rapid or river.

Duran Duran, Tear for Fears, Hall and Oates, or Cindy Lauper? Why? I have no idea who or what those are, but Cindy Lauper sounds hot.