Garrick Taylor

My name is Garrick Taylor.  I got my first taste of whitewater in a raft on the Chattooga in the 1980s and was fascinated by the safety boater following along in a kayak.  For some unknown reason I waited more than 25 years to buy a kayak and get started.  When I bought a kayak I was lucky to have a co-worker that steered me towards the Carolina Canoe Club.  I met a lot of great people who took pity on my flailing in the lake and helped teach me the basics.  I took a variety of clinics from the club the next few years and progressed from the Middle Haw and Nantahala to more challenging rivers.  My first trips on Wilson Creek, and rivers like the Ocoee, Tellico, Chattooga, and Cheoah were led by club members willing to help others learn and grow in the sport of whitewater.  I have tried to pay some of that forward by leading trips on rivers for other club members.

Last year I tried the patience of an ACA instructor and received my ACA instructor certification.  Despite causing a rise in my instructor’s blood pressure, I learned a lot from the ACA instructor course.  Following certification, I was able to help teach the youth clinics for the club last year. 

I have three major goals if elected as education chair.  My first goal is to continue and if possible expand the excellent program of clinics the club has historically supported.  The club has typically held beginner, novice, and intermediate clinics in the spring.  In addition to these clinics, the club has normally held specialty clinics (creeking, personal first descent, paddle smarter not harder, etc.).  My second goal is to support the continuation of the youth paddling clinics that the club held in cooperation with Foothills Paddling Club last year.  I feel that it is important for our club to reach out to families and the next generation of boaters.  My third goal is to solicit input from the membership of the club.  We have a large club that is composed of members not only in North and South Carolina, but from throughout the country and beyond.  Sometimes in a large club, it is hard to know what would be most beneficial to the membership.  I cannot promise to fulfill the needs of everyone but I do promise to try to listen to the membership.  If you have any questions, please contact me by email at Garrick.d.taylor@gmail.com.