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Team Z - Paddling & Competing Around the US
Team Z is a small group of dedicated kayakers who compete in freestyle competitions and extreme races around the U.S. It started with a few friends who have worked and paddled at Zoar Outdoor for several years now.
Learn what Team Z has been up to lately
Jim Sullivan: Team Z Manager
Paddling since he was twelve thanks to his father, Jim is one of the best paddlers around. With a smooth and consistent style Jim gets it done on the water and on the slopes in Big Sky. Having taught for Zoar and Liquid Skills his instruction is world class and boats to match it. In the North East he was so dominant at the annual Deerfield rodeo organizers had to change the rules to beat him. Sponsors: Zoar Outdoor Nickname? Clutch Hometown? Longmeadow, MA Who inspired you most while getting into kayaking? My friends were my inspiration when I began paddling. We all worked and lived at camp together and pushed each other to learn new skills and develop our tricks. Favorite band/music? No favorites, but I like music that tells a funny story What was your best moment on a river? I’ve had many memorable moments on many rivers, hard to say a best one. Some include winning the Deerfield rodeo, paddling in Chile, doing my first self-support trip with great friends in northern Quebec, and running big drops in New York. What was your worst moment on a river? I’ve also had many bad moments on many rivers. Some of these include a skirt implosion while competing on the Ottawa, getting beat down in a hole and then run over by a raft and beat down some more, and getting temporarily pinned underwater in a creek boat. What is your dream paddling destination? I think the next dream I want to make come true is heli-boating in New Zealand, or paddling in Costa Rica How do feel about being involved with Team Zoar? It’s fantastic. We’ll travel to events and promote Zoar. I’m also real excited to work with some of the young kids around here and develop their potential. It’s also a great way for some of the students I’ve taught to see what I’m up too. What do you have planned for the coming season? One of my big plans for the season is to create some videos for students to have that are specifically tailored to the clinics we offer at Zoar. Of course I’ll also be doing some local trips to some great paddling spots in the Northeast Who are your sponsors? Zoar Outdoor, Jackson Kayak Regional Team What does kayaking hold for you over other activities? Kayaking is a lifelong pursuit. It is ultimate freedom in a dynamic medium.
Elaine Campbell : Member of Team Z
2002 2008 Paddling What certifications and other cool awards do you have? First Aid, CPR What is your favorite paddling memory? Meeting my husband Jeff! What is your favorite food or color or superhero or something you would like Snacks What is something you like to do when you are not paddling? Eat or sail Why do you teach at Zoar? I want to get more women involved in the sport of freestyle kayaking! What kind of boats do you paddle and how many do you own? Wave Sport Project 45 & Wave Sport Habitat 74 What other sports do you do? snowboard How did you start paddling? My brother Mark and I learned together. It was my 22nd birthday gift from him. Sponsors: Wave Sport, Shred Ready, NRS Website: www.elainecampbellkayaking.com
Mike Porter: Member of Team Z
Sponsors: Zoar Outdoor, Pyranha, Shred Ready Nickname? poto, magoo. Hometown? Long Branch, NJ - Huntington, MA Who inspired you most while getting into kayaking? Jonny b.o.d., Nate Kai, Jimmy, Ferg Favorite band/music? Radiohead/Felix da Housecat/Bob Dylan What was your best moment on a river? Going big at Lachine, paddling with a big crew on the Dryway and Ottawa. What was your worst moment on a river? Low water…bummer; skirt implosions; beatdowns - they all sort of suck.
Who would you put money on to win a three way mud wrestling match, Christina Aguilera, Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton? Christina for sure, but I’d much rather see them on Celebrity Jeopardy—no talking or singing for a whole thirty minutes! What is your dream paddling destination? White Nile or Stikine, they look scary and fun. How do feel about being involved with Team Zoar? It’s great. It’s nice having a supportive group like Zoar as a platform to realize our potential. The best part is paddling with all of the kids in the area, watching their talent develop and seeing how excited they get about the sport. What do you have planned for the coming season? I’ve got some snowboard tricks that I’d like to turn into kayaking tricks. Like magic hey. Who are your sponsors? Zoar Outdoor, Pyranha kayaks What does kayaking hold for you over other activities? Despite it being an individual sport, you’re always with other people, relying and trusting in everyone’s abilities to help each other if they're in need. There is a higher sense of awareness, trust and reliability than in other individual sports. I guess that’s a good thing.
Tino Specht : Member of Team Z
Tino spent the spring semester of 2007 as a student at Huge Experiences where he paddled extensively in Chile and up and down the East Coast of the US. Sponsors: Zoar Outdoor Nickname? Tino or Junior Hometown? Charlemont, MA Who inspired you most while getting into kayaking? I watched a short segment of some of the Young Guns crew surfing some huge waves and decided that that’s what I wanted to do. Favorite band/music? It changes pretty often but right now my playlist consists of some Cunning Linguists, Guster, Thievery Coorperation. What was your best moment on a river? While I was in Chile I paddled the Futaleufu River. The entrance to Inferno Canyon on this river is unbelievable. It feels like you are passing through gates, it’s a really cool feeling. The other time was on the Fuy River in Chile. There is a thirty-foot waterfall that you can paddle behind. Behind that waterfall is I think the single coolest place I have ever been. What was your worst moment on a river? I can’t remember ever having a bad time on the river and if I have a bad moment it is always outweighed by the overwhelming amount of good moments that take place. Who would you put money on to win a three way mud wrestling match, Christina Aguilera, Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton? Hmmm. I don’t really know the build of any of these girls but I’m gonna have to hand my vote to Lindsay Lohan because most of the guys in my school seem to like her. What is your dream paddling destination? The Deerfield River, of course. I also really want to tour Quebec and search for some huge waves. How do feel about being involved with Team Zoar? I am proud and excited to be part of a group that is really excited about bringing new paddlers into the sport and having as much fun as possible. It’s a really cool idea to make a team that isn’t about boosting the egos of the people who are on it. What do you have planned for the coming season? My plans are still up in the air but I might try and get out to Colorado for some rodeos. I might try and go to Uganda or Chile. So paddling in these locations and working a ton. Then I’m off to college. Who are your sponsors? Right now I am paddling for Dagger Kayaks, Shred Ready Helmets, Snapdragon, H20 paddles, Teva, and Zoar Outdoor. What does kayaking hold for you over other activities? For starters I haven’t found a sport that is more fun than kayaking but something else that I love about the sport is the people. Everyone I have met so far are all super nice outgoing people and that just makes an incredibly fun atmosphere to be involved in. The last thing is that the sport of kayaking is progressing incredibly fast right now and I think it would be really cool to be part of making the history of a sport.
Ben Natusch: Member of Team Z
Friends of Team Z
Fergus Coffey : Member of Team Z
Fergus Coffey : Member of Team Z
The true International Man of Mystery, born in the States to a Brit and a Kiwi, Fergus has the full globe experience. Having started paddling slalom in the UK and then moving across the pond 6 years ago he brings that clean style to the creeks and waves around North and South America. Well versed in many paddling realms, his true passion for whitewater is racing steep creeks as fast as possible. Sponsors: Zoar Outdoor, Liquid Logic, Snapdragon, IR Nickname? Fungus or Fluffy depending on who you ask. Hometown? Romsey in Hampshire County back in the Old World Who inspired you most while getting into kayaking? Rob Kinder, a friend from back in England, is probably most responsible for getting me excited about kayaking. It was his communications project in Year 9 in Secondary School that made me aware of what Slalom was and it was he and his family that helped me into the sport and drove me around to the events those first few years. Whether it was inspiration or a friendly competition it was Rob’s presence that was the biggest influence. Favorite band/music? My old favorites from England are still the best: Sleeper, Supergrass and The Levelers. But recently I found the Cold War Kids and the Silversun Pickups. What was your best moment on a river? No matter how many cool rapids I run and waves I surf my most memorable day on the river was floating down a class two section of the Buller river in New Zealand with my dad, Tim. It was early in the morning and the whole way down just watching shoals of trout swim around beneath us. What was your worst moment on a river? I went back to the spot on the Ottawa where my friend Kathy had died to surf her last wave. I was by myself and it just gave me the creeps. Who would you put money on to win a three way mud wrestling match, Christina Aguilera, Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton? Christina, always, without a doubt. What is your dream paddling destination? Russia is somewhere that I have always wanted to visit, paddling or not. Beyond that BC is where I really want to go. How do feel about being involved with Team Zoar? Team Zoar is my project and so I feel extremely privileged to have Zoar behind the program. Bruce and the rest of the managers have given this a lot of support and to be able to work in this kind of environment is extremely satisfying. The group of people that we have here at Zoar and the community that we are a part of is a great thing and I am looking forward not just to the coming year but to see what the next generation, that are already killing it, will go on to do. What do you have planned for the coming season? Hill climbs and mountain biking is taking the foreground right now but the first major event will be the Teva Mountain Games in Vail at the end of this month.After that the summer will be in full swing, but look out for some sneaky trips in September. Who are your sponsors? Snapdragon are great and thank you Zoar Outdoor What does kayaking hold for you over other activities? Every activity holds prospects for adventure, travel, friends and the ability to challenge yourself. However none that I have ever tried have provided me the feeling of accomplishment that looking back up at a huge rapid gives you and the sense of peace you feel dropping over the lip.
Hillary Friedman : Member of Team Z
What year did you start paddling and how did you start? My first trip down Fife Brook was in August 2005 with a group of college friends. Do you have a paddling nickname yet? Hil, Hilly, Guns, Muffin, Little One, Jackknife… Who is your favorite superhero? Spiderman, of course. He illustrates great torso rotation when shooting strands of magic web from his inner wrists. As a kid, I was perpetually told I looked like Punky Bruster. Although, I am still not sure how I feel about this resemblance. Is she a superhero? What other sports or hobbies do you enjoy? Downhill skiing, nordic skiing faster than Jim Sullivan, power yoga, running, cycling. What will you try to accomplish while paddling with Team Z? As an instructor and a local paddler, one of my goals is to create a connection between the Zoar Paddling School and the Deerfield River Watershed paddling community. Team Z is a way to emphasize our efforts to connect people, foster a sense of community on the river, develop and mentor young, local paddlers, and promote individual growth, community awareness, and love of sport. Who inspires you the most as a paddler and why? Anyone that can make me smile at the top of a scary drop. What is your favorite paddling memory? Every well-timed and sharply carved, perfect seeming eddy turn (and summer weekend dryway runs with all my girlfriends). What was your worst river moment? I try to push those memories out. What is the funniest thing you’ve seen on a river or in relation to a river trip? The inflatable creatures that go through Zoar Gap; especially watching an inflatable, neon-colored, palm tree get tossed around in the upper hole. Where would your next dream paddling destination be? A place where I could ski and paddle in the same trip. Favorite river or place to paddle? Where my friends are… Sponsors: Zoar Outdoor
Dennis Moore : Member of Team Z
What year did you start paddling and how did you start? Where would your next dream paddling destination be? Favorite river or place to paddle?
Recent Results
Tino:2006
2007
2008
2009
Fergus:2006
2007
Jim:
2008
2009
Elaine:2007
2008
2009
Mike:
2009
Dennis:2008
2009
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