Biography

I am 59 years old.  I am married to Gail, who likes to ride her horse the way I like to paddle my kayak.  She occasionally goes on kayak trips with me.  Gail is a retired Chicago Public School teacher. 
 

We live in Wayne, Illinois.   
 

I grew up in Chicago. 
 

I am the Mitigation Specialist for the Federal Defender Program, the law firm that is the public defender for the federal court in Chicago.  I investigate the social backgrounds of our clients with the goal of giving the judge a more complete picture of the defendant when he or she appears before the judge. 
 

I have a Master’s degree in Anthropology, am certified as an addictions counselor in Illinois and am certified as an Open Water Coastal Kayak Instructor by the American Canoe Association.  I teach at the Geneva Kayak Center. 
 

How did you find your way to paddling?

I had polio when I was 11 months old.  The standard therapy in those days was physical exercise.  Chicago had a Polio Swim Club that met at the Austin Town Hall park every Wednesday.  I learned to swim before I walked.  Water was/is my mobility paradise.   
 

In Boy Scouts I discovered canoeing.  I loved it so much that I jumped at the chance to race.  The rest is history.  I was volunteering at the American Indian Center of Chicago in 1966.  They had a very active canoe club that sent competitors into every local marathon race.  War canoe was their specialty.  So I joined a crew for the 1966 Lake Michigan Race that the Indian Center sponsored.  It was 35 miles from Great Lakes Navy Base to 12^th Street Beach.  My boat came in third.  I had a trophy! 
 

The Indian Center teams trained at the Lincoln Park Boat Club.  Frank Dallos saw me there and said “You look like you enjoy this.  If you want to try kayak racing, you’ll make the National Team.”  A member of LPBC, Dick Friedman (he once ran against the first Mayor Daley), took me out into the lake in his Klepper.  It handled the waves so well I knew that kayaking was for me.  So I joined LPBC and got coached by Frank and Miklos Hubay, another Hungarian paddler.  I made the National Team in my second full year of racing sprint boats, after winning the Intermediate Class National Championship in my first full year. 
 
 

Who were/are your paddling mentors and what were the key things you learned from them?

Frank and Nick, mentioned above were my mentors for my introduction to kayaking and for sprint racing.  I learned the value of hard work and that it could be fun and that I was meant for kayaking. 
 

When I left sprint racing and got into marathon racing, Jerry Nolan was my mentor.  He got me into the flow of the marathon racing circuit. 
 

In 1978 I discovered whitewater paddling.  Marge Cline was very encouraging about paddling generally and John Connet got me into slalom racing.  Both taught me that kindness and love are great motivators. 
 

What advice do you have for novice paddlers?

The best paddler is the one with the biggest smile!  Have fun!  And remember that practice makes perfect only if you practice perfectly. 
 

How has paddling changed since you started?

In 1996 there were no plastic canoes or kayaks that I knew of.  It was expected that your boat would be made of fiberglass or wood and your paddle absolutely was made of wood.  Plastic boats changed the sport. 
 

Rivers and lakes are more crowded now that more people are paddling.  That can be annoying, but we have lots of people to fight for clean water and access to it. 
 

Having more people has made the sport safer because you don’t have re-invent the wheel if you want to be a good paddler - there are plenty of highly skilled people to help you. 
 

What do you get out of paddling?

I have met some of the finest people in the world through paddling. 
 

Once it was the satisfaction of winning races combined with the wonderful camaraderie of being with other racers, who are great folks to know.  I learned that I could be good at something if I worked hard enough. 
 

There has always been the joy of being in the outdoors in a kayak (or, once in a while, in a canoe) where I can see wildlife, feel the wind and think pure thoughts or none at all.  The rhythm of paddling along is a meditation for me. 
 

Now, more than ever, my kayak is a vehicle for getting away from it all to go camping.  I strive to go on at least one overnight trip every month of the year. 
 

I have used paddling for volunteer work.  I go on adventure therapy trips with Omni Youth Services of Illinois.  I guide some of their sea kayak trips for teens.  I am the Aquatic Unit of the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors.  We are a group that picks up birds that have hit the Loop buildings during migration season.  Dead ones go to the Field Museum, live ones to rehab to be treated and, we hope, released.  We have a hotline.  When a call comes in to rescue an aquatic bird, I often help out.  A slalom kayak is the perfect duck and goose rescue vehicle. 
 

What do you do in the non-paddling part of your life?

I enjoy cross country skiing when we have snow.  I discovered that I can ski with my arms (I put the skis on my feet but propel with my arms) so now I have a winter sport.  I enjoyed carriage driving with my pony Kayak Star, but he died last year, so now I’m horseless.  Mountain biking is fun. 
 

I enjoy paddling too much to have any significant non-paddling part of my life. 
 

I’m a Cubs fan. 
 

What is the best paddling moment you have had?

Hard to pick just one.  In Glacier Bay, Alaska, Gail and I were paddling along when a humpback spouted right behind us.  Startled us to death, but it was neat to watch it glide under the kayak and to smell its breath.  You don’t get that on a cruise ship! 
 

I could come up with a hundred “best moments.”  The friends I have made through paddling is the best part of all of them. 
 

What is the worst paddling moment you have had?

I can do some really bonehead things in a boat.  I have run The Dalles of Section IV of the Wolf upside down, I have run Iron Ring on the Gauley upside down, I have run Mishicot Falls on the Menominee upside down in a wildwater racing boat.  And then there was the really knuckleheaded time in Greenland where I paddled through a bad storm to get water on the island next to the one we were camped on. I carelessly threw the full water bags into the cockpit of the boat so I could get out quickly.  The front bulkhead had come loose, unbeknownst to me, preventing the water bags from going forward as I thought they would.  I ended up starting my journey through six foot waves (amongst icebergs) paddling while sitting on the back deck. 
 

They all worked out, I’m still here.  So I guess worst is like best - hard to pin down.  It’s all been good for me. 
 
What is your top personal goal?

To paddle as long as I am able, long into old age, so I can continue to have this much fun. 
 

Why did you race?

I wanted to win.  And I learned that winning is fun, but striving to win is funner.  I met fantastic people every step of the way, I learned a lot about myself, and I became a good enough paddler that I can now share the fun with the kids from Omni and even some birds.  Maybe even with some of the folks who have taken my classes over the years. 
 
 

How would you describe the difference between paddling locally and on the national or international level? 
 

Racing: The quality of the competitor and competition is so much better, it is inspiring. 
 

Sea kayaking: Salt water is a different world: seals, whales, sea otters, tides, starfish, dolphins, sharks, crabs, everything is different. 
 

Whitewater: Bigger, better 
 
 

How do you feel about being chosen paddler of the year?

Geez, it’s about time!! 
 

Seriously, I value the opinion of the folks in the IPC as I value the organization itself.  We need an umbrella for the paddlers of Illinois.  I’m honored and flattered that I was chosen over the other nominees, any one of which I would have voted for over myself. 
 

Thank you!