Tom grew up in the D.C. area and is a true pioneer in the sports of whitewater canoeing and kayaking. He was one of the first to explore some of today’s most popular rapids on West Virginian, Canadian and Mexican rivers.

Tom has competed internationally on the U.S. Wild Water Team and with friends, was the first to run Great Falls on the Potomac River in 1975. Over the years, he has coached many of the nation’s top competitive athletes, including several Olympians, National Champions and U.S. National Team members. But he is most proud of the hundreds of recreational kayakers that he has brought to love the sport of kayaking.

In 1998, Tom and several friends attempted a National Geographic-sponsored first descent of Tibet’s legendary Tsangpo River. You can read about this expedition in team member Wick Walker’s book, ‘Courting the Diamond Sow,’ published by National Geographic Adventure Press in 2000, and ‘The Last River’ by Todd Balf.