TEAM eNRG
eNlighten | Revel | Grin eNRG Kayaking is comprised of a talented group of paddle sport professionals who are dedicated to providing you with the knowledge, exceptional skills, and judgment to become a life-long paddler. Our team leads the industry in kayak instruction by offering value-added programs, cutting edge curriculum and world class customer service. eNRG will facilitate your discovery of a multitude of our region's delightful hydrological features - the life-sustaining arteries to some of our nation's richest, most diverse bioregions.
Come paddle with us and cultivate your eNRG. |  | Sam Drevo Head Instructor | Founder | Instructor Trainer When he is not out traveling the world in pursuit of first or last descents and documenting them on film, you can find Sam Drevo right here in the Northwest teaching kayaking. As owner and operator of Northwest River Guides LLC, dba eNRG Kayaking, Sam builds his curriculum off of twenty years of paddling experience. He brings with him a rich foundation based on years of training on the Potomac River in Washington D.C. under the tutelage of the U.S. Canoe & Kayak Team coaches. His competitive background started as a member of Team USA at the Jr. World Championships in Norway at age 15. He soon earned spots on the US team in every discipline of whitewater kayaking (slalom, wildwater, freestyle, and ocean surfing) and excelled in freestyle ranked #2 overall in the US in 1997, and #6 in the world in 1998. His competitive career was punctuated by his win at the Ford Gorge Games- Outdoor World Championships in Extreme Kayaking in 2001 (aired on NBC Sports). These experiences also has afforded him opportunities to teach and guide across the country and abroad in Canada, Norway, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Africa, Central and SE Asia, and throughout Europe. He is an American Canoe Association Instructor Trainer, a Rescue III Swiftwater Rescue Instructor, and has been trained as a Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor and a Wilderness First Responder. Sam Drevo also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. You can contact Sam directly at
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Check out Drevo:
...as part of Team Wavesport
...as Bomber Gear's Elite Bomb Squad Athlete
...as Shred Ready's Shred Stud
...in the Lewis & Clark Alumni Spotlight
...winning the National Paddling Film Festival's Best Professional Instructional for his first video, "Fast Track to Kayaking for Beginners"
...as 2002 Gorge Game Advisory Board Member
..."Hawaiian First Descent" article in Paddler Magazine January 29, 2002
..."Drevo Tops Jackson at Gorge Games" Paddler Magazine July 27, 2001 | Past instructors and talent include:  | Dave Hoffman PDX Director Dave moved to Portland shortly after his graduation from the University of Virginia but not before running paddlesports instruction at Valley Mill Camp, where Drevo first learned to kayak. Born and raised just outside Washington, DC, he spent most of high school on the Potomac River, organizing and competing in freestyle, extreme racing and slalom. His love of kayaking has taken him throughout the US and Canada as well as to Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and the Czech Republic. Dave has been teaching kayaking for 8 years, an ACA-certified instructor for 5 years, is WMA Wilderness First Responder and an ARC-certified Lifeguard. Dave is now focused on writing his blog and working with WEND magazine. Read about his epic on the flooded Hood River in November '06. |  | Mike Northrop Senior Instructor Michael loves kayaking almost as much as he loves the Pacific Northwest. He fostered an appreciation for both growing up in Oregon under the same roof as another avid paddler in the family, his dad. Knowing that he wanted to make Portland his home one day, Michael ventured east to get a taste of what life was like on the "other coast." Blown away after spending a wonderful four years at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME, this English major had many opportunities to cultivate his outdoor skills, especially his paddling. Under the expertise and guidance of many excellent instructors in the outdoor program, Michael eventually became an ACA whitewater kayak instructor, and by his senior year, was the kayaking club head. In addition to leading trips for the BOC, Michael's passion for teaching kayaking stems from his experiences leading extensive whitewater kayaking trips as a wilderness trip leader for the Chewonki Foundation during the summers of 2003 and 2004. Upon graduation, Michael's adventurous spirit led him on journeys to Peru, Chile, Argentina, Canada, and an epic trip down the Grand Canyon. He is now a proud member of the eNRG team. As senior instructor, Michael's devotion is providing the very best paddling instruction to as many people as possible. He looks forward to seeing you on the water! Mike is EMT and WFR certified. Mike is now focused on becoming a doctor and med school
|  | Kristin Dahl Event Coordinator | River Guide Born and raised in Juneau, Alaska, Kristin finds herself most at home on snowy mountain peaks, vast ocean expanses and on flowing bodies of water - both frozen and liquid. Impassioned by sharing the pure and impressive wilderness with others, Kristin began glacier guiding atop the Mendenhall Glacier in 1996. After three seasons, her quest for other lands and lack of ice drove Kristin to whitewater rafting and kayaking. For the past five seasons, she has integrated river guiding stints with work in sustainable development, governance and environmental conservation. With desires of making stronger connections between the health of our environment and our future as a society, Kristin is currently completing her Masters of Urban and Regional Planning at Portland State University. She has forged the waters Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, France, Mexico, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Laos and is an American Canoe Association and Wilderness First Responder certified guide. Kristin is the president of We Love Clean Rivers Inc, and still helps us as a sustainabilty consultant from her real job as the sustainable travel director for Travel Oregon |  | Michael Long (A.K.A Mikey #9) Kayak Instructor | Whitewater Evangelist Michael was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where he developed a love for outdoor recreation and sports that involve water. Through college as a scholarship swimmer and later as a swim coach a lust for all things water developed. The love affair with water continued after college, with kayaking as the new genre. After four hard years working in cubicle land Michael took his money and dedicated his life to spreading the good word of whitewater to the unsaved souls of the world. As part of his missionary work Michael has traveled, with a camera in one hand and a paddle in the other, to the western half of the US with the PBR tour, Alaska, Zambia, China, and the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. After cutting his teeth in the Corvallis boating scene Michael brings experience and an understanding of paddling technique to the classroom that facilitates both beginner and intermediated students.?He is ACA Whitewater and Red Cross First Aid\CPR certified. Michael is one of our TOP instructors, and works at Xerox as an engineer for his day job. |  | Barney Bonito Kayak Instructor | Producer Visionary filmmaker with a passion for whitewater, Barney Bonito comes from Greenwich, CT, where he served as the Regional Director for Trailmark Outdoor Adventures. He then went on to become a recreational instructor in a residential treatment facility for adjudicated youth. Barney has paddled all around the United States and has participated in teaching kayaking to all levels of kayakers. He is an ACA certified instructor and swiftwater rescue technician with ten years of experience. He currently makes sports programming with his production company www.gearboxhd.com |  | Jim Pytel Kayak Instructor | Photographer Eagle Scout, airborne, officer, and gentleman, Jim's background is a seeming grab bag of intense experience. Martial arts, photography, dance, and mountaineering, no passion has consumed him quite like whitewater kayaking. Nine seasons on the water in pursuit of that elusive next river he?s found fresh perspective in teaching. An ACA certified instructor and swiftwater rescue certified technician, Jim brings enthusiasm, motivation, and a positive attitude into every class. An aspiring writer, his central passion finds place in several of his creative works: Kayaking Oregon: High Times on Canyon Creek Corvallis Gazette Times: Surfs Up! Jim is now a renewable energy instructor and a dad based out of Husum WA. |  | Mike Turner Kayak Instructor Friendly staffer at one of Portland's favorite gear shops, Next Adventure, Michael has plenty of experience on the water - both kayaking and rafting - to lend you a hand. Having worked for Deschutes River Adventures, All Star Rafting, and Passages to Adventure, he's become a talented and personable river runner who's pushed boats down such classics as the Deschutes, Gauley, and Bruneau. His hobbies include playing guitar and painting. Mike is now the general manager of Next Adventure- Portland's alternative sporting goods store. |  | Cory Nagel Kayak Instructor Cory's outdoor career started in 1997 as a founder of The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's Outdoor Program. This innovative institute focused on teaching people with physical disabilities outdoor activities including skiing, climbing, adventure racing, and kayaking. Cory is an American Canoe Association (ACA) certified coastal and whitewater kayaking instructor. As the founder and former owner of Kayak Chicago , he has taught countless hours of whitewater, touring and adventure racing techniques. Cory is also one of the founders of PDX Adventure Racer and has raced in many races including the Eco Challenge. Cory is busy with rotations on the ambulance here in Portland with AMR |  | Ross "the Boss" Henry Lead Raft Guide | Kayak Phenom Considering one of Ross's first jobs was to juggle flaming balls while dressed as a lizard, the quirky lifestyle of the professional river guide suits him well. A charming man of many talents, Ross can kite surf, row and kayak all day long...with energy left over to delight the campsite with one of his culinary creations or entertaining tales by firelight. Now product test manager for Addidas, Ross spends most of his time testing the latest and greatest footwear, but occassionally we follow him down class V rapids, and off Spirit Falls on the Little White. Ross has now shifted his focus from River Guide/Kiteboarder to Real Estate Broker. |  | Brian Eustis International Raft & Kayak Guide Brian, joining our team from Maine, rounds out our team with exceptional kayaking skills based on ten years kayaking throughout the United States, Central America and Mexico. His fluency in Spanish and his love for Latino culture has allowed him ample opportunity to boat much of Costa Rica's renowned whitewater. All too familiar with the cold North American winters, Brian seeks to share his passion for warm, tropical rivers in exotic locations with other kayakers. Most recently Brian's cinematography won him an award at the Mountain Film festival in Telluride for co-directing "Exploring the Mother of Waters." Micko Oshea's solo source to sea descent of the Mekong River in SE Asia. When Brian isn't out searching and exploring on far flung adventures you can find him here in Portland selling Real Estate. |  | Val Shaull VP of all things Rafting | Guide As one of the first registered outfitter/guides with the state of Oregon (1979), you could say that Val is a pioneer of the river guiding industry in Oregon. Having operated his rafting business Shaull's Whitewater Experience (SWEL) for over 25 years, Val brings experience, knowledge and an unprecedented safety record. Val is a retired firefighter for the city of Portland with training in rope rescue and emergency medicine. Recently, SWEL and eNRG Kayaking have teamed up to offer high quality guiding services on the Deschutes River that will continue the high quality legacy that SWEL has created. Val continues to inspire and work with us year in and year out being a critical link to the development of Team River Runner PDX, and the annual PDX OWA multimedia presentations in mid Jan. |  | Jason Markantes Web Guru Kayaker, desert racer and Dr. Theopolis' hardest dancing fan, Jason helped create and maintains eNRG's beautiful website. Without Jason's ongoing support our website would be several generations older, and we still wouldn't have updated it. Jason is a mainstay in our crew. He is now the steadfast web manager for Next Adventure- Portlands alternative sporting goos store. |  | Jenn Huckins Miss Style Graphic designer and jewelry artist, Miss Huck oversees eNRG's image. And what an amazing job she has done. Her logo work earned a Rosie Award for excellence in corporate identity, and logo design. Jenn continues to inspire us with her creativity most recently helping develop the image for our newest event- CenturyPaddle.org | | | Gabe Gunning Gabe's earliest experiences are from living on an island in Maine until he was five, so he's got the island vibe in him. Currently, he tries to get to the ocean as much as possible while making frequent trips to the many rivers, streams and brooks in the mountains of New England. After attending Lewis and Clark College and falling in love with the northwest, he makes it out to the rainy Pacific Northwest and its swollen rivers on a regular basis. Gabe has been in the kayak industry as an ACA certified whitewater kayak instructor for 9 years, although his main focus is the prehospital extended emergency care context. He has been a professional ski patroller for five seasons in Maine and works on an ambulance in northwestern Maine where the average call time is about six hours. He also works in an emergency department at a local hospital where the learning never stops. His primary employer is Wilderness Medical Associates, where he is proud and honored to be an instructor and a part of the extended WMA family. WMA leads the industry in practical training of outdoor professionals for wilderness and rescue medicine. Gabe is psyched to be part of the eNRG Team, spreading the good word out east as well as adding another facet to the professional training eNRG offers. Now that Gabe is a full fledged WFR lead instructor- you will see him in back in stumptown runnning paddling specific first aid and WFR classes. |  | Christophor S. Wilson Website Developer Chris works full time for his company C.S. Wilson & Associates as an eCommerce consultant / website developer, with over 8 years of experience developing websites and graphics for businesses of all sizes, creating high quality creative websites that are stylish yet functional. On the weekends he likes backpacking, camping, mountain biking and kayaking when he can get out of the office. He has also been known to do a little Xbox gaming so look out. Chris is overseeing eNRG's website taking care of any backend and or front end programming that may need to be done. Chris is now based out of Idaho, but continues to develop and deliver cutting edge web technology for us and all his clients. |
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