Kent Canoe Services Staff:

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KENT CANOE SERVICES STAFF:

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Grant Scamell

Best canoeing experience:
Paddling with a group of raft guides in the South Island of New Zealand.

Worst canoeing experience:
A close encounter with "doggy Dave's" Helly Hanson thermal vest after he'd been wearing it for a week!

Most embarrassing canoeing experience:
Running a Level 2 Coach training session whilst wearing a pair of Trax salopettes back to front!

Grant has been an active canoeist for over twenty-five years. He comes from a predominately competition background, and has been ranked in Division 1 K1 slalom and Division A white water racing. He has also competed in C2 slalom competition and spent a year working in Australia where he spent most of his free time paddling a surf ski.

In the mid 80s he developed a keen interest in coaching. He worked his way through the B.C.U. Coaching qualifications and in 1990 gained the highest coaching qualification available by qualifying as a B.C.U. Level 5 Coach at Glenmore Lodge in Scotland.

Since the birth of his daughter Holly in 1994, he has enjoyed many hours open boating with the family on the Medway and down the Dordogne in France. He now has a son called Tom - Tom who was born on 20th December 1999 which coincidentally is his Mum's birthday. Tom is still at the age where he thinks rivers are just big puddles and regularly tries to walk on water!

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Estelle Roud

Best canoeing experience:
Managing to do a hand roll on the Nene before I'd even been taught how!

Worst canoeing experience:
My husband passing his kayaking qualifications before me!

Most embarrassing canoeing experience:
Someone finding my knickers in the Kent Canoe Services van.

Estelle joined Kent Canoe Services part time in January 05 and took over from Alex full time as Retailer Manager in June 05.

Being both multi-skilled and multi talented she has in one short year managed to instil organisation where before there was only mild chaos!

Brock supports her on this mission whilst entertaining all our customers' children at the same time.

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Jo Kenny

Best Canoeing Experience:
Completing the Upper Dart in 1991 as a 2 star paddler without the need for armbands or a throw line!

Worst Canoeing Experience:
In 1994 when paddling the Roy I capsized following a tussle with a HUGE stopper and was caught in an undercut which pulled me down before allowing me to surface a short time later; wet suit filling stuff!

Most Embarrassing Canoeing Experience:
Whilst instructing on a 1 star course, I was demonstrating how to get into a kayak and managed to fall in. My hand slipped honest guv!

Jo is a highly experienced B.C.U. Level 3 Coach Award. She has extensive white water kayaking experience both in this country and abroad and has paddled most of the classic grade 3, 4 and 5 white water rivers in Austria and France. More recently she has enjoyed paddling in New Zealand, Nepal and Norway. Her main interest is coaching kayaking, and she runs many of the B.C.U. 1 Star, 2 Star, 3 Star and 4 Star courses for Kent Canoe Services. She also runs our Coaching qualification courses.

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Stuart Kenny

Best Canoeing Experience:
Pulling off a mystery move whilst participating in the Novice Rodeo at the Bitches. I was swallowed up by that damn hole and travelled some thirty feet with only the stern of my boat sticking vertically out of the water. I resurfaced to rapturous applause and all I was trying to do was roll my kayak up. I didn't even get through the 1st round miserable sods !

Worst Canoeing Experience:
Taking part in the rescue of a friend whilst paddling the river Notche in Italy. He had become pinned against a tree. The rescue lasted 20 minutes but we got him out safely and following a brief swim he was recovered to the safety of the bank.

Most Embarrassing Canoeing Experience:
At the end of the Thanet Canoe Club river trip on the river Medway between Yalding and Teston in February 1994, which was organised by myself, we found ourselves standing in the car park by my car dripping wet and freezing cold only to find that I had left the car keys in the car at Yalding which was some three miles away. "Muppet of the Year" award for me that year!

Stuart is a highly experienced B.C.U. Level 3 Coach. He is a keen white water canoeist and has paddled extensively on grade 3, 4 and 5 rivers in Austria, Wales and Scotland. Stuart runs many of the B.C.U. 1, 2 and 3 Star courses with Jo his wife. He also runs our Level 2 Coaching courses. When questioned he states that his main interest is coaching for Kent Canoe Services although we suspect that certain other attractions may have some bearing on his exceptional attendance record!
He has recently become very interested in open canoeing after refusing to see the light for many years. We are sure that his wife Jo will appreciate that he is now "a half the paddle, twice the man"!

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Nick Woodgate

Best canoeing experience:
Surviving paddling down the Inn gorge in Austria when the river was in full flood.

Worst canoeing experience:
Losing a night's sleep thinking about paddling down the Inn gorge!

Most embarrassing canoeing experience:
Practicing hanging draws on the river Medway and broaching on the only log in the middle to the river for miles!!

Nick has been paddling for over ten years and is a Level 2 Coach. He has recently completed his Level 3 coach training course and is working his way towards his level 3 assessment. His coaching "speciality" within Kent Canoe Services is eskimo rolling, and he has literally taught dozens of paddlers to roll successfully over the past few years.

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Rob Lee

Best canoeing experience:
Finally finding a playboat to accommodate my size 14 feet!

Worst canoeing experience:
Assuring someone that I would rescue them should they capsize, and then managing not to see their boat upside-down in the river!

Most embarrassing canoeing experience:
Instantly capsizing on the top wave at Holme Pierrepont with the GB freestyle team and the whole of the club watching!

Rob has been paddling for 10 years now, and is a qualified Level 2 Kayak Coach. He specialises in whitewater paddling and playboating, having paddled rivers such as the Dart, Tryweryn, Upper Wye, Usk and also the Dranse in the French Alps.

He can usually be found in the shop on Saturdays where he is always eager to help out, and also very happy to get away from his studies in the 6th Form!

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