Our Athletes:

Senior & U23 Slalom Athletes

Lois Betteridge

Discipline: Slalom

Birth date: 12-17-1997

Home Club: Ottawa River Runners

Coach: Anthony Colin

Competition Category: C1W & K1W

Team Status: Senior National Team

Best Results: 1st C1W, Nationals

Sponsor: Egg Farmers of Ontario

When did you first start whitewater kayaking?  Age 11 with Ottawa River Runners  during their summer camps.

What is your favourite river to paddle in Ontario? Ottawa River

What is your favourite slalom course to race?  Pau, France

Instagram: @loisbetteridge

Cam Smedley

Discipline: Slalom

Birth date: 10- 9-1990

Home Town: Dunrobin

Club: Ottawa River Runners

Coach: Michal Staniszewski, Anthony Colin

Competition Category: C1M

Team Status: Senior National Team, Olympic Team

First year on National Team: 2009

Best International Results: 9th World Championships

Sponsor:  CANfund

Role Model:  Beckie Scott

Other Sports: Hiking, Climbing

Photo/David Jackson

When did you first start whitewater kayaking? 6 years old with Madawaska Kanu Centre

What is your favourite river to paddle in Ontario? Petawawa River

What is your favourite slalom course? Rutherford Creek, BC

Instagram: @camsmedley

Micheal Tayler

photo/ getty images

Discipline: Slalom

Birth date: 02-06-1992

Home Town: Ottawa

Club: Ottawa River Runners

Coach: Michal Staniszewski, Anthony Colin

Photo/ Ellen Bond

Competition Category: K1M

National Team Status: Senior National Team, Olympic Team

Education: Law and History Degree, Carleton University

Other Sports: Golf

Favourite quote:  “If you ain’t first, you’re last” - Ricky Bobby

When did you first start whitewater kayaking? 8 years old at the Pump House with Ottawa River Runners

Spencer Pomeroy

Discipline: Slalom

Birth Date: 12-10-1990

Home Club: Ottawa River Runners

Coach: Anthony Colin / Michal Staniszewski

Competition Category: C1M

Team Status: Senior National Team

First year on National Team: 2007

Favourite Quote: “I just wanna go fast” - Ricky Bobby 

When did you first start whitewater kayaking? 11 years old with Jennifer Gratto at Down to Earth Kayak School

What is your favourite river to paddle in Ontario? Gull River 

What is your favourite slalom course? Tacen, Slovenia

Other Sports: Golf, Hockey, XC Skiing, Cycling

Something you really want to experience: Getting a hole in 1

Best International results: 2nd place, 2007 Jr. Pre-World Championships C1M team, Roudnize, Czech Republic. 8th place, 2017 World Championships C1M team, Pau, France. 28th place, 2016 World Cup 5 Prague Czech Republic.

Instagram: @spencerpomeroycanoe

Maël Rivard

Discipline: Slalom

Birth Date: 04-28-2001

Home Club: Ottawa River Runners

Coach: Michal Staniszewski

Competition Category: K1M

Team Status: U23 National Team

First year on National Team: 2017

Best National Results: Junior Canadian Champion (2019)

Best International Results: 24th at Junior World Championships (2019)

Photo/ Jeff Bloor

Favourite Quote:  "um - I'm a fun guy … ahehhahehea"

When did you first start whitewater kayaking? 10 years old at a Ottawa River Runners Summer Camp

What is your favourite river to paddle in Ontario? The Ottawa River

What is your favourite slalom course? Bratislava

Instagram: @m.rivard

Mark Zielonka

Birth date: 06 -26 -2001

Home town: Ottawa

Club: Ottawa River Runners

Coach: Michal Staniszewski 

Competition Category:  K1M

National Team Status: Senior Team

Favourite quote:  « It’s just a fundamental equation that equals top

performance » -MZ

Age started whitewater kayaking: 15 

First taught you to whitewater kayak: Christopher Doubt, Jane Leakey, Luke Pomeroy

Favourite Ontario River: Ottawa River

Favourite Slalom Course: Prague 

Role Model: D.M., Benny, Silky, Kalob, Alastair Watson

Something you really want to experience: Olympic team selection. Dream wave.

Instagram: @markzielonkakayak 

Freestyle Athletes

Nick Troutman

Birth date: Oct. 20 1988

Home town: Beachburg, ON

Competition Category: Freestyle kayak K1 Men’s

National Team Status: Team Member

Sponsor: Jackson Kayak, GoPro, NRS, GMC trucks, WileyX sunglasses, Touchstone Essentials

Favourite Song: O Fortuna by Carl Orff

Favourite Quote: Life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself. 

Age started whitewater kayaking: 13

First taught you to whitewater kayak: James Roddick 

Favourite Ontario River: Ottawa River (It’s also my favorite in the WHOLE WORLD)

Favourite Maneuver: Airscrew

Role Model:  Too many to list… My Grandfather, Eric Jackson, Napoleon Hill, Elon Musk… mys future self. 

Other Sports: Everything that's exciting and gets me outdoors. Climbing, biking, hockey, football, rugby, snowboarding, skiing, surfing… to name a few. 

Something you really want to experience: Sky Dive

Best National results: 5x National Champion 

Best International results: World Champion

Instagram: @NickTroutmanKayak

Alex Maggs

Birth date: May 15, 1994

Home town: Fergus, ON

Club: Guelph Kayak Club

Competition Category: Freestyle K1W

National Team Status: Team Member

Education and/or Occupation: BSc Chemistry; Office Manager

Sponsor: C.K. Maggs Adventures, Guelph Kayak Club

Favourite quote: “Pools are perfect for holding water” – Hot Rod

Age started whitewater kayaking: 5

First taught you to whitewater kayak: Cathy & Kevin Maggs (my parents)

Favourite Ontario River: Ottawa

Favourite Maneuver: Backstab 

Other Sports: Ultimate, downhill ski & snowboard, mountain biking

Something you really want to experience: Visit every province and territory

Best National results: 3x National Champion

Best International results: 18th K1W (2015)

Instagram: @allycat.maggs

Matt Hamilton

Birth date: Dec. 18, 1975

Home town: Foresters Falls, ON

Club: Petawawa River Rats

Coach: Self coached 

Competition Category: K1mens, Squirt men’s 

National Team Status: Active team member

Education and/or Occupation: Paramedic 

Sponsor: Pyranha kayaks, Level Six, Werner Paddles 

Favourite quote:  "Not my monkey , Not my circus"

Favourite song: "What I got"  by: Sublime

Age started whitewater kayaking: 8

First taught you to whitewater kayak: Joseph Shaw

Favourite Ontario River: Gull

Favourite Maneuver: mystery move 

Other Sports: Skiing, mountain biking, fishing

Something you really want to experience: Heli skiing 

Best National results: 3x and current national champion Squirt men’s.   2nd K1 men’s.  

Best International results: 11th k1 men’s 2000 world championships.  8th Squirt men’s 2019 world championships.

Instagram: @wavckr

Luke Pomeroy

Birth date: June 29, 2001

Home town: Ottawa

Competition Category: Freetsyle

National Team Status: Freestyle Team

Sponsor: Level Six, Jackson Kayak, H2O Performance Paddles

Age started whitewater kayaking: 12

First taught you to whitewater kayak: ORR

Favourite Ontario River: Ottawa River

Favourite Maneuver: Airscrew

Something you really want to experience: Ginormica

Best National results: 1st Junior Mens 

Best International results: 6th Junior Mens

Instagram: @lukepomeroykayak

Coleman Heaven

Birth date: January 12, 2001

Home town: Minden, ON

Competition Category: Freestyle

Education and/or Occupation: Geological Engineering

Favourite quote: "When it rains, it pours"  Luke Combs

Age started whitewater kayaking: 9

First taught you to whitewater kayak: My dad

Favourite Ontario River: Ottawa

Favourite Maneuver: Space Godzilla

Role Model: Mark Zielonka

Other Sports: Freestyle skiing

Something you really want to experience: Solar eclipse

Best National results: 2nd Junior Mens

Instagram: @coleman.heaven 

Shout-out to our other freestyle athletes, who continue to make WO proud:  Zach Zwanenburg,  Tyler Curtis, Ian Thomson,  Marc Godbout, Katie Kowalski,  Phil Sheppard,  Joey Hitchens, Kalem Kennedy, Devyn Scott

Junior Slalom Athletes

JB Lemany

Discipline: Slalom

Birth Date: 06- 28- 2003

Home Town: Toronto 

Club: Ottawa River Runners

Coach: Michal Staniszewski

Competition Category: K1M

Team Status: Junior National Team Member

First year on National Team: 2019

Role Model:  Ben hayward 

Other Sports: erg

When did you first start whitewater kayaking?  12 years old at an Ottawa River Runners Summer Camp

What is your favourite river to paddle in Ontario? The Ottawa River

What is your favourite slalom course? Pau, France

What is something you really want to experience? An international podium

Instagram: @jbl_kayaks

Alex Baldoni

Discipline: Slalom

Birth date: 12- 27 - 2003

Home Town: Pau, France

Club: Pau canoë kayak

Coach: Michal Staniszewski/Anthony Colin/ Jérome Blanchet

Competition Category: C1M & K1M 

Team Status: Junior National Team Member

First year on National Team: 2019

Other Sports: Running, weights, skiing

Best National Results: 2nd in kayak and canoe men at the Canadian Championships in 2019  and 1st in team runs.

Best International results: 15th in K1M and 18th in C1M at the World Cup in Pau 2020

When did you first start whitewater kayaking? 11 years old taught by Aldric Estanguet

What is your favourite river to paddle in Ontario? The Gull River

What is your favourite slalom course? Prague, Tacen

What is something you really want to experience? Winning an international competition, compete at the Olympic games. 

Instagram: @alex.baldoni

Olivia Norman

Discipline: Slalom

Birth date: 01 -11 -2003

Home Club: Ottawa River Runners

Coach: Michal Stanizewski 

Competition Category: K1W

Team Status: Junior National Team

First year on National Team: 2019

Favourite book: Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 

Other Sports: Cross Country Ski racing, Hiking/Backpacking

Best International Results: 4th Lima 2019 Pan American Games, 1st Pan American Championships Extreme Slalom, Brazil

When did you first start whitewater kayaking? 12 years old by my father, Larry Norman (Canadian Olympian in C1 slalom 1992,1996)

What is your favourite river to paddle in Ontario? The Ottawa River

What is your favourite slalom course? Prague and Krakow

Instagram: olivia.normann

Beatrice Olson

Birth date: 28/02/2005

Home town: Ottawa

Club: Ottawa River Runners

Coach: Michal Staniszewski

Competition Category: K1W (and C1W)

National Team Status: Junior Team

Isaac Zimmerman

Birth date: 03-09-2006

Home town: Stevensville, ON

Club: South Niagara Canoe Club & ORR

Coach: Michal Staniszewski, KC Fraser, James Risk

Competition Category: C1M & K1M

National Team Status: Junior Team

Age started whitewater kayaking: 10

First taught you to whitewater kayak: Andy Parry

Favourite Ontario River: Gull River

Favourite Slalom Course: Rivière Aux Sables, Jonquière

Other Sports: Sprint Kayaking, Running, Taekwondo