Collectively, they make up the best Paddling School in the nation. Individually, they are some of the best people you'll ever meet. Whether they are paddling for fun or with students, our instructors bring out the best in everyone.
Jon Clark—Paddling School Director A pioneer in spirit and adventure, Jon has guided in some of the worlds most remote places. Paddling since age 10, Jon's life has revolved around the river. He spends winters exploring Patagonia where he built his home. Whether in a kayak, C-1, canoe or raft, Jon is eager to share his expertise on the water.
Wayne Dickert - Wayner has been a part of NOC since he started paddling competitively in 1981. A national champion open boater, he also paddled in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in C2. He's a book author. A DVD creator. A boat design collaborator. A master's candidate in Theology. He's an all-around fired-up man and a great instructor.
Anne Sontheimer - Serving as head instructor, equipment manager, wilderness medicine instructor and adventure travel leader, Anne is a keystone of our Paddling School success. In addition to carrying EMT licensure, Anne is our most requested instructors for almost five years in a row.
Rob Barham - Our man in Panama and the King of Creeking, Rob loves to boat, talk about boating, photograph boating and we're sure dream about boating, too. He's also a wilderness EMT.
Jason McClure - The intrepid Jason McClure is an adventurer, leading our trips in the Dominican Republic. He's conversational in Spanish and enjoys cooking ethnic food. Jason is also known for his NOC event emcee skills.
Andrew Holcombe - This Team Dagger paddler's got boating in his blood-literally. His grandfather is NOC founder Payson Kennedy and both his parents, Jimmy Holcombe and Cathy Kennedy still work for NOC. Andrew teaches paddling all over the world with his wife, Anna Levesque.
Jimmy Holcombe - Let's just put it this way. If you think you're responsible for a first descent of anything east of Nashville, you should probably ask Jimmy Holcombe. All joking aside, Jimmy was NOC's first employee. He's a fantastic instructor with innate wisdom, on and off the river.
Andrew Koch Andrew discovered the river lifestyle almost ten years ago with his two brothers and their lives have never been the same since! Andrew has spent countless days paddling all over North America and the Caribbean. He is a true water addict and enjoys teaching others the skills necessary to paddle whitewater.
