About Us

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Lee has been actively involved in paddling for 40+ years. He is an Olympic  coach, long-time NRC volunteer, and chairman of the American Canoe Association’s Competition Committee. Lee coaches the NRC youth slalom team locally and works with elite athletes on the World Cup and World Championships circuits. He lives in Bryson City, NC with his wife, Jean, and their daughter, Evy, who represented Team USA at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

Rob paddles regularly with the NRC. He started kayaking in 1987 and has been immersed in whitewater ever since for work and play: competing on the U.S. Freestyle Team, guiding rafts, teaching kayaking, and even designing kayaks. Today, Rob applies his raft guiding skills to piloting private jets.  

Brian started whitewater kayaking when boats were pointed on both ends, and few were made of plastic. Years ago, he was asked to judge at Age Group Nationals when he came down to paddle and watch a friend’s son race, and he has enjoyed volunteering at NRC events ever since. Dr. Reeder is a Professor of Biology at Morehead State University and lives with his partner, Dr. Lynn Haller (Psychology), in Morehead, KY.

Jen lives in Bryson City, NC, with her husband, Derek, and their daughter, Carden.  

Evy is a member of the U.S. National Canoe Slalom Team and competes in Women's Canoe (WC1), Women's Kayak (WK1), and Kayak Cross.  She is a four-time World Champion, a two-time Pan American Champion, and an Olympian. At age 15, Evy became the youngest canoe slalom athlete ever to medal at a World Cup. 

Steve has been a driving force of the NRC since the early 1990s. His hands-on involvement with the Club has ranged from organizing pool sessions to soliciting sponsorships, driving policy, and acting as Club historian. Steve is perhaps best known for his role as The Starter at NRC races on the Nantahala. Many notable paddling personalities in the Southeast can brag about starting their paddling careers in the pool or on the river with Steve.

Brett first visited the Nantahala area as a raft guide for NOC in the early 2000s. After a long hiatus from Whitewater, he and his family relocated to the Nantahala Community from Wilmington, NC, to pursue more of the outdoor activities they enjoy. His children, Ivy and Vance, are both active paddlers with NRC. When Brett is not busy running his metal fabrication company, he can be found paddling local whitewater with friends and family or working on his hobby farm. 

Clay Courts is the president of the board at Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC),  the nation’s largest outdoor recreation company with over a million guests annually. Operating across nine rivers in four states, NOC offers whitewater rafting, ziplines, kayak instruction, mountain biking, wilderness medicine certification, outdoor gear and more.