H2o Dreams is a collaboration of many voices, talents, and passions all striving for the best day on the river yet. Each member of our team brings unique life experiences and professional assets to the table, allowing us to reach individuals from every walk of life and cater to every kind of adventure. This crew of paddlers, writers, adventurers, teachers, athletes, and stewards work together to offer creative, individualized instruction to meet every kind of need.
It takes a village.
BRIAN DAVIS
ASWR//KAYAK INSTRUCTOR
Back in 2010 his roommate bought two whitewater kayaks. Those boats sat in his garage for over a year before taken to the Whitewater Center in Charlotte for lessons. He figured it would be something fun to do to stay cool in the summertime and had had no idea that it would be such a life-changing event. Whitewater became a passion quickly and he hatched a plan where he could spend more days out of the office and on the river. Wanting to share his passion of the river, water, and nature with others; Brian started teaching on the weekends in 2014 and full-time in 2016 and aside from the founding members of H2o Dreams, is the longest tenured instructor on the team. Brian splits his time between H2o Dreams and professional rescue where he continues to hone his craft of teaching and practicing.
Dayton Pedrick
SWR//KAYAK//YOUTH INSTRUCTOR
Claiming he has been in a kayak since birth, Dayton came to us as a student in 2018 and quickly advanced into a bigger role first by starting in our Jr. Instructor Program and working into a paid gig as support staff to our Lead Instructors. He is an example of how awesome youth programs can be for leadership development as he is one of the sports best young leaders. Dayton is a fixture out on the Green River Narrows either shredding a lap in his half slice or readying himself as an athlete in the fabled Green River Narrows Race. He is a product of hard work and dedication to his craft.
Kelly Holland
KAYAK//YOUTH INSTRUCTOR
Kelly Holland hails from the great state of Maryland and still holds a deep reverence for her home river, the Potomac. We are absolutely lucky that the gravitational pull that area of the country has on her hasn’t taken her from our region as she has been a very welcomed addition to our team in 2021. Kelly spends the good majority of the year as a K-12 art teacher and likes to spend her free time and Summers playing in the flow. She’s a gifted educator who loves to share her major passions while out on the water; native flora, attainments, and her undying love for the Perception Pirouette. She spends the majority of her time working in our youth programs but you can also find her in our skills clinics as she is technically minded and really enjoys and understands the mechanics of paddling. She never looks down on any opportunity to paddle, even if it’s her backyard section of the French Broad River.
Ben Atherton
SWR//KAYAK//YOUTH INSTRUCTOR
Ben, or Benny-Boo as we affectionately call him, has a unique drive that you won’t see amongst his peers. Up at dawn to catch obscure creeks resulting in long days of exploring NC watersheds are all in an average day for him. Ben was an H2o Dreams student morphed into Jr Instructor, and now Instructor and much like all of our Jr Instructors, is a fine example of successes that follow from leadership ethics. Expect to see bigger and bigger exploits from Benny as he has a motor to explore rivaled by only the best in the sport.
Aimee Norris
SWR//YOUTH//KAYAK INSTRUCTOR
Meet Aimee Norris, or as she is known “Mama Bird.” We first knew her as an eager student with an insatiable thirst for more knowledge. Just the right ingredient for our organization and a great educator. Aimee, hails from the curiously strong Columbia, SC paddling community, which rallies around their home rivers – the Saluda, Broad, and Congaree. All of our water up on the Green goes to them! Squirt boater, play boater, creek boater, just all around BOATER, Aimee’s special talent is thoughtfulness and sharp listening, and empowering others to be their best selves. Always eager to help new paddlers, or experienced, she is a great blend of philosopher and teacher. Aimee also is a Veterinary Tech… and anybody who loves animals as much as she does is good in our book.
Jehu Jackson
KAYAK INSTRUCTOR
The”King of Stoke.” There isn’t an eddy where Jehu’s energy won’t be felt and match that with an incredible aptitude for boat handling, thoughtfulness, and an eagerness to share, you get the qualities that any team would gladly welcome into the fold. Although home is in SC, the Green River and many other NC rivers is where Jehu likes to spend most of his days where he is not teaching. Jehu is one of our most sought after instructors as many of the folks who took one of our fundamentals courses in the past few years likely took their class with Jehu. He brings a lot of joy and energy, and, no fear of judgement as he understands that we are just all seeking the best day ever on the river. We’re humbled and lucky to have him in the mix.
Axe Weddell
KAYAK INSTRUCTOR COUNSELOR
Eager to improve themself, excellent at helping young paddlers manage stress and fear, Axe went to the French Broad River Academy where they were introduced to kayaking and further refined their skill as a camper and junior instructor with H2o Dreams. Axe is one who wants to share the beautiful things in their life with others and has a particular joy for whitewater kayaking. You can find Axe help our young, budding campers learn their place in the river world, whether that’s in a kayak or swimming through rapids for fun.
Jill Wrenn
YOUTH//KAYAK INSTRUCTOR
Jill was introduced to whitewater in a canoe with her dad, but she found the canoe a bit heavy when carrying it out of the Chattooga and wanted the freedom of paddling her own craft. So she bought her first kayak after finishing her master’s at Clemson. Jill started teaching because whitewater kayaking did not come easily to her and she wanted to create a supportive learning environment to help other people who struggled with fear but really wanted to overcome it and enjoy the river. Jill employs a mastery of mindfulness tactics to tame the monkey brain that many whitewater kayakers struggle to understand. Her teaching style is thoughtful and process oriented with a great deal of reflection and shows her experience with teaching over the past decade.
Erin Stout
KAYAK INSTRUCTOR
Erin Stout has been along on the H2o Dreams journey very nearly since the beginning. She started as a community member/student and advanced into one of our most thoughtful and dependable instructors. That’s just who she is through and through, thoughtful, dependable, and wildly intelligent. Erin has a history and penchant for the technical side of paddling as her history with whitewater slalom suggests. She started and led a very successful “citizen slalom” program in Charlotte, NC and has helped with the vision of developing a similar program here on the Green River with H2o Dreams. Although technically minded, she most enjoys helping beginners develop simple concepts to foster impactful and positive first experiences.
Jordan McDaniel
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR//INSTRUCTOR
Jordan made a point known to founder Chris Wing in recent history; as soon as he determined that he wanted to pursue outdoor education, he knew he wanted to teach with and lead the H2o Dreams organization. Everything Jordan has done since the first moment he arrived exuded leadership. Jordan is the type to lead from your side and allow students, instructors, and friends to hop out front and determine their path with the skills and knowledge he and the team at H2o Dreams equip you with. A thoughtful and thought provoking teacher, he is a rare and pure breed of educator. Jordan has a B.S. in Outdoor Leadership and has a knack for group settings, although he has enjoyed the challenge of working with both individuals and small groups and has become a “swiss-army-knife-lead” with H2o Dreams programming.
Daniel Lassiter
STUDENT SERVICES DIRECTOR//INSTRUCTOR
Daniel forged a friendship with the H2o Dreams founders that has taken a convoluted path back to H2o Dreams after many years of leadership in whitewater education. Daniel led the paddling school at the US National Whitewater Center, helped co-lead early H2o Dreams program including guided trips in Chile, and is one of the premier instructors in the United States. It was happenstance that we find him as your first point of contact with your experience with H2o Dreams as he is currently a “stay-at-home” dad raising his son. He understands and has built programming from the ground up which truly makes his seat at this table unique. You can be assured that when you talk with Daniel via phone or email you are speaking with an expert. All of that aside, Daniel has been an exceptional friend to the entire H2o Dreams team and any time we are graced with his presence on the river it remains a gift.
Lydia Cardinal
CO-FOUNDER
Although no longer involved with the H2o Dreams organization, we would be remiss in not mentioning the very large footprint and legacy Lydia left us with. From writing and leading programming, profound and impactful leadership in our organization and governing bodies in paddlesport, all with international reach, there aren’t many that did it as gracefully and profoundly as Lydia.
Chris Wing
FOUNDER//INSTRUCTOR
Chris is a dreamer and an embodiment of the creative, passionate, and driven values of H2o Dreams. Learning, teaching, and leading since 2000 there is not a more ideal day for Chris than engaging with thoughtful, willing, and determined students and athletes. Chris has an M.S. in Exercise Science and is currently pursuing his PhD with a particular interest in sports and recovery, injury and risk reduction, and psychophysiology. Although he is no longer involved in the day to day, he enjoys spending his weekends and summers out on his favorite rivers in North Carolina with students.