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Shannon Carroll grew up spending summers on the New River and soon fell in with BJ and Katie Johnson and went on a whirlwind of a whitewater life.  She endured the usual additional obstacles and doubts of men, which women of these sports face.  Confidence in herself was not something Shannon lacked and she rose to the top of the sport, becoming one of the first ever Red Bull-sponsored kayakers.  Amid all of this, one day the kayaking world woke up to news that would actually alter the trajectory of the sport.  A big waterfall had paddled......it was probably a world record by any kayaker........and (in a whisper) it was a woman who ran it.  Shannon's run of Shahalie Falls set off a decade plus race to run the highest waterfall in a kayak.

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Dan Gavere inspired a whole generation of kayakers and was integral to the shaping of modern kayaking.  Dan's dream was to be a professional kayaker....never mind that no such thing existed.  He knew filmers and editing were critical.  Paddle Frenzy saw Dan team with Corran Addison in a film that portrayed kayaking in an entirely new way.  They then pioneered travelling the world making a kayak movie with Paddle Quest.  Then with lost footage from Paddle Quest, Dan made Kavu Day, a film which shifted the sport.  Along the way Dan helped stitch regional whitewater festivals into a Pro Freestyle Tour.  Then elevated the whole professional scene to a peak level with the Wave Sport Team.  He was integral to both the AT Paddle and X Boat, 2 game-changing gear innovations.   In the end, Dan made it happen, becoming the world's first modern professional kayaker and establishing a template which can still be followed today.  His journey is inspiring for both young kayakers wanting to see a path and those who want to relive a golden era of kayaking.

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Rush Sturges has channeled hustle and passion like no river runner before to leave a legacy of unbelievable creativity and art.  Rush has been one of the world's best kayakers for decades.  He was never just a kayaker though, always pushing art and creativity in all pursuits.  Rush has had leading kayaking films in every form from VHS to DVD to YouTube to Netflix.  Rush is a very talented musician and music producer with a catalog of music that speaks to river runners like no music made before.  

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For a generation of male and female paddlers, just the first name Mariann, is all you need to say and they know who you are tallking about.  Mariann is an inspiration to younger female kayakers across the planet and a bit of a fantasy dream girl to a generation of young male kayakers.  She helped blaze a trail for women in whitewater with her fearless and stubborn approach to the river.  She has a long list of first descents and first female descents.  She has completed the elite kayak extreme race hat trick winning both the North Fork Championships and the Sickline Oetz Race.  When you win the North Fork Championship, a crown is placed on your head and you are anointed the literal Queen or King.  

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When whitewater kayaking surged into its golden age, Corra Addison was at the very front leading the charge.  His relentless pursuit of improving equipment introduces many of the innovations taken for granted now like flat bottoms on kayaks, hard edges and spud boats.  Perhaps nobody brought more innovation and more controversy to the sport.  Hear how growing up in South Africa neccessitated his passion for creating gear for the river and his journey through the years when kayaking was exploding technologically and in popularity.

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Olaf Obsommer has been Europe's leading whitewater filmmaker for decades.  His films have become the international window into the whitewater world.  Along the way he has become one of the most prolific expedition kayakers of all time.  His latest film collaboration is Gabon: Uncharted available on RedBull TV.

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Ben Selznick embodied the surge and rapid evolution of kayaking in the late 1990's and early 2000's.  He grew up during the rapid design advances of kayaks when play boats first started and creek boat design saw a surge in progress as well.  Ben was a central member of NRPW with the likes of Adam Olsen, Scott Ligare, Matt Wilson and Seth Warren.  Ben made the most of this surge era and his opportunity.  Bringing in big name sponsors like Nike and being a central catalyst for Teton Gravity Research's entry into kayaking movies. 

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Ben Stookesberry and his friends started recording their exploits soon after they starting kayaking in their late teens.  He released the iconic No Big Names series of films, which seemed to point to his groups perceived humble position in the sport.  Fast forward over 25 years and Ben Stookesberry has become quite possibly the most prolific expedition kayaker of all time.  His list of significant exploits cannot all be listed, even his list of first descents is pages long.  We talk to Ben about his roots, some of those major expeditions and what has driven him to keep going on the hardest. most remote missions on the planet. 

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Rib Lesser is the preeminent legend for multiple generations of whitewater paddlers in the Western US.  From fiberglass boats in 1969 to pioneering the North Fork of the Payette to leading one of the most legendary first descents of all time, the Stikine River in Southwest Alaska.  In the middle he went on expeditions to Chile, Pakistan and other places when it was still quite hard to do so.  When Freestyle Rodeo's came around, Rob embraced it and cheered on the evolution of the sport.  As the sport evolved, Rob embraced each new generation and has always been a true force of positivity and a cheerleader for each new generation.    

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At 15 years old Tyler Bradt was travelling the world running the hardest whitewater out there filming with Teton Gravity Research.  Since then he has gone on to shatter the World Record Waterfall drop, drove a veggie bus from Alaska to Chile and sailed his boat, The Wizards Eye, around the world for 5 years.  Through it all, he has remained one of the top kayakers in the world and his stoke was instrumental in uniting an entire generation of the world's best kayakers.