2026 Annual CityScope® Summer Issue
Photography by Tall Tails Media
With plenty of waterways to practice on, it’s no surprise that the Chattanooga area is home to a wide range of water sports. From swimming the Tennessee River and sailing across Chickamauga Lake to kayaking the whitewater of the Ocoee River and more, people take to local waters to train for competitions near and far. Read on to meet five of these talented athletes making waves in their sport.
Water Skiing
I loved snow skiing growing up, and I learned how to waterski in high school just playing around and having fun with my dad. After not skiing for about 15 years while rock climbing, I started skiing here on the river in 2017. That year, I got in a motorcycle accident where I lost my left arm. After the initial recovery period, returning to rock climbing was painful and didn’t provide the same enjoyment as before. That’s when I decided I wanted to see if I could run a slalom water ski course. After searching for a while, I found a place to go try it, and I have been hooked ever since that first day.
I compete as an overall skier, which involves three separate events: slalom, trick, and jump. It requires a large amount of on-the-water practice time for each event in order to be proficient in them all and competitive as an overall skier.
Becoming the Men’s Standing Overall World Champion this November in Mulwala, Australia, at the 2025 World Disabled Water Ski Championships.
I love that no matter what level you are at, there is always one more slalom buoy, one more foot in jump, and one more trick to be learned. There is always room for improvement, which keeps me motivated and coming back every day. I also love the camaraderie and support within the water ski community, which makes practice and tournaments so much fun. We all just support each other and have a blast.
The local community here is incredible. I practice out of the Barkin Dog Saloon at Lake Pryor in McDonald, Tennessee. Everyone there has been instrumental in getting me to where I am today, and they have become like family to me in the process. Not only do we practice there, but they have hosted an annual tournament in June every year since 1995. All of the local tournaments, events, and clubs in the area can be found on the USA Waterski & Wake Sports website.
Have fun! It takes a ton of practice to become good at water skiing, but it makes every milestone you accomplish that much better.
Sailing
Since 1972. I joined Privateer Yacht Club and started sailing after my best friend in 8th grade invited me to try sailing with his family.
I always want to know what the weather is going to be like, where the wind will be blowing from, and how hard it will be blowing. This helps me tune the boat to the conditions. If you race on a river, you want to know the strength and direction of the current. In a bay or on the coast, it helps to know when the tide is coming in or going out.
Two races come to mind. First, in 1982 I competed in the Mallory Cup, which is the Men’s National Championship for U.S. Sailing. Three of us from Privateer advanced to the championship, which was sailed on Long Island Sound in Connecticut. We finished fifth out of nine teams. The second race was in 2017 in Newport, Rhode Island. This was the Challenger series for the Flying Scot Class National Championship, which we won. It was really special to me because my daughter Maggie crewed for me.
There are too many to count. Sailing and racing take you to some beautiful places where you meet lots of interesting people.
Our club, Privateer Yacht Club, has been in existence since 1940. Privateer is as strong and active a sailing club as you will find anywhere in the country, and it remains that way because we have a mission in our charter to promote the sport of sailing. We teach basic sailing and racing skills to kids and adults alike. Our club holds 150 family members and 30 associate members, and there is a waiting list to get in.
Many of the sailors I crewed for when I was young taught me real life lessons. I met my wife while sailing, and her father, who was a long-time sailor and racer, mentored me during my early racing days. Some of my best friends are guys I compete with on the racecourse, and I get humbled quite often by them.
Wake Surfing
I have been surfing for six years and competing for three. In 2020, my dad bought a wake boat for me and my family to learn how to wake surf. It only took me a couple times to get up, and I was hooked from the very start. It started as my hobby and something fun to do, and over time it grew to be something I could not go without.
Placing fourth in the world in the World Series of Wake Surfing (WSWS) amateur division in 2024 after only surfing competitively for one season; being a back-to-back Masters champion in 2023 and 2024; placing first overall in the Wake United Surf + Wake Series intermediate female division in 2024; and winning first at ChattaWake in 2025.
The best things about wake surfing are the relationships it creates and memories it makes.
The local wake surfing community is still fairly new, but passionate. There is a lot of excitement in the sport as it continues to grow. My sponsors are Pure Wake Surf and Wake Outfitters, which are both local to Chattanooga and provide gear and boards. They also developed the first-ever Chattanooga wake surf competition, ChattaWake, right in the heart of downtown Chattanooga on the river.
It has taught me resilience and perseverance. Wake surfing can sometimes be frustrating when getting a new trick, but I have learned to not get discouraged and not to let a bad set of surfing get in my head. I have learned to get up and try again and again.
Keep trying and going, even when it is frustrating. The more amount of time you put into it, the more you will get out of it, and it’s even more fun with friends.
I would like to thank my family, especially my mom and my dad, for everything they have sacrificed for me in wake surfing: for all the hours my dad has pulled me behind the boat, the amount of traveling, and their endless support. I’d also like to thank Kennon and Vanessa at Pure Wake Surf for seeing potential in me from day one.
Paddling
I have been paddling whitewater for over 55 years. It started as family canoeing with the Tennessee Valley Canoe Club (TVCC) in the late 1960s. My first competition experience was at races on the Hiwassee and Nantahala rivers. It was fun and I was competitive, so I got more and more involved. As an adult I was fortunate to have my four children also enjoy paddling and whitewater, so it has continued as a family activity.
As with all sports, to be competitive requires regular training. A good aerobic base is needed along with strength training and also specific paddling and whitewater skills. Each whitewater river is a little different and requires learning the course to know the fastest line down the river.
Paddling for the U.S. Whitewater Team and representing the United States at international competitions and world championships, because I got to meet and compete against the best paddlers from all over the world.
We have a strong paddling community in Chattanooga, both whitewater and flatwater. The Tennessee Valley Canoe Club is great for recreational paddling and hosts a race on the Ocoee River each year. There are lots of paddling races in the area for canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards (SUPs). The Chattajack Race from Market Street Bridge to Hales Bar Marina now draws over 600 paddlers to Chattanooga each October.
Paddling has provided the opportunity to get outside, meet people, and see more of the world. It has taught me about how to handle the honor of winning and the disappointment of losing. Maybe most importantly, it has allowed me to spend time and share adventures with my family.
Whitewater can be intimidating or downright scary if you get in over your head. Take your time to learn the skills and get confident on the water. Make sure you have the proper equipment, especially when it comes to wearing a lifejacket. There are lots of resources to take advantage of when learning, and most experienced paddlers are happy to help those wanting to learn.
Time on the water is good for the soul. Get out and paddle!
Photo Courtesy of Jenny Smith
Open Water Swimming
I was a competitive swimmer in high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, home of the legendary coach Doc Counsilman, who was the oldest man to swim the English Channel at that time. Then I discovered swimming open water, and there were no lane lines – just swimming in nature with jellyfish, sharks, seals, manta rays, fish, bioluminescence, kelp, salp chains, dolphins, and minke whales!
Now that I’m in my 50s, I mosey down to swim in Mounts Bay. I still swim hard, but then I enjoy tea and a chat with the more leisurely swimmers. Back in Chattanooga, I tried to never let my training affect my family life – from home-cooked dinners to global travel to fun times together with my sons Max (24) and Zane (22) boating, playing tennis, camping, concerts, etc.
In 2022, I became the first American to complete the world’s toughest triathlon, the Enduroman Arch 2 Arc, and I set a new women’s non-wetsuit world record. The triathlon involves an 87-mile run from London to Dover, followed by swimming across the English Channel to Calais, finishing with an epic 181-mile bike ride from Calais to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. To date, only 50 athletes have completed the triathlon.
The most magnificent and most terrifying was swimming the Molokai Channel when a mature male tiger shark wanted to look left eye to left eye with me and have a conversation. I had been swimming for over 15 hours and closing in on Oahu when I and my kayaker had to exit the water as more tiger sharks were joining us.
My swim friends mean the world to me. And friends are the reason I moved across the pond where I live on the sea. I live in Cornwall, UK, which has some of the most beautiful beaches, coastal paths, granite cliffs, and the wild Atlantic waters in my front and back yard. I pinch myself every sunrise and sunset that Cornwall is now my home.
Be yourself, make friends, learn from people with more experience. And, most of all, have fun!
