Jesse Coombs joins Team JK and brings our fun factor up another notch!

July 1, 2006

Jesse is truly a student of life and as humble as anyone can be. With that said, his credentials are fit for CEO of a major company, and his pursuit of excellence in his paddling career is nothing short of amazing. I have only known him a very short time and am blessed that he has come into my life and into the fold of the Jackson Kayak family. You may know him as a partner with Ben Skookesberry in the No Big Names series of videos (Clear H2O films company), or simply have met him on the water somewhere recently. Either way, his involvement in kayaking will make it a better place for everyone and he truly exemplifies the Jackson Kayak Team philosophy of “Leave the World a Better Place”. You’ll see Jesse playboating, river running, and creeking. His wilderness expertise makes him a key component to any expedition, and you will soon be able to enjoy watching a master at play in the most extreme kayaking environments in the far corners of the earth. Jesse paddles a Rocker and an All-Star and looks forward to the Mega Rocker for his multi-day trips. Jesse has been very helpful in the design process for the Mega Rocker, providing lots of input.

🙂 EJ

Jesse’s Team Page

Jesse’s Bio

Real Estate Investor
BS in Industrial Engineering
Masters in Business Administration

United States Team Member, Camel Trophy 1998
2 Year Captain and Champion, Rutgers Ice Hockey
Swiftwater Rescue and ACA Certified
Wilderness First Responder
Former Ski Patrol and Ski Instructor
Avalanche Level 1 Instructor
Back Country Ski and Snowboard Enthusiast
Search and Rescue Certified
Avid Mountain Biker, Rock Climber, Orienteering and much more

I feel fortunate for everything I have accomplished and for the positive impact I hope I have had and will have on those around me. Jackson Kayaks represents so many things that are important in my life: family, fun, honesty, integrity, stewardship, athleticism, a life without drugs and a driving passion to achieve excellence in everything attempted. Jackson Kayaks is the future of the sport, and I am tremendously excited to represent the Jackson Kayak Family. Heck, if you look at the team I have the greatest resource for paddling buddies imaginable.

I would like to share a couple life lessons I have learned in my endeavors:

The first comes from my Rutgers Ice Hockey coach Mike DeAngelis.

-Individual achievement means nothing, and actually does not even occur, until each individual gives themselves, their body and their entirety to the team. When the team achieves its success, the individual accomplishment is laughably insignificant. The pride you feel for your teammates and friends’ success is the champagne of victory and blood in your veins. Your true teammates and friends will return this magnanimity creating a greater personal accomplishment than could ever be achieved as an individual.

The second was the driving inspiration for my investing in real estate, captures the zest with which I live life and comes from one of our greatest presidents and outdoorsmen, Theodore Roosevelt.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

And if you see me on the river I ask the favor that you greet me with a smile and a pat on the back. I will do the same and lets have some fun on the river!

I asked some friends to say what came to mind when they thought of paddling with me. Their words were much too kind, and I can only hope to return their friendship.

Jon Fowlkes: “When I think of Jesse Coombs, the word that comes to mind is Positive. Aside from being an extremely accomplished and talented paddler, Jesse’s approach to life puts a positive spin on everything.  No longer is an international border crossing an arduous task—it’s a fun game to be played and won. A formidable gorge is simply the doorway to the next blind corner, and finding the elegant path through chaotic whitewater is Jesse’s specialty. To see him paddling is to see two lovers dancing; an intimate and soulful connection.  The simple give and take with no ego involved; a man searching for purity both within the river and within himself.”

Jason Rackley: “Jesse is one of my favorite people to paddle with for many reasons, but primarily because he has so much fun on the water.  Jesse just loves rivers, and his passion shines through on every kayaking trip, no matter what the situation or difficulty level. Jesse genuinely elevates and inspires other paddlers around him, which is a pretty rare quality.”

Jennifer Lambert: “…His love of kayaking encouraged him to find a way out of the rat race so he would have the time to live the lifestyle most of us only dream about.  Now living the dream, Jesse is constantly in motion: running his business, mountain biking, playing hockey, rock climbing, skydiving, teaching kayaking, play-boating, hair-boating, or just plain old creeking–sometimes all in the same day.  Seriously.”