Junior Paddler; Seattle’s David Spiegel makes the Jackson Kayak Regional Team!

The first time I met David was at NOC during a World Class trip there for
Spring Splash. David competed in the competition at the little wave below
the NOC Store and was one of the few people who could McNasty there. He was
paddling his new 2007 Red All-Star. I was impressed but didn’t’ see him
again until Colorado. He proved to be not only a great paddler, but a good
kid as well. I look forward to seeing him in action on the road with
World Class as well as at home helping out in the Seattle Area with Seattle
Raft and Kayak! Welcome David!

Q: How did you get into kayaking?

A: My parents were boaters back in the 80s and 90’s so I always had kayaks around. When I was 12 I convinced my parents to send me to a summer camp at Otter Bar in California and I have been hooked ever since.

Q: How did you do so much kayaking in high school?

A: For my junior year and part of my senior year, I traveled with the New River Academy, an accredited traveling high school with a focus on whitewater kayaking. With this program I traveled to New Zealand, Chile, Canada, and all around the Southern United States. The program helped me to grow as a kayaker and as a person and I would recommend it to anyone.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

A: Next year I will be a freshman at Colorado College where I will continue my education as well as continue pursuing my love for kayaking. I also hope to continue my travels.

Q: What is your favorite river?

A: I have two of them. The first is the Futaleufu River in Chile. The river puts HUGE water and awesome play into one awesome package, not to mention the fact that the area surrounding it is amazingly beautiful and remote.

The second is the Kaituna River in New Zealand. The Kaituna packs a slalom course, several fun slides, 2 fun boofs, an 18 foot water fall, and an epic play hole into one mile of beautiful, gorged in river. You can’t argue with that!

Q: What is your favorite type of boating?

A: Of course I love all kinds of boating but I especially love play boating on big waves in my All Star.

Q: What do you do off the river?

A: Throughout high school I was a competitive swimmer, taking 4 All State Medals. Although I plan to continue swimming for a year or two in college, it will be difficult to continue such a demanding sport when I want to spend so much time kayaking!

My other hobbies include playing ultimate Frisbee, hackey sacking, playing guitar, reading, and video editing.