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Clay Wright

Born: March 17, 1967
Height: 5′9″
Weight: 165
Inseam: 32″
Shoe size: 11
First Roll: 1975
First Ocoee: 1980
First Gauley: 1985
First Green: 1990

Here is what he has to say about himself:

I started kayaking with my Mom’s TSRA club as a 7 yr old in a Klepper Minor kayak – who else had a kids kayak in 1974? The older I got, the more excited about kayaking I became, so after college I ‘took a year off’ to kayak more and try some travel .. and have never looked back.

Recent kayaking accomplishments:

Most recent:

US Freestyle Team member for 2011 World Championships in Plattling Germany

4th Place:  US Team Trials, Missoula MT

3rd Place: SSV / Lyons Extreme Race 2010

5th Place:  BV Pro Freestyle and Lyons Outdoor Games Freestyle events 2010

5th Place:  Green Race 2009, short boat (5:00)

2008:

  • 2nd Place: LVM’s “Giant Slalom” and ‘Overall’ Oh-Be-Joyful, CO Extreme Race
  • 4th Place: 2008 US Freestyle Kayak Nationals, Salida CO
  • 2008 World Cup US Team – heading to Europe in August (16th place at World Cup 08)
  • 5th Place: South St. Vrain Extreme Race, Smith Lyons Outdoor Games, CO
  • Paddled all 200 mi of Grand Canyon (Lee’s to Separation) in my All-Star
  • Ran ‘Big Boy’ for 41st birthday

2007:

  • ACL and Ear surgeries kept off the water 7mo.s
  • 7th Place ASCI Nationals

2006:

  • 1st Place: Rock Island ‘World Cup Final Event’
  • 3rd Place: World Cup Series
  • 3rd Place: Oh Be Joyful Extreme Race
  • 4th place: Black River World Cup Event

Career Highlights:

  • Squirt Boating World Champion 1997 (Silver 99, Bronze 2003)
  • 2004 National Freestyle Champion
  • 3rd Place 2005 North American Cup
  • Bronze Medalist  Freestyle Kayaking 1996 Pre-Worlds Ottawa Canada
  • US Freestyle Team 1995-2003, 2011 as well as 2008 World Cup Team
  • First Descents in 11 States and 5 Countries
  • Extreme Race wins on Green, Oh Be Joyful, Cherry Creek, Watauga, Gore, Gauley, Clear Creek CO, Upper Yough
  • Inventor of the ‘Loop’ and Air Loop (though better performed and popularized by Javid Grubbs)

    • Exposure:

    • 50+ Video Appearances:
      From ‘Gorilla’ in 1990 to Falling Down / Liquid Lifestyles to 09’s  ’Here and Now’
    • EJ’s Instructional Series: Rolling and Bracing, Playboating Basics, Advanced Playboating, River Running Basics, and Advanced River Running
    • Appearances in ‘Paddler’, ‘Kayak Session’, ‘Playboating UK’, and ‘Kayak’
    • 08 Rush TV episode with the Jackson Family
    • Future Playboating book by EJ and Stephen Wright

    Writing:

    • Introduction to Tyler Curtis and Marianne Saether’s ‘Rivers of Chile’ forthcoming
    • “Clay’s Column” for American Whitewater, 3 years
    • Feature articles for Kayak Session, Paddler, ‘Kayak’ and Playboating
    • Contributor: Tyler William’s ‘Whitewater Classics’
    • Leland Davis’s ‘North Carolina Rivers and Creeks’ as well as ‘Best Whitewater in the US’
    • John Foss’s ‘The Rivers of Chile’

    Judging:

    Chairman of the USFKA Rules Committee

    2009 Judge for Freestyle World Championships, Thun Switzerland

    • 2007 World Freestyle Championships, Canada
    • 2006 World Cup
    • Teva Mountain Games, Vail CO:  Head Judge and Co-Organizer of all Whitewater Events 04-present
    • Reno River Festival
    • Paddler Pro Invitational

    Note from EJ:

    Clay is not only my friend and neighbor, but has my utmost respect for his contributions to the sport of kayaking over the past couple of decades. Clay is an encyclopedia of kayaking. For my birthday, and housewarming present last year, Clay gave me a Tennessee topo map, with the put in and take out of every creek, waterfall, and river in the state, many still unrun clearly marked with his pen. He is a world champion squirtboater, and 2005 National Freestyle Champion, and has represented the US Team many times. He is a creekboater that takes safety seriously and is a pleasure to have on any river. I am proud to have him aboard. Clay will help David and I design a creekboat this fall as well as just being a great ambassador for Jackson Kayak.





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