Special Guests

 Greenland Qajaq Mentor

Abel and his wife Sofie Rosa (Sorpa) reside in Qaqortoq, Greenland. Abel has been a Qaannat Kattuffiat board member since 2013 and is the first QK board member to serve for ten consecutive years. He has always been an active championship participant, judge and speaker at the Greenland National Championships. As the Chairman of Qajaq Qaqortoq he will be the person in charge of organizing the Greenland National Championships 2024 which will take place in his hometown. He knows all that is worth knowing about Greenland Qajaq history, traditions and community. 

 Greenland Qajaq Mentor

Greg Stamer is the founder and past-president of Qajaq USA. Greg has over twenty five years  of experience using Greenland-style paddles and equipment. He credits John Heath and Greenland Champion Maligiaq Padilla as his primary mentors.

In 2000, when the Greenland Championships were offered to foreign kayakers for the first time, I jumped at the chance." Greg was invited in 2000 to attend a week-long Qaannat Kattuffiat training camp in Greenland to prepare for competition and has participated in two Greenland National Kayaking Championships, in 2000 and in 2002, winning two gold and two bronze medals. In both events Greg earned the most points in the individual rolling event for his age group and was the overall champion for his age group in 2000.

He is an annual participant in the grueling Evergreen Challenge which is a testament to the efficiency of his forward stroke 

Greg has decades of experience and knowledge which he brings to TRAQS

Greenland Qajaq Mentor

Alison is one of the most accomplished Greenland paddling mentors in the US. She successfully competed in the Greenland National Kayaking Championship in 2006. When she's not helping someone learn the joy of Greenland paddling and rolling, she is an incredible sculptor of beautiful glass artwork. 

 Greenland Qajaq Mentor 

 Tim began his kayaking career as a guide and ACA instructor at Woods & Water Ecotours in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan  when he was in college. He cut his rough water teeth on the rocky shores of Lake Superior and Lake Huron and quickly  took to Greenland style paddling. After teaching himself a majority of the traditional rolling list he was bitten by the  Greenland Rope Gymnastics bug and is now one of Qajaq USA‘s ropes gurus. In the summer of 2018 Tim traveled to  Greenland to compete in the National Qajaq Championships and has a completed vlog series about his travels. In 2021 he  completed a personal goal of a paddling expedition along the Michigan shoreline of Lake Superior and Lake Huron and  has his sights on bigger expeditions in the next few years.

 Greenland Qajaq Mentor 

Dorsey is an ACA Level 2 Instructor, She is President of the Florida Paddling Trails Association and the first female veteran and the 34th person to complete the 1,515 mile Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Trail. 

 Greenland Qajaq Mentor 

Pete Hohmann is an ACA kayak instructor and British Canoeing coach.   He has merged his experience with FreeStyle canoeing with his passion for Greenland kayaking.  He is also a rolling instructor and enjoys Greenland rolling in his Rebel Illaga kayak.   Pete lives in Cape Coral, Florida, and is active in building the Greenland kayaking community in Southwest Florida.  He is the founder and organizer of Calusa Sea Kayaker Meetup Group. He taught most of the paddlesports programs for Prince William County Parks and Recreation in Northern Virginia for 7 years, until he moved to Florida in 2019. Ask Pete about some of hid challenging kayaking trips like the length of the Chesapeake Bay or the tidal whitewater in the Bay of Fundy

  Greenland Qajaq Mentor

Ed held an L4 ACA Open Water Instructor Certification and an ACA Traditional Skills Endorsement.  Simply stated, he is a passionate Greenland kayaking devotee.  Before moving to Florida, he was the President of the Jersey Shore Sea Kayak Association, a principal kayak instructor for the Jersey Paddler, and instructor of rolling at the inaugural Garden State Sea Kayak Symposium. He has mentored at other Greenlandic events, including the Delmarva Paddlers Retreat, Hudson River Greenland Festival and TIPS. When he's not teaching, he is usually upside down in his kayak watching Manatees while he rolls. 

Greenland Qajaq Mentor

Anthony Sousa is an outdoor experiential educator and expedition leader, an ACA Level 4 Open Water Coastal Kayak Instructor, and co-owner of Kayak ANT in Tarpon Springs, Florida.  Anthony discovered his passion for kayaking and coaching through his ongoing work with Outward Bound Schools and more recently the National Outdoor Leadership School. He has led kayak expeditions in the Florida Everglades, North Carolina Outer Banks, Maine Coast, Panama, British Columbia and Alaska. At home, his company Kayak ANT is focused on "Adventure, Nature and Training" experiences on Florida's Gulf Coast and beyond. At Kayak ANT, novices to advanced kayakers learn technical paddling skills, trip leading, instructor development, kayak camping and survival, ecology, and of course, traditional and Greenlandic paddling. In addition to his ACA kayak certifications, Anthony is a Leave No Trace Master Educator, Advanced Florida Master Naturalist, Wilderness First Responder, he holds a master's degree in education, and he is a retired U.S. Marine.

Greenland Paddle Maker and Qajaq Mentor

Don has been making Greenland paddles for a long time, long enough to have made over 800 individual paddles. He has taught paddle carving and kayak skills at most of the QUSA events. He likes to help people learn their first roll, or dial in an inconsistent roll, and he loves teaching rescues. 

Don always has a project or two in the works. He has built kayaks and a row boat, renovated his hundred year old house, enjoys milling lumber and growing black currants on the family farm. Although he likes his job at Intel, he looks forward to retirement someday. He lives in Forest Grove and can be found either in the wood shop making something, or at his desk planning a kayak trip.

Greenland Qajaq Mentor

Joanne discovered sea kayaking and traditional qajaq building 19 years ago and was instantly hooked. She has built one stitch and glue kayak and two skin on frame kayaks, and teaches Greenland paddle carving with Don Beale. She is a Qajaq USA board member and has taught at several Qajaq USA events, and currently teaches for Portland Kayak Company in Portland Oregon. She loves guiding others to discover the wonder and beauty of the outdoors through kayaking and kayak camping. Northern Croatia is among her favorite kayak and camping spots. 

Joanne enjoys gardening and volunteering with a disaster relief organization rebuilding houses lost to wildfires and other natural disasters. She lives in Forest Grove Oregon with her husband, two dogs and a few kayaks.