Name: jims Location: Ruth Bell, Preston County, WV Sex: Male Birthday: 0054-04-07 Height: 5'10" Weight: 210 Types of boats you paddle (eg. kayak, raft, C-1, squirt, etc.): Thrillseeker, KOR, rafts, etc. First Season (year): 1965 Favorite Class: IV Favorite Runs: Roaring Creek, Red Run, Elzey

Personal info: I design and make wooden paddles and design kayaks. I was Keith Backlund's first apprentice in 1975. I started designing kayaks in 1980 with one of the first 10' boats in the country- the Slice. I've designed over 70 boats since then- mostly squirt boats. I married Doris in 1986 and have a son, Nathan (16), and a daughter, Amelia (15). I enjoy winter kayak camping on the upper Cheat and Shavers Fork and I go to Japan to squirt every year. I was a raft guide for 19 years and a pioneer of squirt boating and steep creekin in this neck of the woods. Plus~~ I know Phil Coleman.