About

As water moves through the bed of a river it flows and surges along its shortest available path to something larger than itself. Rocks, ledges and constrictions may create turbulence in that path, but in that same turbulence, whitewater paddlesports find their home. I have been making the river my home for decades and I consistently feel blessed by the ways each stretch of river is both novel and familiar. Each stroke, each maneuver, each splash in the face or shriek-giggle-whoop reminds me that in the water’s mandate to follow gravity, I am uplifted. The only question I have been unable to answer clearly for myself is which I prefer more: boating on rivers myself, or instructing others. Either way, the river demands an acuity of focus in the moment. Our mind cannot be elsewhere. In that focused moment, we benefit from preparation and training, which are their own kind of structured turbulence. At the confluence of preparation and presence in the moment, we find our own poise under pressure.

Jordan Taylor began instructing in whitewater in 1993. Since then work in paddlesports has included multiple college outdoor programs, as senior faculty in the North Carolina Outward Bound and the National Outdoor Leadership School river programs, as Head Instructor at Ontario’s Madawaska Kanu Centre, as a Senior Instructor at Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center, as a guest Instructor at Zoar Outdoor in Massachusetts, as well as with Precision Paddlesports, the Canoe, Kayak and Paddle Company and most recently the Calleva River School as the Director of Professional Development programming.

Jordan is certified as an ACA Instructor Trainer Educator in Whitewater Kayaking (L4), as a Solo and Tandem Instructor Trainer in Whitewater Canoeing (L4) and in Swiftwater Rescue. They are certified as an Instructor in Advanced Swiftwater Rescue (L5), and in Advanced Whitewater Kayak (L5). Jordan’s medical certification is currently as a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) through NOLS Wilderness Medicine.

Taylor began the Paddlesport Institute (PSI) in 2020 to formalize his ongoing practice of unlocking the joy of boating through skilled and compassionate instruction.