2007 Yukon River Quest
Team Biographies
Team #: 02
Team Name:
Team Quest for Life
Class: Single Kayak - Male
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Kieran O'Kane
Reigate, Surrey, UK
30
male
Race Goals:
To finish in one piece and raise a lot of money for the Lymphoma Association in the UK.
Bio: No race experience: plenty of expeditions around the British Isles.
Team #: 03
Team Name:
Alberta River Runners
Class: Tandem Kayak - Mixed
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Darrell Wiebe
Jennifer Allen
Calgary, AB, Canada
Calgary, AB, Canada
33
39
male
female
Race Goals:
To win the Mixed Tandem Class.
Have fun, paddle hard, and finish.
Bio: No marathon experience, but we have competed in Dragon boat, Downriver, and Solo Kayak events: class 1 canoe and kayak tripping, several class 4 and 5 river trips.
Dragon Boat racing, competitive free style kayaker: numerous canoe and kayak tripping, also several class 4 river day trips in K1.
Team #: 04
Team Name:
Rocket Rob
Class: Single Kayak - Male
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Rob Colliver
Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK
42
male
Race Goals:
Faster, warmer, less of a numb backside, stay awake in Dawson to finish my beer.
Bio: Enjoyed 2006 YRQ, various marathons and Devizies to Westminster: 2006 Yukon River Quest.
Team #: 05
Team Name:
Coureur des Bayou
Class: Voyageur Canoe
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Richard Ameen
George Melder
John Hoffart
Edoh Y. Amiran
John Qualls
Liam Price
Wade Binion
Pete Binion
Cypress, Texas, USA
Spring, Texas, USA
Magnolia, Texas, USA
Lynden, Washington, USA
Magnolia, Texas, USA
Redmond, Washington, USA
College Station, Texas, USA
College Station, Texas, USA
45
45
43
46
52
36
28
57
male
male
male
male
male
male
male
male
Race Goals:
Make good choices, make good decisions - survive, finish, paddle hard.
Experience the Yukon Territory and win.
Be very competitive.
Finish, go fast, enjoy.
Finish and do well.
Paddle hard.
Finish, have fun.
Safely complete the race/enjoy the experience/win class.
Bio: Texas Water Safari, Yukon River Quest, Colorado 100: camping Wind River, 2006 YRQ.
Texas Water Safari and various other canoe races: numerous trips on various Texas and Arkansas Rivers.
Numerous races in Texas: five time finisher of Texas Water Safari.
Yukon River Quest, Texas Water Safari 2005: rafting, canoeing (NWT, BC, YT).
Texas Water Safari: backpacking and canoeing with Scouts.
Texas Water Safari, Marathon canoeing, running, pickleball: various Canadian and US canoeing and rafting trips.
Texas Water Safari: Ausable River, Belize River.
Texas Water Safari, multiple marathon races: 20 years wilderness river experience.
Team #: 06
Team Name:
3 Pistols
Class: Single Kayak - Male
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Jean-Guy Sauriol
Toronto, ON, Canada
53
male
Race Goals:
To continue to make friends in the Yukon, to enjoy the river, and to finish in Dawson.
Bio: 2005 YRQ and 2006 YRQ: recreational canoe-camping in Ontario, extensive kayak training in varying conditions on Lake Ontario.
Team #: 07
Team Name:
The Austrian
Class: Single Kayak - Male
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Heinz Rodinger
Gramustatten, Austria
66
male
Race Goals:
To finish healthy and have fun, to better last year's time.
Bio: Six times YRQ: Yukon River Quests and Devizies to Westminster eight times.
Team #: 09
Team Name:
Prairie Schooner III
Class: Tandem Canoe - Mixed
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Dave McGee
Lisa McGee
Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Lethbridge, AB, Canada
53
20
male
female
Race Goals:
To improve on our 2005 time and be the first wooden hull to Dawson.
Race hard, suffer gracefully, and finish in Dawson smiling!
Bio: 2005 and 2006 YRQ: multi-week trips in the Canadian shield area, Yukon River, and the Oldman River.
2006 YRQ, support crew in 2005, sprint kayak/canoe racing in Western Canada: trips down the Oldman River, Kootenai River, Yukon River, and lakes in western Canada.
Team #: 10
Team Name:
Buckshot
Class: Tandem Canoe - Mixed
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Jim Buckingham
Linz Buckingham
St. John's, NL, Canada
St. John's, NL, Canada
44
18
male
female
Race Goals:
To improve on last year's time and take the short route to Dawson!
To improve on last year's time and still be talking to my Dad by the end of the race!
Bio: YRQ 2006.
YRQ 2006.
Team #: 11
Team Name:
Determinator
Class: Tandem Kayak - Mixed
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
William Reitzer-Smith
Ann M. Reitzer-Smith
Addison, TX, USA
Addison, TX, USA
47
52
male
female
Race Goals:
I am going to stay as far ahead of Ann as I can. If I can make her chase me the whole way, we should finish in a good position!
I am going to stay close to Bill for the entire race!
Bio: 2005 YRQ (scratched), 2006 solo kayak finish: 2006 YRQ.
Colorado River 100, Mississippi Phatwater (45 miles): support crew for Bill at 2005 and 2006 YRQ, US Army, Advanced Wilderness First Aid.
Team #: 12
Team Name:
W.C. Squared
Class: Tandem Kayak - Men
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
William S. Crew
William T. Crew
Burlington, ON, Canada
Burlington, ON, Canada
23
55
male
male
Race Goals:
To complete YRQ 2007 while spending quality time training and competing with my Dad.
To finish the race to the best of our ability, while having a great time with my son.
Bio: No race experience: rafted Yukon River from Whitehorse to Emmonak in summer of 2006.
No race experience: paddled on Lake Ontario.
Team #: 13
Team Name:
All the Way
Class: Single Kayak - Male
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Darren Crocker
Crowthorne, Berkshire, UK
37
male
Race Goals:
To win, or maybe, just make the cut off's, you never know.
Bio: No big race, only local club: kayak, camp the Athabasca, two months Chille Sea and white water, month on the Yukon River kayaking and camping, and plenty of backpacking and survival courses.
Team #: 14
Team Name:
Kisseynew
Class: Voyageur Canoe
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Martin Bernardin
Paul Haynes
Derek Eftoda
Zenon Kucheran
Gordon Moise
Ken Wallis
Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Clearwater River, SK, Canada
Clearwater River, SK, Canada
Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Saskatoon, SK, Canada
D'Arcy, SK, Canada
34
33
30
30
39
54
male
male
male
male
male
male
Race Goals:
Enjoy the ride.
Meet new people, see new places, stay awake, paddle hard.
To finish.
Be fast, be strong, finish well...and enjoy the experience to the fullest.
Enjoy the scenery.
Primarily to finish.
Bio: YRQ 2006, SCCQ 2005: lots of wilderness river experience.
SCCQ: various northern Canadian rivers.
SCCQ: various northern river tripping experience.
Saskatchewan Centennial Canoe Quest, five years Dragon boat racing: rivers in Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
YRQ 2006, SCCQ 2005: too many rivers and lakes.
SCCQ, YRQ 2006: Churchill River, Saskatchewan River.
Team #: 15
Team Name:
Yukon Raider
Class: Single Kayak - Male
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Brad Pennington
Houston, TX, USA
39
male
Race Goals:
To win the Solo Kayak class.
Bio: 400 mile Raid World Championship France 2005; 2005 Raid World Cup 120 miles, Norway/Sweden, Oregon; 2004 Raid World Cup 120 miles Western Australia; 2003 Raid World Cup 120 miles Scotland, France/Italy, Spain, Idaho; 2002 Raid Gauloises 620 miles northern Vietnam; 2000 Eco-Challenge 320 miles Malaysian Borneo: Kayak/canoe experience, competitive and expedition includes the Da Nang River, Ba Be Lake and Ha Long Bay (Vietnam), Loch Ness and Spey River (Scotland), Lac Leman (Switzerland), Isere River and Lake Annecy (France), Segama River and Celebes Sea (Borneo), Columbia River (Canada), Salmon River (Idaho), various fjiords and rivers (Norway), Palau/Micronesia, etc.
Team #: 16
Team Name:
Team WHOA
Class: Voyageur Canoe
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Patricia Clune
Susan McVeigh
Robin McDowell
Susan McDowell
Sarah Darroch
Marie Dunn
Ginette Young
Shelley Gellatly
Bernadette Nagle
Elizabeth McIlroy
Toronto, ON, Canada
Toronto, ON, Canada
Geneva, Illinois, USA
Markham, ON, Canada
Toronto, ON, Canada
Toronto, ON, Canada
Oakville, ON, Canada
Whitehorse, YT, Canada
Toronto, ON, Canada
Toronto, ON, Canada
50
50
47
52
44
51
52
43
55
49
female
female
female
female
female
female
female
female
female
female
Race Goals:
To keep the contents of the boat to a minimum, stay out of the water and off the shore!
To be in Dawson City for Happy Hour on Saturday and to heartily enjoy myself on Lake LaBerge...stroke by stroke by stroke...
The Finish line! and perhaps one less crash than last year...maybe.
To have fun, improve last year's time and keep up with the "other ladies".
To finish alive!
To stay dry and learn to like Lake LaBerge!
To complete the race and have fun, fundraise.
To meet some crazy gals, see the river, have a great time!
To enjoy the event and stay dry.
To finish smiling - faster than last year.
Bio: Yukon River Quest 2003, 2005, 2006.
Yukon River Quest 2005 and 2006.
River Quest 2006.
2006 YRQ.
No race experience: no wilderness river experience.
Yukon River Quest 2006 with Team WHOA: canoe trips in northern Ontario.
No race experience: no wilderness river experience.
Worked as athletic therapist/first aid Carmacks for three years, crewed for several teams, Yukon Arctic Ultra, etc: several long distance trips in NWT and Manitoba, white water kayaking.
Yukon River Quest 2006.
Voyageur canoe 2006, 2005.
Team #: 17
Team Name:
Flower Power
Class: Single Kayak - Female
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Ingrid Wilcox
Whitehorse, YT, Canada
59
female
Race Goals:
To improve on my best time; to break 55 hours; and to keep Heinz in sight!
Bio: 2000 YRQ, 2002 - 2006 YRQ: assorted rivers in the Yukon, Colorado, Mexico, and Chile.
Team #: 18
Team Name:
Tractor Boy
Class: Single Kayak - Male
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Andrew Jillings
Clinton, NY, USA
41
male
Race Goals:
To finish in the top two-thirds - no loss or gain of life.
Bio: No race experience, however, I have been teaching Outdoor Education, including wilderness tripping and survival at the college level, for 14 years: Magpie River, Quebec, July 2005: 6 day self-supported whitewater kayak trip (class V); two times lead, Florida Everglades "Wilderness Waterway" 2004, 2006; hundreds of single day whitewater and sea kayak trips.
Team #: 19
Team Name:
Water Wanderer
Class: Single Kayak - Male
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Eric Kocher
Atlanta, GA, USA
59
male
Race Goals:
Share a smile, a laugh, and a bear hug with each competitor!
Bio: 2004, 2005, 2006 YRQ, Great Mississippi River Race: extensive wilderness river experience.
Team #: 20
Team Name:
Kisseynew Skookum Asphalt
Class: Voyageur Canoe
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Michael Bernardin
Ryan Martin
Brad Stone
Dan Girouard
Jimmy Peter MacDonald
Dennis Fosseneuve
Edmonton, AB, Canada
Whitehorse, YT, Canada
Sherwood Park, AB, Canada
Whitehorse, YT, Canada
Saskatchewan, Canada
Cumberland House, SK, Canada
32
35
31
29
22
39
male
male
male
male
male
male
Race Goals:
Paddle hard - enjoy the scenery.
Improve on last year's time and have fun.
To finish and have fun!
To finish in the top three in voyageur category.
To help my team win the race.
Paddle hard and be a part of an adventure.
Bio: YRQ 2006, SCCQ 2005: Churchill, Paul, and Hayes Rivers.
YRQ 2006: Yukon, MacMillan, and Pelly Rivers.
No previous race experience: several years whitewater and flatwater racing. Nothing this big!!!
Eight years of sprint canoeing and completed the ninety mile race in the Adirondacks in 1996: experienced river kayaker.
SCCQ: whitewater canoe instructor/guide, NWT (Tazin, Taltson, Schmundt, Abitau Rivers), Saskatchewan (Porcupine, Paul, Clearwater and countless other rivers).
2006 YRQ, other races in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Michigan: many rivers.
Team #: 21
Team Name:
Grandma Bun Bun
Class: Single Kayak - Female
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Linda Bourassa
Whitehorse, YT, Canada
54
female
Race Goals:
To finish the race feeling great! Not get sick on Lake LaBerge, have fun, beat my previous best time.
Bio: Six years Yukon River Quests: six years YRQs plus training.
Team #: 23
Team Name:
EMS
Class: Solo Canoe - Open
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Steven Landick
Marquette, MI, USA
54
male
Race Goals:
To enjoy the scenery.
Bio: 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006 Yukon River Quests: Sturgeon River sloughs.
Team #: 24
Team Name:
Class: Single Kayak - Female
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Susan Dunsmore
Eagle River, AK, USA
42
female
Race Goals:
To finish, hopefully, somewhere other than last.
Bio: No race experience: 2000 paddled the length of the Yukon River System (Lake Bennett to Bering Sea) in a solo canoe, many other 3 - 14 day paddles in Alaska and New England.
Team #: 25
Team Name:
Yukon Water Women Two
Class: Tandem Canoe - Women
Members:
Name
Location Age M/F
Patricia McKenna
Elizabeth Bosely
Whitehorse, YT, Canada
Whitehorse, YT, Canada
53
43
female
female
Race Goals:
To enjoy the beauty and strength of the Yukon River one more time in the Yukon River Quest Race.
To watch three sunsets and three sunrises (maybe two sunrises if we're really fast!!)
Bio: 2002 YRQ first place Tandem Canoe Women, 2004 first place Tandem Canoe Women,