As a young kid I first saw kayaking on TV.  I became quickly enthralled with the kayakers weaving in and out of the gates on the slalom course; it was the way they moved with the water.  Just watching the way the river moved on the screen, something woke up in me.  I was too young to describe what I felt. I simply said to my parents, “I’m gonna do THAT one day.”  Their response was like any other parent’s response at the time would have been, “no, that’s too dangerous, Boyd.”  I was completely hooked from that moment on.  I couldn’t stop thinking about it.  Years later, my dad found out that a friend at work was a canoer, and also kayaked.  He convinced my dad it could be safe for me to learn and that he knew some people that could help get me started on borrowed gear.  So finally, at 8 and half years old, I had the opportunity to give kayaking a try.  I’ve never felt so at home, so alive!  It was a tough road at first, overcoming my fear and personal limitations, more of the later.  I would never turn back. Thirteen years later, at 21, I’ve made it my ultimate goal in life to overcome all my fear, replacing it with my love for life!  Probably the best feeling I get now, other than a good freefall or a new creek under my belt, is sharing the incredible experience of paddling with other people.  I paddle professionally now, traveling the states for Fortress, Stohlquist, Jackson Kayaks, Snap Dragon, Kavu, Werner Paddles, and Gaia Paddlesports, sharing my love for paddling with others along the way!  My region of focus is the Southeast, US.  The hard part is balancing my love for paddling, with my responsibilities as a microbiology major and pre-physical therapy student at the University of Memphis.  Lucky for me, my best photographer is also my girlfriend, Samantha Brunner; at least that part’s easy.  Through paddling I’ve found that there’s no greater feeling than being fully alive in a single moment.