The real strength of the BCU Student Safety Initiative is the staff team. With years of worldwide white water experience, not to mention loads of involvement with university clubs, these folks know their onions. Many folks are involved but here are the core team:
Tom Parker
Having got into kayaking 16 years ago because he was ‘rubbish at football’, Tom has since gone on to forge a career in white water kayaking, running his own company Tom Parker – Coaching and Guiding. Tom has paddled extensively in Europe, Canada, Nepal, Uganda, Morocco and Ecuador. A graduate of University of Wales, Bangor, he is a BCU level 5 coach, Rescue 3 Technician Instructor, Wilderness EMT and underrated comic legend, with a penchant for tea and curry.
Max Bilbow
Max Bilbow, also rubbish at football, started kayaking in North London in 1994 (Greenwich Mean Time).
10 years later he finally arrived – via the complicated English canal system – at Leeds University where he played an important role in the organisation of trips for Leeds University Canoe Club; pioneering their first of many trips to the French Alps in 2006.
In that same year, Max set up his coaching / video production / lifestyle company, Liquid Satisfaction which has since run successful courses in France, Norway, Uganda and in the UK; as well as releasing two kayaking DVDs in 2008: NSR 2008: The Movie! and the critically acclaimed Means of Production.
Since leaving university, he has spent many months kayaking, coaching and guiding around the globe and is currently training as a secondary school Maths teacher at Bangor University.
Chris Eastabrook
Chris is a Warwick Graudate, who lead many a trip for them and am now he is a Level 5a professional kayak coach working all over the UK and Europe. This gives him the university experience to know what goes on but also the professional knowledge that can give to some new ideas for your leadership. Chris has paddled all over the world; many of his adventures & photos can be found on www.chriseastabrook.co.uk!
Adam Dumolo
Went to Uni at Leeds, is a BCU Level 4 coach and is not very good at writing in the third person!
Without a doubt I learnt to paddle white water at Uni so I am a real believer in the University club boating system. I moved from Norfolk with the specific aim to go somewhere that I could kayak down a hill (the degree was a bonus I guess)
In my first year I was all over Yorkshire and the Lake District… it was sweet! This soon led to boating around Europe. Over time I became heavily involved with the running of the club trips and organised an NSR in 07 as well as being heavily involved with Liquid Satisfaction.
I have now finished at Uni and am working as a graphic designer in Birmingham, the spiritual home of whitewater kayaking in the UK …kinda… well not really!