Away from the hard court, frozen ice and grassy fields, there is a world of sports that receives little recognition. For these sports, the field is a running river. From canoeing to kayaking to whitewater rafting, these magnificent activities are special because they drift away from the glory of primetime television into a picturesque scene of natural purity.

Wilson Bell ’05 is an avid kayaker who received sponsorship from Fluid Kayaks to appear in promotional videos for the Gauley River because of his ability to successfully paddle class-five rivers.

Bell is from Ashville, N.C., one of the most popular paddling sites in the nation. He began paddling in the seventh grade, when Gordon Grant took the time to teach him.

Bell started on the rivers in the Ashville area, including the Oconee, the Nantahala, the Green and the French Broad rivers.

“My favorite river to paddle in the area is the Green River,” Bell said. “It has class-five rapids that run 300 days a year because the river has a damn. The Green’s strong rapids make it a prime location for the best paddlers in the world.”

Bell is not a competitive kayaker, which means that he does not race. He mainly paddles hard rapids with close friends in his spare time.

Bell feels that he is experienced enough to paddle class-four or lower rapids alone when he is unable to find companions to paddle with. However, he always paddles stronger rapids in groups.

Bell said, “Since one of my close friends drowned while paddling, I have become more cautious and have tried to avoid paddling rapids that are too strong.”

In addition to kayaking, whitewater rafting is one of the most popular activities on the open river.

Eliza Janney, senior, spends her summers guiding rafts on rivers in West Virginia.

Janney started guiding rafts on the Shenandoah River during the summer after graduating high school and has not stopped since. Over the past two summers she has enjoyed a change in rivers by guiding on the New River.

The hardest part of being a raft guide is the training. To become certified to guide rafts, one must be able to swim over the rapids on the course of the river, in case anyone falls out of the boat. While working on these tasks one must also paddle the course of the river many times to learn the safest routes for the river.

After becoming a guide, the intense training pays off. The job consists of paddling the river with groups of people each day, which earns the guide $65 per trip, plus tips.

Janney said, “The purpose of the job is the enjoyment of paddling on the open river every single day.”

Whitewater rafting trips are organized by multiple organizations at Guilford College. The outdoor program takes trips for whitewater rafting on rivers in North Carolina.

First-Year Brian Bittner, who went on the Nantahala Avanti trip this past fall, said, “The trip is a good way to begin the Guilford experience. The trip on the river is quite adventurous and caused all of us to work on building team skills. Also, since not every person had paddled on whitewater before, it allowed more experienced paddlers to build leadership skills.