Terry Smith

Biographical: Weight? 195 Height? 6’3” How old are you? 40 Where did you grow up? Southeast Tennessee Personal Taste: Do you prefer more or less rocker for a creeker? Why? I like a medium rocker it feels more stable when the creeks get pumping. What rescue equip. do you carry? rope, float bags, first aid, prussic ,Breakdown, pulley,? I carry a rope, prussic, pulley, locking beaners, fire starter and flash light on most remote creeks. I like to have a break down paddle in the group but I don’t currently own one. I currently have air bags. Would you consider wearing a fullface helmet? Only if I were going to run some heinous drop that I thought my face was going to get ripped off, other wise I don’t think I would like one. I’ve only hit my face once in thirty years of paddling. Personal Preference: Bent Shaft or Straight, any reason why? Straight shaft. No good reason. Do you spend a lot of time outfitting a new boat or just make it fit? I just make it fit. I’m a larger paddler and I don’t need a lot of foam for my hips but I am particular about my thigh braces. I want my boat to move when I need it too. What's you favorite local hometown run? I’ve always liked Henderson Creek but Bear Creek is my real favorite classic. What are five cities in the U.S. that you would live in strictly for creeking purposes? Ashville, Chattanooga, Boulder, Fayetteville Do you feel play boats have a place on creeks? Example: Backyard type creeks. Not for me. Padling is a calculated risk sport and if you constantly push the limit you're more than likely to eventually have an accident and get hurt. But I’m sure it’s a lot of fun. Creeking vs. ... Do you prefer boating with boaters you know best or have boated with predominantly? Yes, I like to be with a group that knows each others ability’s and dynamics. Do you take bigger risks with these boaters? I usually feel more confident and will paddle harder creeks but I like to think I weigh out the risk no matter who I am with. Besides keeping their boat pointing downstream, what are the main differences between creekboaters and other genres? You could write a dissertation on this subject. I believe there are many different reasons people get into paddle sport. Some for fitness, some to be part of a group or a club and others for adventure. I’ve always creek boated because your doing something physical that is exciting and is usually in an area that is remote and spectacular with scenery. I like the adventure of doing something that takes a certain skill and is challenging but very rewarding. Is creekboating in its Golden Age or do you feel there will be lots more pioneered, greater levels, and lots more athletes to take this to the next level? I think creekboating is in its golden age. There will always be new athletes pushing the next level. However there is a degree of sanity that keeps in check what the next level will be. Compared to the other forms of kayaking would you say that creeking is more team oriented? Definitely! How would you describe differences between East Coast and West Coast creeking (word or paragraph) Which would you rather live in? Most of my paddling experience has been in the Southeast. I’ve always felt that we have a greater advantage than the paddlers out west. Our season is year long, and our drive time to creeks and rivers is very short. I rarely drive more than 100 miles to go boating. Western paddlers are usually dependent on the snow melt. I’ll always live in the Southeast when it comes to paddling. Epic: East Coast rapid that makes you really nervous, whats the first one that pops in your head? Gorilla West Coast rapid that makes you really nervous, what's the first one that pops in your head? What are some of the closest calls that youve had in your paddling career? My worst close call was flipping in Stairway to Heaven at 22” and smashing my face badly. I ran the second and third drop upside down on my head. I’m lucky my neck wasn’t broken from landing on my head at the bottom of the middle drop. Besides my broken nose and forehead the skin on my knuckles was ripped off to the tendons. I’ve also been vertically pinned a couple of times and once had to be pulled from my boat with only an air pocket for air. If you creek long enough your going to have some close calls. Have you lost a close paddling partner to a whitewater accident? How would you say that it changed your scope on whitewater activities in general, creeking, development? I’ve known several people who have lost their life paddling. Robin Dodd was my friend before he even got into paddling and he is greatly missed by many. Their deaths have not really changed my scope of paddling. They died doing what they loved to do. Considerations: Do you ever creek solo? Yes At what height(waterfall) do you feel the freefall gets a little nutty and maybe less controlled? Now days I don’t want to run anything that is to high. I’ve been through back surgery because of paddling so now I’m much more conservative on sheer vertical drops. With that said, I think running tall vertical drops takes more guts than skill. Paddlers who are dropping off 100 foot falls are asking for it in a big way! Development: Approx what year did you start creeking? That depends on what you consider creeking. I paddled the Tellico Ledges back in 1979 and Chattooga Section IV the same year. I attempted the Little River Suicide Section in 1982 at a very high level and didn’t go back for years because I thought the run was insane. I paddled North Chickamauga Creek in 1986 and thought at the time that it was best thing going. From there I progressed to all the other area creeks like the Green, Linville, Over Flow, Bear, etc. What was the first kayak you ever owned? Seda Dart How did you get into kayaking? My father took my brother and I rafting and canoeing on the Hiawasse and Nantahala and I eventually got my own kayak. Did you have any heroes growing up that you looked up to for their creeking/riverrunning abilities? Sure, Tommy Parham was my mentor when I was a kid and I definitely looked up to him. In my early years I looked up to Roger Scott as the hard core paddler in the area. As I got older Doug Wellman and Ron Stewart were big influences on me and my style of paddling. Who are some of your heroes in the creeking arena today? I think Clay Wright is great. Clay and I started paddling about the same time and he has managed to make a living at it and I admire him for all his accomplishments in the paddling world. What are some things that may have drawn you towards creeking when you were in your developmental stages? The adventure of going somewhere new where very few people will ever go and the adrenaline you get paddling class V have always drawn me to creeks. Also the solitude and beauty that remote steep creeks provide is very rewarding. Would you classify your development as attending the school of hard knocks or did you develop with patience waiting till you felt totally prepared mentally to run class V? I definitely developed with patience. I paddled many years before I was confident enough to paddle Class V creeks. What advice do you have for next generations boaters who want to explore the arenas you currently dwell in? I see a lot boaters advancing very quickly and getting into class V boating without a lot of experience under their belt. This could be a recipe for disaster. My advice would be to get as much experience as possible before you rush down a class V creek or make sure you’re with someone who knows all the ropes or you could end up dead pretty quickly. Experience is important and cutting corners in any high risk sport is dangerous. What has helped you to progress safely to more difficult water? Knowing my ability and confidence level at any given time has kept me from getting really hurt. You must know when to portage when you’re not feeling good and when to go for it when you’re feeling on. Do you currently have any sponsors? No In what ways has being sponsored helped/hindered your continuous development as a creeker? I only got sponsored once and it didn’t effect my paddling. How do you address doubts and fears while on difficult whitewater? I stay focused on the rapid at hand and try not to worry about what’s down stream. I also hum a tune. What do you do while not boating to condition yourself to be able to perform at a high level: (strength training, stretching, yoga, etc.) I’ve always crossed trained for paddling and rock climbing. There are a lot of good paddlers out there but most of them don’t stay in good shape. The older I get the more important weight training and cardiovascular fitness have become. What keeps you excited about creeking or kayaking in general? Honestly for the last 10 years I haven’t been too excited about paddling. I’ve always loved paddling but feel that it is boring for a person to be good at only one thing or only try to perfect one sport. Over the years I have directed my drive into climbing, biking and my career. But this past year, while teaching my daughter to paddle, I have reignited the paddling flame and plan on creeking as much as possible. I also have started wildwater racing and this has been very motivational and new for me. I plan on paddling the rest of my life but I have to have variety newness or I’m going to move on. Would you please provide a useful tip for creekboaters? Don’t run big drops that land in shallow water or you will damage your back and be very sorry. Any taboos you would like to mention to other creekboat hopefuls? I still don’t like to tie my boat on mycar backwards or drag my boat when portaging or walking into a creek. I heard these things were bad luck. Thanks for taking the time to answer Terry and appreciate the insight.