I honestly don’t remember a time when I wasn’t rafting.

My parents met as river guides and raised my sister and me as whitewater kids, spending summers in Lotus, California, on the South Fork of the American River. Rafting has always been part of our family life — from day trips to multi-day expeditions on rivers like the Grand Canyon, the Tatshenshini, and the Middle, Main, and Lower Salmon.

Joining the Junior Guides Raft Camp is what really hooked me, though. It transformed rafting from a family activity into something I led and loved. That passion eventually evolved into starting a raft racing team. Today, the roles have almost reversed: my sister and I compete around the world, and our parents now join us as they captain their own teams as well.

My most epic swim was when I was 8, swimming Horn on the Grand Canyon. I was perched on top of the gear pile on my dad’s oar boat, holding on tight as he told me — one hand on a cam strap, the other on a lollipop. Then the strap snapped, and I went flying into the freezing water! I surfaced next to the boat, still clutching my lollipop, grabbed the perimeter line, and my dad pulled me back in. Definitely a swim I’ll never forget.