ACA Swiftwater Rescue Conference, 2023

It was an absolute Honor and Privilege to have been asked to present at the National Swiftwater Rescue Conference on the New River in West Virginia this past weekend. I taught alongside the giants, heroes, innovators, and founding fathers of Swiftwater Rescue- people like Charlie Walbridge, Mike Mather, Julie Munger and Jim Coffey… While it would have been easy to feel small or intimidated in their presence, instead I felt welcomed and respected as a peer. Yes, I am without a doubt the next generation, a fledgling within their presence- with SO much still to learn! But as the world of Swiftwater Rescue is still relatively young in its evolution, we are all still learning and evolving… And I have the advantage of learning from and standing upon the shoulders of these incredible humans, of whom I have somehow found myself within the ranks of… I am in utter AWE. It is with humble gratitude and awe that I reflect on this past weekend, and my roll within the whitewater industry at large. I am insatiably passionate about whitewater and about the industry that has sustained my life. I sometimes wonder at where I am in my career, but I accept it with gratitude, knowing that I am pathing the way for others, who like me, never fit the traditional mold of raft guide, but who also have the same utter LOVE of rivers that fuels the fire within…

~ Elisha McArthur