• Home:  Gainesville, Georgia

Birthdate: 7/2/1992
Height: 6'4"
Discipline: Sprint Canoe
Current Residence: Gainesville, Ga.
College: North Georgia College and State University - Physics Major
Club: Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club (LCKC)

Career Highlights:

  • 2010 U.S. National Championships - 7 gold medals
  • 4-time Member of US Junior National Sprint Team: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010
  • competed in C2/C1 at the 2009 ICF Junior Canoe Sprint World Championship in Moscow
  • competed in Senior and Junior races at 2010 Pan American Championships in Mexico City

Recent Results:

  • 2011 US National Sprint Team Member
  • 2011 World Championships in Szeged, Hungary: 8th in C4 1000m A Final, 7th in C1 200m B Final, 9th in C1 1000m semifinals, 8th in C2 500m heats
  • 2011 World Cup No. 3 in Duisburg, Germany: reached semifinal in C-1 200m (9th in semi) and 500m (8th in semi), knocked out in heats for C-1 1000m (9th in heat)
  • 2011 World Cup No. 2 in Racice, Czech Republic: reached semifinal in C-1 500m (9th in semi), knocked out in heats for C-1 200m (8th in heat)
  • 2011 US Sprint Team Trials: 1st in C1 1000m, 2nd in C1 200m
  • 2X 2011 National Champion: C-2 500m (with Ian Ross); C-4 1000m

Honors:

 

  • 2010 LCKC Male Paddler of the Year
  • 3-time LCKC Junior Paddler of the Year: 2007-2009
  • 2009 LCKC Sportsmanship Award
  • Eagle Scout
  • Georgia Merit Scholar

Personal:

  • Job: college student
  • Hobbies: intramural sports like dodgeball and ultimate frisbee, reading, camping
  • Quote: "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."
  • How'd you get started? I started out kayaking in 2005, in the middle school program, at the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club.  In 2006 my coaches, Dave and Devri Robertson, encouraged me to try canoeing.   It was definitely the right decision.  As a first year senior, I am very encouraged with my progress and am very excited about the future.
  • Who's your mentor and why? My mentor is my coach, Claudiu Cuir.  As a medalist in canoe at the 2003 World Championships, he has a wealth of knowledge in the canoe field.  He has helped me develop my skills and is helping me work toward my goals in the sport.  Most of all, he believes in me and has helped me build confidence in myself.
  • Trivia: I am an Eagle Scout and while on a camping trip, I was bitten by a copperhead when I was 12 years old.  I was named a Georgia Merit Scholar which means that, academically, I was in the top 5% of all seniors in Georgia who graduated in 2010.

Ben is a member of the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club where is has been paddling since he was 13.  Ben started out kayaking but his former coaches, Dave and Devri Robertson, had the forethought to put him in a canoe and that is where he has been ever since!