Water Safe Ohio

There are times when a sport brings together a group of people who find they all they the same passions and goals. And when this group of people also has the drive to start something important for the community, Water Safe Ohio is Born. Founded by Brennan Stinebuck, T.J. Keenan, and Trisha Garrettson, Water Safe Ohio’s mission is to carry on the passion they have found for the sport and make it accessible and safe for everyone.

Brennan first became obsessed with whitewater kayaking at 14 years old. With few resources around him, he learned the skills for playboating mostly from videos. With little whitewater close to him, he still practiced freestyle tricks in flatwater constantly, and made the 2.5 hour trip to East Race Whitewater Course as often as he could. It was here that he honed his skills for moving water, surfing, and freestyle tricks, and has since taken it to very high levels.

Mostly practicing on his own, and occasionally with local paddlers he would randomly be on the water with, one of Brennan’s goals with Water Safe Ohio is to be resource for newer, younger paddlers getting into the sport. He knows how important an adventure sport like whitewater kayaking can be a safe outlet for teens. And with few programs available to do this safely, he is pushing to offer these in schools and more, hoping that kids will find the same passion for the sport that he has appreciated so much in his own life.

T.J’s first experience with whitewater was simply looking at a Class 4 river in Colorado, and knowing that he wanted to be able to safely run something like that someday. His first experiences in a kayak were taught by his mother, and he immediately knew the therapeutic effect of being on the water. Helping him process his father’s passing, his goal is to help others find that some therapy on the water in the safest way possible.

While T.J. is now an accomplished whitewater paddler and playboater, one of his passions is teaching safety to new paddlers of all disciplines, even just relaxing recreational kayakers. Starting with the basics of PFD’s, paddling strokes, and entering and exiting kayaks safely, he gives people the confidence to push as far into the sport as they want.

Trisha was always active in other sports, but didn’t find the peace of being on the water until later in life. This peace and being so close to nature is what helped her become sober, and has continued to run with it for years. Quickly learning that she liked even the smallest ripples on easy rivers, she pushed herself to learn whitewater skills, and in that found the wonderful community of paddlers involved in that.

Her mission with Water Safe Ohio is to make this same therapy and community available to everyone. On the water, Trisha’s excitement and passion for the sport is contagious, and helps everyone push through their fears to more safely enjoy their time on the river.

Hearing that this group of people was starting a 501c3 Non-Profit to pass on their passions to the community was no surprise. Since then, they have hosted River Cleanups, Cold-Water Safety Seminars, Playboating Demonstrations for Children, and much more. Together, they are becoming a staple of resources for bringing people safely onto the water. With goals of getting kayaking available for school programs, their passion for what this sport has to offer bleeds into the community.

As much as the community needs a group like this to make sure newer paddlers have the resources to safely and confidently learn, they also need the boating community to support Water Safe Ohio. Come to their upcoming events, show newer paddlers how wonderful the boating community is, and help Water Safe Ohio be the resource people think of when getting into a boat for the first time.

Find them here:

Instagram @ WaterSafeOhio

Facebook @ WaterSafeOhio

Website - www.watersafeohio.org