Roger Parsons (CAN)

Roger Parsons was involved in many aspects of whitewater paddling from his early days, beginning in 1959. He was one of the few home-grown pioneers of the sport in Canada. As a climber and a member of the Alpine Club of Canada, he met European immigrants who were both climbers and whitewater paddlers. It was through them that he was introduced to whitewater. He was hooked and carried the torch for more than 50 years.

Among his many roles as a pioneer in whitewater in Canada, Roger was a competitor, a river-runner and a wilderness river tripper. He is primarily known for his activities building the sport from the ground up, as an instructor and coach, a race organizer, an organization founder, an international official, a trainer of officials, a recruiter, a mentor, a promoter, a fundraiser, a boat builder and designer. There is hardly an aspect of the sport in its present-day form in Canada that Roger did not have a hand in. His most significant role was that of a visionary and facilitator. Today, in paddling circles, he is most widely remembered as the founder and overseer of the Minden Wild Water Preserve on the Gull River in Ontario, Canada.

Because of his involvement in whitewater both directly, through his actions, and indirectly, through the people he mentored and the organizations he helped create, thousands of people have had the opportunity to experience whitewater paddling. This legacy continues today.

Roger spent decades organizing, running and helping facilitate races locally, in Ontario, across Canada and within North America. This included the inaugural North American Cup in 1986, subsequent Pan-American Championships in 1988 and World Cup events in 1989, 1993 and 1995 held in Ontario. At the 2015 Pan Am Games Slalom on the Gull River in Ontario, he finally got to be a spectator at the site he developed.