Executive Director & Head Coach

Gavin Jaeger-Freeborn
Gavin is from Calgary Alberta where he has been paddling for over 16 years. Gavin has competed and coached at a variety of levels. He has national medals in the U17, U19, Junior, and Senior categories for both singles and team boats. Gavin also represented Canada at Junior worlds in 2015 for both C2 and C4. His love for paddling led him to coaching in 2015. He has acted as a coach at both the Calgary Canoe Club as well as the Mic Mac Amateur Aquatics Club. He also acted as a technical coach for the Alberta Womens Canoe to prepare for Canada Summer Games in 2016. Outside of paddling Gavin is also taking Software
Engineering at the University of Victoria.
coach@flatwaternorth.ca

Regatta Ready Coach

Makenna MacAuley
Makenna is from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and has been paddling with the Saskatoon Racing Canoe Club for eight years. During this time, she has competed in sprint kayak at the 2019 Western Canada Games and the 2019 National Championships. Makenna has previously been involved in wrestling during the off-water season, has spent the summer of 2018 exploring eastern Canada and Japan. In her free time, she enjoys camping, cross-country skiing, and hiking. Currently, she is entering her second year of post-secondary, working towards a degree in Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan. Makenna is excited to join Flatwater North this summer to share her experiences and help to build a strong team of paddlers​.

Bruce Porter
Bruce has lived in Yukon his whole life and enjoys exploring the territory. He has been on the paddling team for many years and has watched the club grow! This will be his second year working at Flatwater North and he is excited to continue learning how to be a better coach and athlete. He attended the Western Canada Summer Games in 2019 for sprint kayak and has attended many regattas. He is heading into Grade 11 at F.H. Collins and has spent two semesters in outdoor experiential programs. He also spends his time training for biathlon and doing microplastic analysis. Bruce is looking forward to meeting eager young paddlers and helping them develop their passion for the sport!

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Canoe Kids Coaches

Danni Wilkie-Hobus
Danni is born and raised in the Yukon and attends F.H Collins in french immersion. She's been paddling since she was little and has sprint canoed and kayaked for 5 years. Danni kayaked in the 2017 Canada Summer Games and participated in multiple other regattas. She also played soccer for 12 years and competed for 3 years, including the Western Canada Games, Arctic Winter Games and Nationals. Danni was an assistant snowboard instructor for 1 year at Mt. Sima and coached Timbit Soccer for 3 years . Danni loves spending her summers on the water and enjoys the outdoors. She is excited to be a Canoe Kids coach and share her knowledge of paddling with the next generation.

Rogan Parry
Rogan started paddling as part of the Canoe Kids program 6 years ago and from there has developed a love for sprint kayaking.  He spends all his summer days at the lake training or working.  This is his second year working with Flatwater North.  Over the years, he has been fortunate to compete at the Canada Summer Games 2017, the Western Canada Summer Games 2019 and the Canoe Kayak Canada 2019 Nationals. Rogan is fully bilingual from attending elementary at École Émilie Tremblay, and currently attends french immersion ​high school at FH Collins.  He is excited to be able to help deliver programs at the club and to pass on his knowledge and his passion for the sport. When Rogan is not on the water, he can be found doing range of sports including mountain biking, alpine skiing, and hockey.