Well... nothing, really.  If anything, I have distinguished myself as a paddler by not really distinguishing myself as a paddler.
     Look, I'm not going to sit here and pretend that there's nothing vain or narcissistic about this website, because that would be a lie.  I tend to suffer from a delusion that other people should think my life and my friends and the paddling we do are as great as I think they are.  That's why you'll see a lot of pictures of my friends and me out playing on the water.
     Call me an egomaniac if you must, but I do consider myself a competent boater who has managed to learn a thing or two, and the least I can do is share what I know so that others might learn something a little bit faster than I did.  Going out and firing people up with my charismatic leadership has never been my strong suit, but I can still chip in from the security of my computer keyboard.  And so that's a primary purpose of my Paddling Page.
     And then there's my desire to get our sport a little mainstream recognition.  Since my first time in a canoe, paddling a boat has seemed like the most natural thing in the world for a fellow to do.  And yet a puzzling number of people don't seem to feel that way--people who think that anybody who goes out on a river in a kayak or canoe should be slapped with a huge fee for the elaborate rescue that will surely be necessary, or, better yet, locked up behind bars.
     Here's a novel, radical idea: we paddlers are the normal people.  We are the ones who relish life and are fascinated with our world.  Instead of "Why on earth would you want to go out on that river?" the question should be "Why don't YOU want to go out on that river?"
     Solidarity, brothers and sisters.
     Now, go check out the rest of the site.