TRR Informational Session, May 12th!

There will be an information/introductory session for interested veterans, family and staff on Wednesday, May 12th, at 5:00 PM in the Recreation Room on the Ground Floor of Building 160 at the VA Medical Center Mountain Home. The session will provide an overview of TRR, it's mission and goals, what veterans can expect if they participate, and an introduction to kayaking equipment. RSVP to teamriverrunnerjc@yahoo.com or just show up!

Weekly Pool Sessions

The schedule for pool sessions will change over the summer. We will have sessions on May 19th and 26th and June 9th and 16th. Pool sessions will be from 6:00 to 7:30 (but arrive early to get geared up).

River Trips

We started park and play sessions in May, and will continue these through the summer. Watch for weekend river trips as well.

Team River Runner History

Team River Runner (TRR) was established in August 2004 in the Washington , DC area. TRR is a primarily volunteer organization run by kayakers and overseen by a Board of Directors. Working in partnership with The Wounded Warrior Project and Disabled Sports USA, TRR gives active duty service members, veterans and their family members an opportunity to find health, healing, and new challenges through whitewater boating and other paddling sports. The benefits of TRR have as much to do with social support, finding emotional strength and re-creating personal identity as they do with athletics.

TRR gives discharged, retired and active duty military personnel an opportunity to heal from profound psychological and physical wounds by exploring the challenges of kayaking. For those recently injured, kayaking might be the first NEW skill they have a chance to learn – as opposed to re-learning a previously expert skill. Our paddlers, by choosing a positive life in the face of great disadvantages, will subtly and quietly change the lives of those they come in contact with, on and off the water, for the rest of their lives.

With the success of this initial program, TRR expanded to other Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) sites in 2007. In October, 2009, a pilot site was established to serve the TriCities area. The site is a collaboration between the Mountain Home VA Medical Center, ETSU, and TRR with assistance from local donors, businesses and organizations. The Johnson City site is staffed by experienced kayaker volunteers, including volunteers with ACA whitewater kayaking instructor certification, swift water rescue training, and wilderness first aid certification. The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina area is a mecca for whitewater kayaking and lake kayaking and many paddling adventures are a short drive away!

Locations