Josh Agripino, once a Marine Corps rifleman, is upside down in the Life Center pool, tucked inside a small red kayak with only a paddle to flip himself upright. Seconds tick by. Attendees look on anxiously, but coach Corey Volt waits.
Suddenly, a quick movement, a rush of water, a deep inhale of oxygen — Agripino is upright again, bobbing near a lane line. He had learned one of the most important aspects of kayaking, and is one step closer to his next big adventure with Team River Runner, an organization dedicated to helping veterans experience the thrills — and spills — of kayaking.
“Flipping back over is harder than I thought it would be,” says Agripino, an outdoor recreation coordinator with Upstate Warrior Solution. “It takes core strength, the correct paddle movement, and then you just cross your fingers and hope you get upright.”
Last time, he struggled to flip, and Volt didn’t intervene, but let him do a “wet exit”— as in, abandon ship and swim out. “It was a learning thing,” Agripino says.
Agripino knows the importance of helping veterans learn new skills and form bonds after their service is complete. In addition to being a veteran himself, he helps plan outdoor activities through his role at Upstate Warrior Solution, including skiing, archery, biking and fly fishing.
“Camaraderie is a huge part of outdoor recreation,” he says. “All of the events we do, that’s the number one reason vets come out.”
Rolling on the river with Team River Runner
Team River Runner was founded at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Bethesda, MD) in 2004 with the goal of offering injured veterans the opportunity to learn to kayak. While adaptations can be implemented as needed, the group strives to offer more: camaraderie, healing, immersion in nature, goal-setting and a sense of community involvement. Plus, as several participants point out, it’s just fun.
The organization now has more than 60 outposts across the nation, including a new one here in the Upstate, founded last November by Coast Guard veteran Chad Jones.
Jones first learned about the group when he served as a guide kayaker for veterans who were taking an 80-mile trip down the Salmon River in Idaho.
“I saw the powerful influence the trip had on them,” said Jones, including veterans with physical injuries as well as those with post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological challenges. “It forced me to want to do something more.”
When he settled in Greenville in 2019, he knew a chapter could benefit Upstate veterans. The national TRR organization donated boats and gear, and he built partnerships with Upstate Warrior Solution, Prisma Health and Foothills Paddling Club.
“We’re in a growing phase right now,” he says, with five or six veterans showing up at each practice so far. They are working toward a paddling trip to the U.S. Whitewater Center in Charlotte this spring, followed by a bigger trip out West.
He hopes that Vince Fee, who he met through Team River Runner, will join the Greenville chapter’s trip. Fee, a veteran who lost his eyesight, has had a profound impact on Jones. “He talked to me about how kayaking helped him get some of his independence back,” Jones says. “Seeing his development, the enthusiasm he acquired, and how it propelled him to do other things, that really planted a seed.”
According to Fee, who lives in Oklahoma, his paddle trips with Team River Runner offer “the perfect opportunity to get out of my bubble and try something new.” The trip showed him what he was capable of despite his disability after he set goals “and ended up exceeding them by far.”
Teamwork
Ross Alewine, who has several injuries from his time in the Army, has not let that slow him down, often competing in Department of Defense Warrior Games and even winning Ultimate Warrior, defeating representatives from all of the services.
He gets plenty of physical activity, including rowing, swimming, cycling and track, but says the draw of an activity like Team River Runner is the camaraderie. “It comes with being with guys like I’m used to being around when I was in the service,” he says.
Jones adds that people in the military learn to be responsible for their own actions, but also align with others to get through hazards, developing deep bonds. Kayaking is a natural fit for people with this mindset.
“Anything that’s outdoors, you reduce life to very simple terms, living in the present tense,” Jones adds. “You only focus on the task at hand, and the other veterans are there with you.”
Volt started helping out with the national Team River Runner organization in 2005, and it was a natural fit for him; he’s been a professional kayaker for 25 years. “I was traveling around the world kayaking, and when the opportunity arose, I wanted to give back to those who have given me the freedom to do what I do,” he says.
Volt, who competed in the World Freestyle Kayak Championships in 2009, is sponsored by Greenville-based Dagger Kayaks, which brought him to the area. He values how accessible kayaking can be, and fondly remembers a moment in Colorado when a group of injured vets was mistaken for his kayak buddies.
“The smirks that came on the faces of those vets,” he says with a laugh. “They rolled out of their boats, some with missing legs, and pulled out their prosthetics. It’s cool to do activities where people don’t even know you have a disability.”
Need to know
https://www.teamriverrunner.org
Founded: 2004; Greenville chapter: 2021
Organizer: Chad Jones, chad.jones@teamriverrunner.org
Partners: Foothills Paddling Club, Prisma, Upstate Warrior Solution
Up next: Trip to U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte
Opportunities: pool and open water sessions, quarterly local trips. Qualified paddlers can participate in national trips to Colorado, Idaho and the Caribbean.
Included: boats, outfitting, safety gear, instruction, transportation, food and lodging for trips
