Whether he's shredding the water or running his business, Tom Sherburne is making waves.
Sherburne, professional kayaker and founder of Shred Ready, feels at home slicing through rapids or behind a desk.
"Two years ago I took a trip to the Grand Canyon," Sherburne said. "Two hundred and fifty miles, all self-supported in a kayak, in the dead of winter. You're 14 days out in the desert with nothing but your kayak and your boots."
Sherburne said his passion for kayaking began when he saw it on television during the 1972 Olympics. From that moment, he knew he wanted to try the sport himself.
"I was in a Boy Scout troop with a guy who was taking some whitewater canoeing courses at the time," Sherburne said. "That's how I got started."
In 1996, Sherburne moved south in order to train for the U.S. Olympic slalom team. He practiced the entire year and made it to the final rounds.
"For the Olympics they only qualify one boat," Sherburne said. "There's only one guy who gets to go. I made it as far as I could on the development team and ranked 10th or 11th."
Throughout the training process, one of the biggest problems he faced was finding financial support.
"You need a lot of funding for the lower-level stuff," Sherburne said. "If you're not at the very top tier, there's not a lot of Olympic funding. So the main thing was money."
Sherburne's thirst for adventure and love of kayaking has taken him from the Grand Canyon to the Olympics to a small helmet company on the banks of the Tallapoosa river.
Sherburne co-founded the helmet manufacturer Shred Ready along with friend Greg Lang in 1996.
Lang, manager at Southern Trails, met Sherburne through their shared interest in kayaking.
The pair designed their first helmet while Sherburne was working with a local subcontractor on a custom boat for his Olympic training.
Lang said that marked the birth of Shred Ready.
"I always tell people necessity is the mother of invention," Lang said. "Neither one of us could find a cool helmet that we liked that fit us. That's how Shred Ready started--our heads were too big."
Already one of the top suppliers in the nation for water sports helmets, Shred Ready will soon be delving into winter sports as well.
Sherburne approaches both kayaking and business with the same optimism and determination.
"What really attracted me to kayaking is that you are the captain of your own boat," Sherburne said. "You set a goal, and you do your best to reach it."
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