CanoeSport Outfitters

Jeff started canoeing in 1975 when his dad purchased an aluminum canoe. The two spent hours using it as a fishing boat on a small lake outside of Farmington in Southeast Iowa. Later they began using it for short excursions on the Des Moines River between Bonaparte and Farmington.

In 1988 Jeff turned his attention to a new endeavor and began publishing Canoeing Iowa Magazine. This quarterly magazine detailed two to four paddling routes of 15 to 30 miles on various Iowa Rivers. Jeff paddled all of the routes personally and wrote the articles. This experience allowed him to log more than 1,000 solo canoeing miles on all the major waterways in Iowa.

In May of 1992 Jeff opened CanoeSport Outfitters, a retail store dedicated to promoting the sport of paddling. His paddling interests turned to whitewater kayaking as he frequently spent time on the Class II and III stretches of the Kettle River and the St. Louis River in Minnesota between Minneapolis and Duluth. Since then he's also paddled whitewater on the Green River and the Nantahala in the Carolina's, as well as the Knife River north of Duluth.

In 1998 Jeff earned a Level 3 ACA Sea Kayak Instructor Certification. He attained his Level 2 Coaching Certification through the British Canoe Union as well as a 4 Star Paddler rating in 2007. In 2012 he acquired his Level 4 ACA Sea Kayak Open Water Instructor Certification. He’s also been a guest instructor at the Inland Sea Kayak Symposium in Bayfield, WI. He’s guided dozens of trips in the Everglades, taken clients to the Louisiana Coast, the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, the Boundary Waters in Minnesota, and the Georgia Coast. 

Along with all his Iowa paddling trips Jeff has paddled Lake Superior, Lake Powell in Utah, the west coast of Vancouver Island, Tybee Island in Georgia, Matagorda Bay in Texas, Horn Island off the Mississppi Coast, the Appalachicola Bay in Florida, and more. He’s circumnavigated the North Core Bank in the Outer Banks in North Carolina, paddled a seven-day solo trip in the Everglades, and paddled the length of the Georgia Coast from Cumberland Island to Tybee Island and back.

Shireen began paddling in 2008. Previously a social worker Shireen discovered kayaking walking by CanoeSport Outfitters on her lunch breaks. Having never been in a kayak before she jumped into Fundamentals I and II in April during a thunderstorm. Even after a slightly rough start her interest in kayaking grew. She began working for CanoeSport at the rental business at Lake Ahquabi part time. She bought her first kayak after just a few short months of paddling and has never looked back! By May of 2010 she quit her day job as a social worker and came to work full-time with CanoeSport.

Shireen has paddled on Lake Red Rock and many local rivers. She’s paddled the Louisiana Coast near Cypremort Point and the Georgia Coast near Tybee Island. She’s been on nearly a dozen Everglades trips and has paddled at several places along the Florida Gulf Coast. For the past 5 years she's also guided trips up to the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior. She’s also experienced the Boundary Waters by canoe. And after all that; every March she enjoys taking University of Iowa students to Lake Powell for a week long trip!

In 2012 she earned an ACA Level 2 Essentials of Stand Up Paddling Instructor Certification. In 2016 she upgraded her kayak certification to a Level 3 Coastal Kayak Instructor. 

Shireen has guided trips to the Everglades, Apostle Islands, Louisiana Coast, Lake Powell, and Lake Red Rock. She’s conducted several introductory courses for primitive camping. She currently teaches Stand Up Paddling classes, Stand Up Yoga clinics, and many of our Kayaking Fundamentals courses. 

In the shop Shireen enjoys introducing people to the fun of paddling and doing most of our boat repairs. She’s worked at getting CanoeSport into the technological age and now handles most of the website duties and social media for CanoeSport.

When Shireen isn't paddling she enjoys backpacking, reading, baking bread, and raising rabbits.

Sam started kayaking in 2017 after watching a friend paddle an inflatable kayak. The next year, he attended Iowa Paddlesport Expo at CanoeSport Outfitters followed by an Eddyline Demo where he purchased an Eddyline Fathom. He started to develop his paddling through many instructional courses taught by CanoeSport staff, and joined them on several instructional trips to Tybee Island, where he discovered a love for coastal kayaking. Sam has also paddled many lakes and rivers around the mid-west including northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Missouri. 

Sam retired from his job in 2021 and packed up his home to live in an RV with his dogs and family. He began wintering in California at federal parks and volunteering for the Stanislaus River Project. He’s gained many coastal kayaking skills paddling in the bays of San Francisco and San Diego as well as Baja. In 2024 he received his ACA Level 4 Open Water Coastal Certification and continues to improve his rock gardening and big surf paddling every winter. 

In the summers, around Iowa, Sam volunteers with the Army Corp at Lake Red Rock. He assists with intro to paddling classes as well as leads tours with CanoeSport Outfitters. He attributes his knowledge of kayaking to many of the instructors and paddling friends that helped him get into the sport. Now teaching and leading tours gives Sam the opportunity to pay it forward, helping other paddlers enjoy the love of kayaking. When he’s not thinking about paddling Sam enjoys spending time with his dogs. He has competed in AKC dog agility courses, herding activities, and is always helping dogs find foster families by hosting dogs in his home or working with rescue organizations to find adoptive families. 

At the age of 3 months Riley became a regular at CanoeSport Outfitters beginning her career as the official CanoeSport merchandiser. For several years she insisted on everything being several feet above the floor. She emphatically showed her displeasure with anything different by pulling it down and rearranging it on the floor. Since then she’s cycled through a variety of responsibilities in the store. 

Riley went kayaking and stand up paddling on the Georgia Coast in 2012 at the age of three. A few months after her fourth birthday she accompanied the CanoeSport crew on a four day, five night canoeing and primitive camping trip in the 10,000 Island area of the Everglades. She’s kayaked and stand up paddle boarded at Lake Ahquabi, Raccoon River Park, and several other central Iowa waterways. On Christmas of 2023, she accompanied her dad on a hiking trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. 

As of more recently, she works at both Lake Ahquabi and Raccoon River Park and occasionally in the store. She also helps Shireen with the the social media and marketing of the store and rentals. Riley also works across the street from the retail store at Corner Sundry when she isn’t working at the lakes. When she’s not working, she enjoys color guard, dance, show choir, and playing instruments. She is currently in the process of becoming a certified SCUBA diver!

Jeremy bought his first canoe at CanoeSport mid 2010's. He enjoyed getting his family outdoors and fishing. After the kids grew up he got into sea kayaking and has taken several kayaking classes working his way to become proficient in rescues and paddling technique. He has paddled many local lakes and rivers including Lake Red Rock and Lake Rathbun. He has also joined CanoeSport staff paddling in the Apostle Islands, Tybee Island, and along several parts of the Mississippi River. His favorite place to paddle is the waves off the coast of Tybee Island.

Jeremy is often seen at one of our rental facilities helping customers into boats or assisting with classes and tours. Outside of work he enjoys raising chickens, gardening, hiking at local parks, and cooking up tasty dinners.