Principals
International Guides
Kayak Instructors
Support Staff
International Guides
Kayak Instructors
 Ben Focht Ben has been kayaking since 1999 and is enjoying his fifth season instructing. An avid climber, mountain biker, and skier, Ben's love of the outdoors shines through in everything he does, especially when teaching kayaking. His favorite river trip was on the Lochsa River in Idaho. "At peak flows you just can't beat it for continuous, thromping whitewater", says Ben. |
 Julie Fuller Julie has a passion for kayaking that is the main driving force in here life. "Nothing makes me happier than time spent in my kayak," she says. A re-transplant to the Front Range from the Durango area, Julie especially enjoys teaching other women to kayak. Julie is part of our 'Team Exploratory" and loves to travel internationally. She is a nurse in her other life. |
 Phil Fuller Know affectionate to us as "Phil-Bob" you will never find this man without a smile on his face. Whether he is playboating or simply running calls in the ambulance - yep, he's a paramedic too - you will be quite pleased to have Phil helping you out. Another prominent member of "Team Exploratory" you can find Phil hunkered down in the back of pick-ups all over the world. |
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 Reed Koeneke Reed was born in a kayak - just ask his mother! He is one of our top playboating specialists and loves to teach to everyone. Reed is just returning from a kayaking world tour in Latin America. Another member of Team Explorato, we expect that he will be leading trips down there for us in the upcoming seasons. |
 Preston Martinez Preston,or Ponch as he is also known, comes to the RAGuides table with 14 years of kayaking experience - he is returning for his fifth season of teaching with us. Former raft guide trainer and safety kayaker, Ponch is alway quick with a one-liner to get a smile on your face. With 9 years of teaching under his belt, Ponch has a few tricks to get you started on the right stroke. Preston's ideal day of kayaking is one with great company and big water. |
 Blake Dimeff Blake is a newcomer to RA Guides, but don’t let this fool you. This guy has been kayaking since he was a child, and still has his old-school RPM to prove it! Yet another of the Renaissance entrepreneurial team, Blake has his own clothing company, Crestfallen Designs, but despite his busy schedule, always finds time to have fun paddling with you. |
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 Gary Mullins Gary is well know throughout the land as the guy who would give you the drytop off his back, he is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He is extremely proficient in troubleshooting your roll. Be wary, his smile is contagious. Former World's team member in C1, we are excited to have Gary on our staff. |
 Eric “the Missile” Bissel Eric is another of Renaissance’s new instructors, as well as one of the best playboaters on the Front Range. When he’s not busy winning every competition from FibArk to the Golden Rodeo, Eric can be found hanging out in the river, sharing his love of play boating with other paddlers or teaching for our beginner classes. |  Michael Dannecker We are happy to welcome Mike back for his second year of kayak teaching for RAguides. A relocated sailboat captain, Mike is happy to be in a kayak whenever he can, passing that love of boating on to you. You can find him teaching skiing for disabled kids in the winter or working at his real job as an environtmental consultant. |
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 Jason O’Hare Jason first came to RA Guides as a student, but quickly discovered why we all love to teach – sharing a sport you love is fun. Since then, we haven’t been able to keep him out of the pool, teaching basics and roll classes, whenever he is not working on his own paddling skills at the Golden Playpark. |
Ken Hensel Ken's love for water starts high on the continental divide - he is an avid tele skier that gets in over 60 days a year and still keeps a fulltime job. The only thing that gets him out of his ski boots in spring is his kayak. On weekends you can find him playing at Golden's Play Park or in Glenwood Springs. His previous experience as a trainer makes him an excellent teacher. Spending a little time with Ken will have you rolling upright in no time at all. |
 Fred Regis Just to add more cultural diversity to the mix at Renaissance, we brought French-Canadian Fred on board. Despite his “real job” as an electrical engineer, Fred still manages to make time for both recreational paddling and teaching, and his ever-present smile and sense of humor will having you smiling as you learn, every time. |
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 Ty Tuff A grad student at the University of Colorado in his real life, Ty teaches our ACA instructor and rescue certification classes. With his laid-back attitude, classes with Ty won’t even feel like work, but you’ll come out knowing a lot more than you did before. |
 Kevin Bird Kevin is our rescue specialist - not that we try to get our students in rescue situations! Kevin teaches our Rescue 3 Whitewater Rescue Technician classes, but he's a hard man to get a hold of. Another travel-addicted RA Guides instructor, it's rare to find Kevin at home. |
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Andrew Sparks Andrew is our tech guru, currently on a summer internship at RA Guides, following in his big sister’s footsteps. Andrew is another travel addict, having spent his childhood all over South-east Asia. When he’s not working to keep our computer system running, Andrew can be found out on the river, working hard to perfect his roll. |
Lily Young Here at Renaissance, we believe in starting them young. At just over 1 year old, Lily has already developed a love of climbing and, no doubt helped by her dad, Mike, has already been introduced to touring kayaks. While her current contribution to Renaissance is limited to occasional input on phone calls, we expect big things from her in the future. |
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