Changing Worlds

Where it started

Josh and I first worked together when he was 14.

Back then, freestyle was the environment. Like so many young paddlers around Burners, it gave him somewhere to learn, experiment, be challenged and begin discovering what he was capable of.

But Burners was never supposed to prescribe where that journey should end.

As Josh grew, his interests developed too. Eventually his paddling took him away from freestyle and towards surf kayaking.

Changing worlds

Moving into another discipline didn't mean starting again.

The experiences travelled with him.

Curiosity. The willingness to analyse what was happening. The ability to keep working at something difficult. And increasingly, the confidence to take responsibility for his own development.

Years later, Josh and I began working together again — this time with him as an international surf kayaker and full-time aircraft engineer.

The environment had changed completely.

And so had the coaching relationship.

Our work became increasingly collaborative: video analysis, conversations, shared tools and reflections immediately after sessions. Rather than simply being given answers, Josh became increasingly involved in finding them.

Making it his own

Surf kayaking isn't my competitive discipline.

That became part of what made the relationship interesting.

Josh brought the specialist understanding of his sport. My role became asking questions, noticing patterns, challenging thinking and helping him build a process through which he could understand his own performance.

In March 2025, that journey took him to Steamer Lane in California, where he won the HP Surf Open at the Santa Cruz Paddlefest. [This result is stated on the old Josh page.]

But this Burners story isn't really about winning in Santa Cruz.

It's about a young freestyle paddler whose world became bigger.

The discipline changed. The ambitions changed. The relationship changed.

The development travelled with him.