Dennis is an award-winning whitewater performance coach, receiving several accolades, including the British Canoeing (PaddleUK) Performance Coach of the Year and the World Paddle Award. He is also a member of the World Paddle Award Academy, a group of the most influential and legendary figures in paddlesport.
Developing a passion for whitewater kayaking at an early age, Dennis spent every available moment exploring his home county of Yorkshire or up in Scotland, on the mountainsides with his kayak, in search of waterfall and steep creeks, honing his skills. Inspired early in his career by Scottish legend Andy Jackson, Dennis dedicated himself to sharing his experiences with others. This passion led him to develop highly successful coaching programmes in the UK and abroad, including a pioneering youth programme aimed at building the skills needed to tackle the rewarding challenge of Grade 4(5) steep creeks and waterfalls in the UK.
Dennis has equal enthusiasm for freestyle and has been leading the Team GB Freestyle Performance Programmes since 2013. He played a key role in creating the GB Freestyle Performance Pathway to promote freestyle participation and athlete development; including founding the GB Freestyle Youth Academy.
An active member of the kayaking community. Dennis is keen to support projects, grow participation, and share knowledge and experiences. Having been a member of the British Canoeing Whitewater and Freestyle Technical Groups for several years, Dennis assisted in the development of performance and coaching qualifications for whitewater and freestyle. He’s currently an independent advisor for many whitewater paddlesport projects globally including national and international federations.
In 2011, Dennis recognised the success of the Paddle UK (previously British Canoeing) World Class programme in the Olympic canoeing disciplines and established similar programmes for athletes in the non-Olympic disciplines of freestyle kayaking and extreme racing. As part of this, he established the ADP/ASP (Athlete Support Programme) to provide world class coaching and support to freestyle athletes from around the world.
Dennis is widely respected and admired for his innovative and effective coaching methods, which have significantly influenced the development of freestyle kayaking as a sport. He is committed to enabling kayakers of all ability levels to achieve their potential, with some of the most accomplished and influential freestylers in the world crediting him as a major source of guidance and support.
Through his work with the ADP/ASP and Team GB Freestyle, Dennis has achieved remarkable results, coaching athletes to set new world records and substantially narrow the performance gap between women and their male peers. His coaching and mentoring have made significant contributions towards over 100 international medals since 2009, with 50 (17 Gold) World Championship medals, 25 (10 Gold) European Championships, and multiple World and European Cup titles. His expertise continues to shape the coaching methodology used in freestyle paddlesport today.
FAST FACTS:
Qualification
British Canoeing (Paddle UK) Level 5 Whitewater Kayak
British Canoeing (Paddle UK) Level 4 Surf Coach
Coaching Experience
Over 20 years of coaching experience developing coaching programmes (Grass-roots to high Performance) for whitewater paddlesport all over the globe; including coaching and consulting for National Teams and National Governing Body’s.
Whitewater Experience
Extensive experience travelling the globe in search of challenging rivers, waves and represented Team GB in K1 Freestyle at the ICF World Championships in 2017.
Sponsors
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