Our Coaches
Head Coach - Payton Chiou
Payton grew up competing in Sprint Canoe and Kayak, having started paddling at 8 years old. With his years of experience he began helping coach part time at his home club, when he found his passion for it. Since then he has helped many athletes from absolute beginners to World Championship level athletes. He is certified as an ICF Level 3 Sprint Coach.
Having grown up surrounded by inspiring mentors and leaders, Payton takes great joy in helping people achieve their goals, and fostering an environment of hard work and excellence.
Founder & Coach - Chris Barlow
Chris is a USA Canoe Kayak Olympian who competed in the K4 1000m in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain. Chris is certified as an ICF Level 3 Sprint Coach as well as a USA Canoe/Kayak Level 3 High Performance Coach. Chris founded the team in 1997 as a way to give back to the sport he loves.
He found his true passion in coaching young paddlers and athletes from beginners to USA National Teams. Chris has been Team Leader for the USA National Team at Junior & Senior World Championships, Pan Am Games and helped coach athletes to multiple USA National Youth Olympic & Olympic Teams. He was awarded USA Coach of the Year in 2010 & 2014 and was awarded the 2018 Havens Leadership Award, and the 2019 Athletes in Excellence Award from the Foundation for Global Sports Development. This award recognizes high-performance athletes who have also dedicated themselves to community service and mentorship.
Canoe Coach - Coach Joseph
Coach Joseph is a USA Canoe Kayak Olympian, competing in the men’s single canoe 1000 meter race at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been involved in the sport of sprint canoe for nearly 50 years as a national team athlete or a canoe coach.
Coach Joseph is certified as an International Canoe Federation Level 1 Coach and has coached athletes to multiple national championships, national teams, international regattas and medal winning performances. His passion for women’s canoe continues to drive the sport here in the USA!
Coach - Nate Humberston
Nate grew up competing in swimming, board paddling, ocean rowing, and lifeguard competitions. He has spent 17 summers as an ocean lifeguard in New Jersey and Florida. Nate is a qualified French teacher and has extensive experience working with youth in both the classroom setting and in youth sports. Nate is certified as an ICF Level 2 Sprint Coach.
Nate joins SDCKT with a passion for all water sports and will be an integral part of our youth intro to paddling safety classes, summer camps, outreach to underserved communities, and junior and senior racing teams.
Nate is a member of the USA Canoe and Kayak National Team, was the 2019 K1 1000m National Champion, and has competed internationally at World Cup and World Championship events. He was the stroke for the 2019 USA K4 that achieved the distinction of racing the 1000m in under 3 minutes, a time that has only been achieved by a few USA Kayak Crews.