Member Spotlight: Arlo Bailey, a Rising Young Paddler

Written by Eliot Taft

Most children are taught to fear the current, but Arlo has learned to trust it –

and himself.

For anyone who has attempted to share the sport of whitewater kayaking with a friend or loved one, they have probably learned that it is an impossibly difficult task. That hurdle grows larger if the student is younger. If you’ve been on the water long enough, you’ve seen the same old story: someone gets hyped about the sport, they acquire the gear, they find a mentor…and they run away after their first flip in the river. 

Not Arlo.

This week’s Member Spotlight features one of the Roaring Fork Kayak Club’s youngest, and boldest, new members. Arlo has been a stalwart attendee of this winter’s pool sessions, and the Roaring Fork Kayak Club coaches unanimously agreed to highlight his monumental improvement over the past year. 

Arlo is no stranger to water – growing up in the Valley, Arlo began rafting the Roaring Fork with his family at around seven years old. Having not only the river, but also a pond in his neighborhood, Arlo learned to approach water not cautiously, but curiously. He “enjoys a quiet flat-water paddle observing nature, and (he) loves chasing and racing around with (his) friends.” 

After building a love of balancing on the dynamic force that is moving water, Arlo decided to sign up for a week-long teen kayak camp at the Salmon River Adventure Company. Ironically, hundreds of miles away from the Valley, Arlo learned about the Roaring Fork Kayak Club and decided to continue to hone his skills when he returned. Arlo signed up for several on-river sessions in the summer of 2025, and then kept his momentum going through the winter with as many pool sessions as he could sign up for. Arlo shares: “The pool clinics have given me an opportunity to get out in a kayak in the winter and continue learning new skills in the wonderful Roaring Fork kayaking community.” 

Arlo dialing in his roll and his hand roll!

What is most impressive about Arlo is that he has found a profound marriage between inquisitiveness and fun. Where other kids look for the calm, he looks for the chaos. As he reminisced about his summer stint in Idaho, he shared a story that would make most beginners squirm. On one of his first days in Idaho, he noticed “a giant hole that everyone wanted to surf. I wanted to try it. I lined up and started to have second thoughts, but committed! I was too light to get through, but I got to surf the hole for a few seconds before I flipped and had to wet-exit.” 

Arlo lost his balance, but absolutely none of his nerve. After this winter, wet exiting is no longer a concern. At the pool, Arlo has perfected not only his roll, and his off-side roll, and his hand roll…but his back deck as well. In a recent April pool clinic, Arlo “celebrated learning (my) back deck with my awesome mentor, Remi!” During the few months he attended pool sessions this winter, Arlo not only built his paddling foundations, but he also forged powerful friendships with the other students and instructors – including the CRMS kayak team volunteer students only a few years his senior. Arlo’s advice for others trying to learn his most recently mastered skill? “When doing a back deck role, do it in one fluid motion.  You can't go halfway or stop in the middle.”

Arlo is deeply appreciative of what the Roaring Fork Kayak Club has to offer. In the span of one year, Arlo was able to get on the river in the summer months and continue his skills throughout the winter. He appreciates how “this program allows our community to get on the water and try new things by providing a space, teachers, and kayaks.” Fortunately for us, Arlo was able to grab his paddle, helmet, and everyone’s attention along the way! 

When Arlo is not sending rapids, he loves to take life, sometimes, at a slower pace.  You can find him at Ming’s, where he appreciates their Carbondale roll. Otherwise, Arlo loves relaxing with a good book: he’s currently reading The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan. Sometimes, he’ll pair that reading with homemade ravioli and pasta that he prepares and cooks himself. But when Arlo gets outside, he charges. He busies himself with hockey at Colorado Extreme and Tele-skiing with AVSC. And maybe in a year or two, you may also find Arlo instructing paddling techniques in a future Roaring Fork Kayak Club Pool Clinic!