I was barely out of my teens over twenty years ago when I went to the New and Gauley Rivers in West Virginia to train to be a whitewater rafting guide. Women were really just breaking into the scene so the entire area was heavily dominated by men. This in itself wasn’t the least bit concerning since my desire to guide had nothing at all to do with the male to female ratio. What was concerning, as I soon came to find out, was the blatant sexism displayed by some male guides, trainers, and company owners. I selected one company out of a dozen to train with and throughout most of a year with them I endured being talked down to, sardonic attitudes, and never-ending attempts to make me fail. I was repeatedly put into situations to deliberately push me past my physical and psychological limits in the hopes that I would just give up; many trainees did, after all. This kind of adversity is what I faced spring, summer, and fall while training with “Company A”. But let me tell you the outcome.

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