Chad Foreman's Biography (the short version)
Hopefully I will find the time to add to the on-going saga and will publish the story on-line
I was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1974 and raised in the small community of Bexley (suburb of Columbus).
Growing up, I was very fortunate to be raised in a nice family. I have a mom, Chris, dad, Chuck and two sisters, Carrie and Cheri. My sisters and I are very close and very close
in age. We were each born 1 year apart, starting with me, Carrie and then Cheri. One cool thing about being so close in age is that we all experienced the same things close to the
same time in life so we always had cool things to talk about and now we share the same memories.
US Army Reserves, 246th PSYOP
In 1991, while a junior in high school, I enlisted in the US Army's Split Option program and completed Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Basic training was an interesting experience. It was harder than I thought it would be but for different reasons than I expected.
Waking up so early and trying to function on minimal hours of sleep was the hardest part. Learning to work as a team and not an individual was the most important lesson I learned. At night when I looked in the mirror as I brushed my teeth I felt so good about myself and what I was doing. Joining the Army was something I knew I would do my whole life. I couldn't believe that I was finally there. My senior year I drilled with the 246th PSYOP Group in Columbus, Ohio.
When I returned home from Basic Training I arrived a week later than my recruiter said I would and was very late for football. I was in the best shape of my life and had an
awesome season. I even made all-league(honorable mention.) That Spring I had the best season on track. I set the high school pole vault record at 13' 6" and ran the 800 at 2:05.
Then I graduated from Bexley High School in 1992.
The Accident
4 days after graduation I was in a life-changing accident. While riding my bicycle a van driver opened it's door and hit me, sending me to the ground. A car ran over me, dragging me under the car and crushing my pelvis.
This was a very long, difficult and painful recovery but it gave me a whole new outlook on life.
After 4 years of lifeguarding at Maryland Pool, (Columbus City Pools) various community college classes and a two year stint of bar-tending, I discovered West Virginia White Water.
West Virginia White Water
I came to West Virginia on a quest to learn of a whole new lifestyle that was awaiting me. Raft guide training was so much fun. My biggest motivation was learning how to kayak.
I have been involved in full-time commercial whitewater ever since.
I used to travel to Copper Mountain, Colorado and teach snowboarding during the winter time. That was a very fun-filled 4 years and a great life experience. I don't know if it has something to do with turning 30 or not, but the free-spirit lifestyle I thrived on needed a rest. So I bought a small house in the beautiful town of Fayetteville.
We have the best white water in the United States in my opinion, especially for kayaking. One of the reasons is because the consistency of a rain-fed white water river. As a kayaker I really enjoy some of the world-class surf waves that are available a majority of the time, year-round. There is always something to surf and that is a great quality.
So I really enjoy it here and have just started learning a new hobby: SCUBA diving. I just started reading the first chapter last night and my first class is Thursday!
