Dave Zinn: Executive Director and Coach

Dave started kayaking when he was 12 years old and has enjoyed passing his love of rivers and river travel on to new generations of young paddlers. He hopes that kayaking, or activities like it, will provide these young kayakers with a similar outlet for exploration and adventure that it provided him. 

Dave has worked with a variety of youth kayaking programs since the mid-1990s. Participants in these programs have ranged from first-time kayakers to Junior World Champions and everything in between. His work as a kayak coach and life as a kayaker provided him with the opportunity to travel the globe, working across the United States, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, China, Zambia, and Uganda. Since 2009, Dave has been living in Bozeman and running Wave Train Kayak Team.

Dave is a Wilderness EMT and Swiftwater Rescue Technician. He has a degree in History from the University of Oregon. In the winter he works as an Avalanche Forecaster.

Brooke Dunnagan: Coach

Growing up in Montana and Idaho, Brooke has been rafting, fishing, and kayaking on rivers all her life. She has focused primarily on kayaking in recent years. She loves to share her passion for rivers, the outdoors, and kayaking with the Wave Train group! Brooke’s playful energy is contagious with participants. She is a Swiftwater Rescue Technician and is wilderness first aid certified. She attends Montana State University.

Emmett Lingle: Coach

Originally from Ennis, MT, Emmet has loved rivers his whole life. This love began growing up fly fishing and rowing drift boats on the Madison. In 2017, this love of moving water led him to kayaking. As a high school student, he participated in Wave Train Kayak Team and has since been searching for his next favorite river while attending MSU and working toward a commercial pilot’s license. He loves helping people get into the sport and showing them new runs. Emmett is an EMT and Swiftwater Rescue Technician.

Martin Kepner: Coach

Martin Kepner grew up in Massachusetts and fell in love with the outdoors through his passion for snowboarding. His passion for snowboarding brought him to Bozeman/MSU where he got his bachelors and played outside a lot. During this time he explored many new adventure/outdoor sports but after discovering whitewater through a rafting gig in Gardiner he’s been chasing rivers every summer since then. Kayaking has given him so much from friends that will last a life time, exciting adventures, and traveling all over the U.S to check out new rivers. He’s excited to share his passion with people that are excited to progress in this fun sport! Martin is a Swiftwater Rescue Technician and a Wilderness First Responder.

Brett Smith: Coach

Brett was born and raised on the shores of eastern North Carolina. He traded the beach for mountains when he attended college at Appalachian State University where he fell in love with skiing and whitewater paddling. After graduating with his bachelor’s degree in outdoor experiential education, Brett headed west for more snow and rivers. He has traveled and guided all over the U.S., making many friends and memories along the way. He is excited to be living in Montana teaching skiing and kayaking! Brett is a Wilderness First Responder and trained in Swiftwater Rescue.

Elle Davidson: Coach

Elle started kayaking while attending college at the University of Idaho. Since then, she has fallen in love with the sport, and can often be seen surfing in her little blue playboat. Her favorite thing about kayaking is its ability to bring people together. Elle is certified as a Swiftwater Rescue Technician, a Wilderness First Responder, and an EMT. Elle graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree BS in Biological Engineering in 2022.

Anneka Door: Coach

Anneka has been a whitewater enthusiast since around 2008, when she started rafting and packrafting on multi-day trips. She made the switch to kayaking in 2016 and has been hooked ever since. She loves introducing new paddlers to the sport and sharing her passion for rivers. She has worked for years with Exum Mountain Guides and spends her winters riding the Poma Lift as a member of the Bridger Bowl Ski Patrol. Anneka is an EMT and Swiftwater Rescue Technician.