Former Olympic paddler Stewart Carr is the new coach for the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club.
When Stewart, who competed in the 1992 summer games in Barcelona, and his family moved to Flowery Branch in 2009, he signed his son up for the LCKC racing league and immediately found himself drawn back into coaching. He spent more than a decade working with athletes at the club before taking a break in 2021.
This spring, after jumping into a dragon boat race on Lake Lanier, the canoeing spark came right back and reminded him how much he loves being on the water and helping athletes grow.
CARR’S BACKGROUND
Carr began paddling at age 14 in Canada, where he quickly fell in love with the sport and the community around it. Over the next several years he became a six‑time Canadian Champion in C2, C4, and War Canoe, competing for West Rouge Canoe Club and later Oakville Canoe Club. His coaching career also started in Canada, helping young athletes develop the same passion for paddling that shaped his own life.
He moved to Florida in 1983 and began racing there in 1988. Stewart earned a spot on the U.S. National Team and competed internationally from 1988 through 1995. During that time, he represented Team USA at the 1991 Pan American Games and the 1992 Olympic Games, experiences that remain some of the most meaningful of his athletic career.