John Sweet (canoeist)
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's canoe slalom | ||
Representing  United States
| ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
1981 Bala | Mixed C-2 |
John Robert Sweet (born 1938)[1] is a former American slalom canoeist who competed from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. He won a silver medal in the mixed C-2 event at the 1981 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Bala, Gwynedd, Wales.
Dr. Sweet earned his PhD in chemistry from Pennsylvania State University. After earning this degree, Dr. Sweet performed material science research at Penn State, and later started a business supplying canoe building materials.[2]
Dr. Sweet was the first paddler to run a 14-foot drop on the Gauley River in West Virginia. He ran it in a C-1, a single-seat decked canoes equipped with a kayak-like spray skirt. Since Dr. Sweet ran it in 1968, it has been called "Sweet's Falls".[3][4]
Dr. Sweet has a long history of cave exploration, including exploring Butler Cave beginning in 1959. His involvement with Butler Cave and the Butler Cave Conservation Society continues through at least 2007.[5]
Dr. Sweet had been the Faculty Advisor of the Penn State Outing Club at Pennsylvania State University.[6]
On September 19, 2020, Dr. Sweet and Dr. Martha Mary Teeter (also a former competitive paddler) of Davis, California, married.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ 1940 US Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Arlington, Virginia; Roll: T627_4245; Page: 15B; Enumeration District: 7-14
- ^ a b "Wedding Sweet-Teeter". Vol. 143, no. 38. The Recorder. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Pioneer paddler remembers Gauley's sweet rides". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 14 September 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "50 years later, Gauley River pioneers share memories of first canoe-kayak descent". Charleston Gazette-Mail. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Butler Cave Trips, 2007". Retrieved 2020-10-06.
- ^ "It's risky out there! That's why PSU's Outing Club can no longer go outside". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ICF medalists for Olympic and World Championships – Part 2: rest of flatwater (now sprint) and remaining canoeing disciplines: 1936–2007 at WebCite (archived November 9, 2009)
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