The NLK Team

Ben Maynard, owner and director

Next Level Kayaking is a family business founded by Ben Maynard, a 45 year old kayaker from Hobart, Tasmania. Ben has spent his life in and around the water and has been paddling consistently since age 13. He was a member of the Australian Wildwater Team between 1997 and 2010, winning multiple National titles during that time.

From 2006 to 2010 he placed in the top 5 on five occasions and the top 12 on another five occasions at World Championship and World Cup level. Ben "retired" from top-level competition in 2010 and created Next Level Kayaking, which has since grown to become the largest paddlesport coaching operation in the State. NLK trains and mentors some of the toughest paddlers in Australia, operating year-round on the doorstep of the Southern Ocean.

Ben is a previous Avon Descent winner, a seven-time 20 Beaches competitor, a three-time Great Ocean Paddle competitor, and a four-time Tasmanian Ocean Racing Champion. In 2015 he placed 13th at the Mauritius Ocean Classic, in 2017 he won two Australian Masters Games titles in flatwater and ocean racing, and in 2018/19 he won the Australian Ocean Racing Series with mixed doubles partner Roz Barber.

Ben brings a unique depth of experience to NLK, having also paddled at State or National level in sprint, marathon, X-treme, canoe polo and individual multisport, as well as completing remote expeditions around the coastlines, rivers and lakes of Tasmania, mainland Australia, New Zealand and Europe.

Ben is a previous Tasmanian Institute of Sport scholarship holder (1999 to 2010), holds a PhD in Biological Science and maintains a Paddle Australia Level 1 coaching qualification.

NLK Team Member - Sam Norton

Sam Norton, coach

Sam Norton is a qualified flat water instructor, personal trainer and physical education teacher. He has gained extensive experience as a competitive coach of surf lifesavers, sprint kayakers and ocean racing paddlers.

As a paddler, Sam has been competing at a national and international level for over a decade. He is an 11 time Tasmanian surf ski champion, podium finisher at the 20 Beaches and Perth Doctor races and an Australian finalist in the K1 1,000m. Sam has also represented Australia in sprint, marathon and ocean racing disciplines.

Sam applies his background in sport science and education to bring the most up-to-date physiological research and instructional techniques to paddling. His lessons aim to simplify complicated technical concepts to help paddlers master a powerful and efficient stroke sooner.

Rick McMinn, coach

"I started paddling in my first year of uni when I bought a creek boat to bash down rivers during winter so I could keep myself fit for sailing. A few years later, me and a few mates decided to enter a team into the Winter Challenge so I borrowed a Time Bandit multisport boat and caught the bug for paddling fast boats! I joined Ben's first "trial" year of Moving Targets in 2014 and over the next 5 years I have not only improved my paddling out of sight, but I have also developed my own passion for the sport.

I've been lucky enough that in the past few years paddling has taken me around the world. I have raced in Mauritius, France and the UK, as well as up and down the Australian east coast. I've also explored waterways throughout Tasmania, on rivers, lakes and beaches. Despite the way it might look some times, I'm not only about training and racing. If I didn't love being on the water so much I wouldn't do it so much! I'm a big advocate for taking time out of a training schedule to paddle for fun, whether its a surf session, playing in whitewater, or even just a cathartic long and steady paddle on a glassy lake. Off the water, I completed my Masters of Professional Psychology in 2018 and now work as a school psychologist for the Department of Education in Launceston."

New team members

Our rapid growth over recent years has resulted in the addition of new staff members to our coaching and retail teams, including Kerry Hore, Hamish Dalziel, Kate Trdin, Charlie Moss, Simon Kendrick and Jackie Bice. We look forward to sharing their profiles with you soon!