True North Tribe

Chad Berg:

Chad began his bicycle racing career in 1994. He started his passion in racing with the growing mountain bike scene within the Pacific Northwest. Within one year he was traveling across the country competing in the NORBA National Cross Country Series. That next season Chad went on to win the Northwest Legendary Championship Series Overall.

Being a Fireman by trade, Chad had qualified and began to compete in the Canadian/American Police & Fire Olympics in the Cross Country Mountain Bike event. Chad accumulated 3 Can/Am Championships over the years, and went on to win the Silver Medal at the World Championships/Police & Fire Olympics in Calgary in 1997.

Chad began to shift his attention in the late 90’s to not just being a racer, but instead, organizing and developing cycling teams as a Team Director. Chad was one of the founding members of JF2 Racing. This was a team that raced at both the regional and national level in cross country & Downhill Mountain biking as well as cyclo-cross. With his success at JF2 Racing, Chad was asked to come direct and revamp the Bicycle Centers Racing program, which was a shop based team out of the Puget Sound area. With cyclo-cross on a huge rise in the Northwest, Chad focused his efforts on supporting his riders with a good sponsorship base and support system at the races, including racing himself. In their first season as a newly organized team, they won 3 of the SCX Series Overall Championships, including an Elite Masters Championship won by Chad himself.

With racing once again becoming a top priority for Chad, he took the opportunity in 2007 to race on the well known Redline Cyclo-Cross Factory Racing Team. Chad has since been a keen member and leader within the Redline Cyclo-Cross Team and continues to assist in “on the road” team management.

Chad is known in the mountain bike and cyclo-cross community as person who insists on maintaining professionalism while racing and in promoting his team and sponsors in a positive way. With his wife Kristi and his son Holden racing as well, the family stays very connected in the racing community and is known as a mainstay on the Northwest cycling scene.

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Kristi Berg:

Kristi has been recognized as one of the most diverse and accomplished cyclists in the Northwest by many of her peers. Going into her 13th year of competitive cycling, Kristi has overcome challenges with several injury rehabilitations and has come back to top form after giving birth to her son. She continues to race at the top level in several disciplines on a National level. Cycling has taught Kristi many valuable lessons in life and has shaped who she is. Kristi is now looking forward to helping others take their cycling to that next level or even just maintaining good fitness using the bicycle as a recreation. She is a Nationally certified personal trainer and a U.S.A. Level 2 Cycling coach working at Cycle University in Seattle Washington.

Kristi has competed professionally in both Cross Country and Downhill Mountain Biking, as well as currently racing professional in both Cyclocross and Cross Country MTB. She is currently a Cat. 2 on the Road and has even had National success racing BMX in both 20” and Cruiser classes.

Some of her career accomplishments include:

• Cyclocross:
  • 7 time Seattle Cyclocross Series Champion
  • 2008 6th Place Master’s 30-34 National Championships
  • 2007 3th Place Master’s 30-34 National Championships
  • 2007 5th Place Starcrossed UCI Elite Women
  • 2006 3rd Place Master’s 30-34 National Championships
• Mountain Bike:
  • 3 NORBA National MTB Expert wins
  • 2007 Indie Series Open Women Champion
  • 6 time Pro Downhill MTB State Champion
  • Cross Country MTB State Champion
  • 2004 24 hr MTB Relay Team National Champions
• Road:
  • 2004 Cat. 3 N.W.W.C. Series Overall Winner
  • 2004 San Francisco Grand Prix participant
• BMX:
  • 1998 BMX Nationals Winner

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Drew Gregory:

Drew Gregory, “BasserDrew” to many, is a professional kayak angler and an expert in bass fishing America’s rivers and creeks. Drew hails from Atlanta, GA, and currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has been river fishing since he could handle a rod and reel, but for the past eight years has been pioneering the sport of kayak fishing in freshwater rivers. Standing up and fishing out of his Jackson kayak for smallmouth, largemouth and shoal bass is his passion. Drew got into the sport of kayak fishing when he was still in college, because it was cheaper and more intriguing than traditional boat and lake fishing. Since then, his knowledge and passion for the sport has flourished and it is still intriguing, easier on the wallet, the environment, better for health and fitness, and he feels it is simply more fun than traditional boat fishing. Drew is passionate about finding new, unexplored water where big bass abound, and will stop at nothing to get to them which sometimes makes for some crazy adventures.

Go Find Yours!

Links:

• http://www.drewgregory.com
• http://www.riverbassin.com/

Drew's Fishing River Stats:

• Nearly 600 river kayak fishing trips logged
• Spotlighted/Featured in Men’s Journal Magazine (November ‘09), Bassmaster Magazine (July/August ‘09), ESPN.com (May ‘09), Georgia Outdoor News (Nov. ‘08), Kayak Angler Magazine (Feb. ‘09) and KayakFishingMagazine.net (Feb ‘09) South Carolina Sportsman (May ‘09) , Pro Angler Radio Show (June ‘09) (September ‘09)
• Former champion of Flint River leg of the georgia kayak fishing tournament trail.
• Presents river fishing seminars at Bass Pro Shops, fishing expos, churches, and kids fishing rodeos.
• Has landed over 175 citation sized river bass.
• Co-founder of RiverBassin.com

Emily Jackson:

Please join us on congratulating TNTribe member Emily Jackson, 2009 K1 Women's Freestyle World Champion!

When we first met Emily Jackson at the 2009 Teva Mountain Games it was like meeting a kindred spirit. We were blown away by this strong woman with her high-energy, confidence, intelligence and incredible character. Her love for her family, team and sport was amazing… and competitive? All she does is win darn near everything she enters. And on top of that, she has personally raised over $25,000 for charity. So when she expressed not only an interest but a sincere admiration for the Freelance OSV we knew we had the perfect match. Emily is exactly the type of person we had in mind in designing the True North; a person who through her passion for the outdoors, chooses to define her life with determination and grit by always driving herself beyond the status quo to that next level. We are more than proud to have hers be the first face of the True North Tribe. No one is more in command or more comfortable on the water than Ms. Jackson, likewise our passion to produce the very best quality OSV is uncompromised– Emily found her True North, now …

Go Find Yours!

Links:

• See Emily's Jackson Kayak team bio for more information.

Emily's Charity Efforts:

• Emily Jackson's donates here winnings to fight Malaria in Uganda
• Emily Jackson's profile on ChangeAgents.com
• Soft Power Health Kids Kayaking Camp

Accomplishments:

• 2009 Freestyle World Champion
• 2008 World Cup Freestyle Champion Senior
• 2007 Freestyle World Champion
• Ranked #1 Female Slalom Paddler in the US 2009
• 5th Place Squirt World Championship 2009
• 6 Time Teva Mountain Game Winner
• Placed Top Three Each Freestyle Event Entered in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 (and all but one in 2005!)
• 6x US Freestyle Team Member

Featured In:

• Women's Adventure: Cover Story
• Cosmo Girl
• Cover of Playboating UK
• Kayak Session: Emily Jackson
• Tarzan: A Japanese Fitness Magazine
• Fusion TV
• National Geographic TV
• American Whitewater Magazine

Accomplishments:

• Donated $5,500 of my own personal money to Soft Power Health, which was thus used in 2006 to pay for Doctors Salary for a full year, refurbished a school, helped fund sending a girl to medical school and encouraged people to raise another $25,000.
• 6x Years of Teaching a Week Program in NYC for the Boys and Girls Harbor. Under privileged kids seeking an education get to spend a week on the rivers around NY and Connecticut with me!
• Twice visited the rehabilitation center in Texas for Iraqi War Veterans and help teach them how to kayak!
• Guest instructor for Slalom at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Kenya for all African Nations. Kenya the host country had zero people competing in slalom to represent Slalom so a group of us went over and taught for a couple weeks! We had 10 Kenyans race!!