John Sweet (canoeist)
John Robert Sweet 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.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's canoe slalom | ||
Representing  United States | ||
| World Championships | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 1981 Bala | Mixed C-2 |
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.[1]
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".[2][3]
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.[4]
Dr. Sweet had been the Faculty Advisor of the Penn State Outing Club at Pennsylvania State University.[5]
On September 19, 2020, Dr. Sweet and Dr. Martha Mary Teeter (also a former competitive paddler) of Davis, California, married.[6]
References
- "Wedding Sweet-Teter" (Volume 143, No. 38). The Recorder. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- "50 years later, Gauley River pioneers share memories of first canoe-kayak descent". Charlston Gazette-Mail. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- "Pioneer paddler remembers Gauley's sweet rides". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 14 September 2008. 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.
- "Wedding Sweet-Teter" (Volume 143, No. 38). The Recorder. 24 September 2020. 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)