More than 30 years ago, Shimoda began representing the U.S. on the international stage as a top-ranked squirt boater, and she continued to compete with six appearances at the World Freestyle Championships between 1993 and 2007. Notably, she performed the first female descent of the Green River Narrows. However, her work as an advocate for the sport and the rivers it depends on offer much longer-lasting impacts for the field.

Currently the executive director of the River Management Society, her career has also included terms as a board member, president and executive director of American Whitewater, as well as several other industry-leading organizations and nonprofits. She also founded and organized the National Organization of Whitewater Rodeos, which generated more than 40 whitewater festivals from 1989 to 2002. Along the way, she has helped secure flows and open access to rivers including the Green Narrows, Upper Yough, Upper Nantahala and Niagara Gorge, to name a few. The International Whitewater Hall of Fame inducted her into its ranks in 2010.

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John Lederer

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Johnny Molloy