Thanking the people who helped us paddle farther, teach better, and bring the experience home.
Liquid Rhythm Kayaking is the outdoor education and expedition work of Jeffrey Fabiszewski and Sean Fitzgibbon. This page honors the companies named in our original 2008 and 2009 sponsor records, explains what expedition partnerships can accomplish, and gives future paddlers a practical framework for approaching sponsors responsibly.
Our Historical Thanks: The Original Liquid Rhythm Kayaking List
The following names appeared on our original Sponsors page, last modified October 29, 2009. We preserve them as a historical acknowledgment, not as a claim that any company sponsors us today. The original page did not specify the type, dates, or dollar value of every relationship. Listing a name documents historical recognition, not a verified financial contribution or a present endorsement.
- 180 Energy Drink
- Bending Branches
- Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen
- Columbia Sportswear
- Kokatat
- Necky Kayaks
- Osprey Bay Outdoors
- Princeton Tec
- RobRick Outdoors
- Seals Sprayskirts
- Treehugger Hammocks
- Tuktu Paddles
Our early practice was straightforward: use and discuss equipment we respected, answer students who asked what worked, and acknowledge companies that supported the paddling community. We are grateful for the relationships and equipment that helped us pursue that work. A sincere thank you ought to outlast the gear.
What We Have Taken Into the Field
Jeff and Sean began working together at Osprey Bay Outdoors in April 2001. Their later expedition writing documents a 2007 Pinellas County paddling expedition, Florida Keys trips in 2008 and 2009, a Suwannee River journey in 2009, and the 2011 Great Calusa Blueway project. On the Calusa journey, they paddled to raise awareness of the trail and the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife. That expedition gives prospective partners a clear example of an adventure connected to public education and a cause beyond the paddlers themselves.
Read our 2011 Great Calusa Blueway expedition record and our Suwannee expedition planning account.
What a Future Expedition Partner Can Support
We welcome conversations with organizations whose products, services, or missions align with safe sea kayaking, wilderness medicine, adaptive paddling, practical backcountry living, coastal stewardship, and outdoor education. Sponsorship may include an equipment loan, product support, expedition logistics, services, a documented donation to an agreed community cause, or financial assistance under a written agreement.
- Field use and candid long term equipment observations, with limitations reported rather than hidden.
- Educational articles, photographs, talks, and expedition planning lessons that explain preparation, navigation, risk management, and coastal responsibility.
- Acknowledgment in agreed expedition reports or presentations, with clear disclosure of donated products or compensation.
- An accessible account of adaptive paddling and instruction, including ways to help more people find a place on the water.
A sponsor is not buying our opinion. We do not promise favorable reviews, inflated audience figures, unsafe branding placements, guaranteed media coverage, or expedition success. We agree on specific deliverables, usage rights, timing, disclosures, and contingency plans before accepting support.
Expedition Partnerships Under Consideration
Alaska sea kayaking: Alaska has been discussed as a possible future expedition and partnership opportunity. Its route, dates, budget, permits, team composition, logistics, and potential sponsors have not been announced here. We will publish a concrete expedition brief only after these details are established. Brands referenced in earlier equipment and expedition discussions, including Snow Peak and Trangia, should be treated as possible research leads, not confirmed Alaska sponsors or agreed commitments.
How to Request Sponsorship for Your Own Athletic Expedition
A useful sponsorship request begins with the expedition, not a shopping list. The following checklist is offered to paddlers, endurance athletes, and youth outdoor leaders who want to build an ethical partnership.
- Describe the challenge precisely: participants, relevant experience, route, dates, distance, conditions, permits, and purpose.
- Present a credible safety and logistics plan, with training, communication, evacuation options, insurance where relevant, and a realistic budget.
- Research each prospective sponsor and show why its mission or products match the expedition and its audience.
- Ask for a specific form of assistance and explain exactly how it will be used. Separate cash, equipment, loans, services, and discounts.
- Offer measurable, realistic deliverables such as credited photography, an expedition report, a demonstration, or a speaking engagement, without inventing reach.
- Use a written agreement covering delivery dates, attribution, content and image rights, disclosure, equipment return, cancellation, and what happens if conditions stop the trip.
- Thank every partner accurately, disclose material relationships in public coverage, and provide a factual post expedition report showing what was accomplished.
Sample request structure: Who we are; what we intend to do; why it matters; how we will prepare; what help we seek; what we can deliver; how we will document the result; and how to contact us. Do not list a prospect as a sponsor until that relationship has actually been agreed.
A Separate Historical Note: The 2008 U.S. Olympic Canoe and Kayak Team
Our original Sponsors page also celebrated the U.S. canoe and kayak athletes who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and reproduced a separate collection of Team USA sponsor names and organization descriptions. Those organizations were not thereby sponsors of Liquid Rhythm Kayaking. We have separated this Olympic history from our own acknowledgment to avoid implying endorsements or financial relationships that did not exist. The original 2008 and 2009 material remains preserved in this page’s WordPress revision history for archival reference.
Partner With Jeff and Sean
If your organization supports safer paddling, durable outdoor equipment, adaptive adventure, coastal conservation, or wilderness education, we would welcome a focused discussion of a future expedition or workshop. Please include your organization, the kind of support you have in mind, the expedition or teaching purpose, and the outcomes you hope to see.
Learn more about Jeff and Sean, explore our expeditions, or use the site’s contact option to start a conversation.
Historical record note: First compiled in the 2008 to 2009 period. Reorganized October 13, 2026. Historical recognition is distinct from a current sponsorship, and proposed partnership examples are not confirmed arrangements.
