Anna's Intro

 Hello my name is Anna, also known as Anna Bomb Sierra on facebook. I often get the question, how did a girl born in Guatemala living in Chicago get into the world of white water?

My very first river trip was down the Pacuare with Exploradores Outdoors.  A two day life changing experience, I was 15 at the time reading Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. I was an impressionable kid and since my time on the Pacuare, I made it my life's goal to go back to the river.

 I kayaked the Artic Ocean on an expedition from coast to coast and I rafted the Strada in Norway, before having the privilege to go off to college. 

 I studied Recreation, Sports, and Tourism Management with a focus on ecological and sustainable travel. I had some experience in the business aspect of the industry by the time I moved to South America but none on the water. After my father passed away- I used my inheritance money to volunteer as an intern for Rios Ecuador. This is when I finally found a way to learn about rivers. 

And I learned a lot more than I expected. I thought I wanted to be a raft guide and obtained my guide in training certificate from Steve Nomchong's Rios Ecuador and the International Rafting Federation. After spending some time on the rivers in Ecuador, I realized the most fun you can really have on a river is 1. swimming rapids and 2. kayaking. I learned the name of every rapid on the Jatunyacu by swimming every rapid on the Jatunyacu.

After my brush with boating machismo I moved to California to work for O.A.R.S.  because I felt comfortable in an office setting and I did not feel confident in my river skills. After taking lessons from Dan Crandall's Current Adventures and  taking a Swift Water rescue course from Julie Munger,- I felt ready to learn more about the currents and how to have more fun on the river!

After a brief stint back home in Chicago I decided to peel out of my eddy and hitchhiked to Occoe Fest. I had an insurmountable feeling that the river was calling my name. After reading an article about EJ (Eric Jackson) on Rapid magazine, I found out that the World Freestyle Championships would be held in Bryson City, NC. I found out Occoe Fest would be happening prior to Worlds, so me and my backpack made our way to the first kayaking festival I ever attended.  

I called that month long trip the Southern White Water Circuit, I attended The World Championships of freestyle kayaking, Gauley Fest and Guest Appreciation Festival (GAF) at Nantahala Outdoor Center. I met Lee Turner at the US National White Water Center in Charlotte, just another one of the gems down here in the South. Since I was born in Guatemala, I really felt I needed to explore the rivers of my homeland. And last fall I finally did just that!  Not only did I raft two different rivers with my sister, but I also got a chance to showcase my riverboarding skills at the up coming Riverboarding World Championships held in Guatemala 2015. 

I will be training on my riverboard or you can probably find me kayaking at Hell Hole on the Occoe River on an evening session. I have since moved down to Tennessee (the dirty doormat of the south) and have explored some of the steep creeks and playboating spots in the area.