Reflections in the Pool: The arrest of Olympic whitewater champion Davey Hearn, Outdoor Alliance Advocacy, and the no-snit paradigm

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I was on top of my house with my 16-year-old son and two of his friends in the middle of a roof tear-off when my partner Lisa called. She said, “Have you heard about what happened to your friend Davey? He’s been arrested.” A few hours later, I read the news story, which I assume you have also read, about an Olympic whitewater slalom paddler arrested for supposedly “vandalizing” the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. A story that was carried in every single major news outlet in the country and beyond. What I will share with you here is what you probably won’t read in the news. 

Whitewater Olympian, Davey Hearn (AI photo credit, Steven Benjamin)

I have known Davey since we were teenagers. He was part of a wave of young paddlers known as the C-CATS in Washington, D.C.  The C-CATS (Canoe Cruisers Association Training Squad) was why I wanted to become a whitewater kayak slalom racer. The C-CATS were cool, exciting, on the forefront of revolutionizing international whitewater slalom racing, and I wanted to be a part of riding that wave.

The C-CATS pushed each other to radically evolve paddling techniques that exemplified the paradox of blending power with grace in the sport of whitewater slalom. (see earlier blog https://www.susannormanauthor.com/post/the-paradox-of-power-and-grace-in-sport).

Simultaneously, these teenagers were radically changing boat designs, producing sleeker decked canoes to better execute dynamic spins, slicing, and edge carving to negotiate complex whitewater moves faster and more precisely. 

Davey and another C-CATS friend, Jon Lugbill, dominated international whitewater canoe slalom for more than a decade, reigning as the top two paddlers in the world from 1979 to 1989. Jon and Davey captured the one-two positions in nearly every major championship throughout this era. Although Jon usually beat Davey by the slimmest of margins, he once told me that the only reason he was able to maintain his razor-thin edge was simply that he was able to work harder than anyone else. Jon had a unique capability of logging more hours of training than any of his competition without breaking his body down, which he used to overcome the fact that Davey had more talent. From training with them both, I saw what he was talking about.

Jon had great technique, combined with indefatigable strength and stamina. But Davey was a master technician. The master of moving his blade and canoe through the water with a precision and grace that raised our sport to an art form, creating the illusion that what he was doing was effortless. Jon’s strength and stamina and Davey’s mastery of precision paddling technique shaped my whitewater slalom ethic, and later my approach to almost every challenge in life.

At the end of Davey’s athletic career in the early 2000s, he and his wife bought a company called Sweets Composites, which sells fabrics and resins used in boat manufacturing and other specialty composite markets.  

It totally tracks that Davey was curious and frankly concerned about why the coating applied to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was failing. The peeling ‘paint’ had been all over the news the day before, and because of his experience with high-quality resins in kayak manufacturing, he wanted to see for himself the nature of the material. He did so on his way back from one of his typical 50-mile bike rides.

This was no premeditated act of vandalism conducted in broad daylight, while wearing snazzy road biking garb. An outfit which looked great on a bike, but a bizarre juxtaposition while being handcuffed by the Capital police, after committing the ‘crime’ of touching a piece of the already peeling substance to assess.

Davey was charged on July 3^rd with one count of destruction of property with a value of more than $1,000, according to the indictment. The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted. On the same day, US Attorney for DC Janine Pirro was quoted as saying “Hearn on June 19th willfully and “violently” damaged a two-square-foot piece of sealant at the pool”.

The absurdity of this administration knows no bounds. Astonishingly, they don’t see that escalating this incident will likely amplify exposure of the incompetency and corruption linked to the failed pool coating. It’s also a chilling example of the breadth of this administration's cruelty and vindictiveness in carrying out actions that cause unjustifiable damage to American citizens.

The C-CAT framework for excellence also included another key code of conduct. Which was, to put in the work and never throw a snit. Which I call the no-snit paradigm.

A snit is an informal noun that refers to a state of agitated irritation, a sulk, or a petulant temper tantrum—usually over a minor or trivial issue. (Miriam Webster Dictionary)

Serious slalom competitors know it is supremely uncool to curse if you hit a slalom gate or miss a move. Or even worse, bang your paddle on your boat, and give up in the middle of a run.

But snit throwing perfectly describes the typical behavior of this administration to create distraction.

Trump and Jeanine Piros’ use of snit throwing through creating a false narrative-based temper tantrum about people touching the peeling material of the failing reflection pool to distract from identifying and addressing the real problem is par for the course.

Unfortunately, this political snit, this will come at a cost for Davey, even though I believe the likely outcome will be a dismissal.

If you would like to show your support to stop this type of government overstep and misuse of funds, the GoFundMe to pay for Davey’s legal expenses is at the following link.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-olympian-davey-hearn

Which now leads me to a sharp segue to my next topic, which may initially seem unrelated, but bear with me.

The day after the reflection pool was opened post-renovation, I began my first in-person training to join the 2026 Grasstops Collective for the Outdoor Alliance. 

This is the latest step in my ongoing efforts to be a part of resisting the current administration’s assault on public lands and government employees, which began in February of 2025. Becoming a successful environmental advocate in these times requires navigating the turbulent, chaotic currents of this administration based on a solid framework of strength, stamina, and precision, developed through hard work, with community, and learning from experts.  

The 2026 Outdoor Alliance Grasstops Collective

The Outdoor Alliance unites the voices of human-powered outdoor enthusiasts to conserve public lands through effective policy advocacy, using a similar framework I learned from the C-CATS. The framework includes developing a strong, trusted voice based on research and experience, stamina to play the long game, and the use of precise techniques for effective communication and building relationships. Effective communication includes speaking from a calm, informed, and authentic position to create dialogue for finding common ground among diverse perspectives, and of course, the no-snit paradigm.

The OA 2026 Grasstops Collective training program will prepare us to develop effective relationships with representatives from local, state, and federal government and organizations to carry out Outdoor Alliance policy advocacy.

The twenty members of the 2026 Grasstops collective contain a highly diverse group of individuals passionate about their outdoor sports communities and public lands. We are whitewater paddlers, trail runners, mountain bikers, climbers, backcountry skiers, hikers, and surfers, with deep connections to outdoor spaces. The work requires passion and persistence, but finding the motivation is easy.  Because our outdoor recreation pursuits in wild environments are a way of life.

(For more about our cohort and the OA mission, please check out the following link

https://www.outdooralliance.org/blog/2026/7/2/trip-report-grasstops-collective-kick-off-retreat)

I close with a call to action.

First, consider donating to Davey Hearns’ legal fund to ensure this Trumpian Snit is exposed and crushed. And second, join the Outdoor Alliance, and be part of a wave of human-powered outdoor recreation advocacy through carefully thought-out and researched action alerts.

And finally, take time this July 4^th weekend to visit your favorite ‘reflecting pool’. I am fortunate to live around many options, like yesterday at Round Top Lake on Carson Pass. And as a bonus, the wildflower fireworks were, as usual, spectacular.