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Tuesday, November 10, 2026Nov 10

Whitewater canoeist lives to tell the tale of the ‘grace of God’

Shawn Malone's son River, left, guides during a rafting trip on the Ocoee River with his parents Shawn and Dana.
Shawn Malone's son River, left, guides during a rafting trip on the Ocoee River with his parents Shawn and Dana. Shawn Malone's son River, left, guides during a rafting trip on the Ocoee River with his parents Shawn and Dana.

Shawn Malone knows that whitewater canoeing has its risks. He has lost friends in drowning accidents. He has participated in body searches. Once, while pinned against a rock, Malone made peace with God and accepted his own death, which, at the time, he believed was inevitable.

But Malone doesn’t fixate on those things – quite the opposite, in fact.

“Paddling is my life. It’s my church. It’s my fellowship,” he says.

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Born and raised in Chattanooga, Malone discovered whitewater paddling at age 24.