Tom Milani is editor of The MASIK, Qajaq USA's online newsletter. He has been paddling since 1999 and using Greenland paddles exclusively since around 2002. He's a technical editor for a federally funded research and development center and has been editing and writing professionally for the last 19 years. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife, Alison Sigethy.

“My entrance into Greenland-style kayaking and kayak building has been more by fits and starts than any direct path. Seeing a two-piece Greenland paddle and hearing a description of its use led to my buying one a few years later. Using the paddle led to a half-day workshop conducted by Greg Stamer to refine my stroke. A class by Greg Welker of Chesapeake Paddlers Association at SK102, the group's annual training event, led to a poorly executed side-scull, which led to Internet surfing for a Greenland-style kayak, which led to Mark Starr's kayak-making class at Mystic Seaport and Qajaq USA membership.

“Not the most direct route, and my path to learning rolls, building techniques, strokes, and rope gymnastics has been much the same. But I like the direction I'm headed, and I look forward to learning more, building more, and doing more.”