Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"I spent so much of my career trying to fit into that mold of what a raft guide is. And here I was, a single mom." – Elisha McArthur
Whitewater is Elisha McArthur’s everything. Her passion, her happy place, her career. Then, she welcomed her daughter into the world.
After Charlotte was born, Elisha struggled to balance her passion for whitewater with the demands of being a single mom. She had no precedent to follow, and no way to know if both were possible. But instead of playing it "safe," she looked to her young daughter for inspiration.
“There was my baby. She reflected back at me that ‘this is who you are, and this is why I chose you to be my mom. Now get on the ball.’”
“River Mamma,” a short film by Sarah Hamilton, is a tribute to motherhood—honoring the strength it takes to nurture others while staying true to your own passions.
Featuring Elisha and Charlotte McArthur
Directed by Sarah Hamilton
Executive produced by Ashley Peel and Charlie Turnbull
Supported by NRS and the 5Point Film Fund
"I spent so much of my career trying to fit into that mold of what a raft guide is. And here I was, a single mom." – Elisha McArthur
Whitewater is Elisha McArthur’s everything. Her passion, her happy place, her career. Then, she welcomed her daughter into the world.
After Charlotte was born, Elisha struggled to balance her passion for whitewater with the demands of being a single mom. She had no precedent to follow, and no way to know if both were possible. But instead of playing it "safe," she looked to her young daughter for inspiration.
“There was my baby. She reflected back at me that ‘this is who you are, and this is why I chose you to be my mom. Now get on the ball.’”
“River Mamma,” a short film by Sarah Hamilton, is a tribute to motherhood—honoring the strength it takes to nurture others while staying true to your own passions.
Featuring Elisha and Charlotte McArthur
Directed by Sarah Hamilton
Executive produced by Ashley Peel and Charlie Turnbull
Supported by NRS and the 5Point Film Fund
