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US Olympic Trials Broadcast

      Just so everyone knows, the US Olympic Trials held here in Charlotte two weeks ago will be broadcast on MSNBC on Sunday May, 11 2008 between 12:00- 1:00 PM. This is an exciting event, as this broadcast kicks off the Olympic season. I hope everyone can tune in.
Click here to view the official broadcast information
Click Here to view US Olympic Trials Results.

On the Team! US Olympic Trials 2008

      Its been a long road so far, with plenty of struggles. However, last weekend I saw my work and perseverance rewarded. After two years on the fringes, finishing just barely out of the top 3 at team trials, in this the Olympic year, I made it back on the US Team. It was a beautiful 3 days of intense, highly competitive racing during which not a single athlete backed down. In fact every single kayak stepped up and poured their heart and skill into the race as they strove to win. It was truly a challenge and an honor to compete at the Olympic Trials, not only because of the event itself, but because so many excellent, worthy and deserving athletes made it such a difficult and intense competition.

      As for me, I had three amazing days of racing. For the first time this year, I felt exactly how I wanted to feel in the start gate. I was thrilled to be paddling and racing, and I feel like my results proved that. Over the course of 3 days (6 runs) I touched 1 gate. My times were consistent, and I was constantly in the mix for a medal. I finished in the top 3 every single day. Both as a positive and as something to improve on in the future, each day the win was within my grasp, but I lost it through little mistakes at the bottom (a touch on day 2 which lead to my finishing sprint being off line, and coming in too high to the last upstream on day 3). Every run, I found myself focused, smooth, propelling the boat over the lines I planned, and adapting as circumstances changed. I paddled near to the potential I see for myself, and this past weekend shines on my resume as a accomplishment I can be proud of, regardless of what happens the rest of the summer. This was one of the toughest team trials I have ever attended, and it was finally one which I can reflect on positively. It is only shame that only 3 people make the team, and a further shame that only 1 will go to the Olympics, because there are so many who have worked hard.

      That said, it is now onto the next thing. I have progressed through the first stage of the Olympic selection process, now begins the second. I have used this past week following the race as a recovery period, and now I am planning the rest my summer. The final Olympic selection race will be the World Cup in Augsburg, Germany July 5th and 6th. My plan is to head to Europe so I can spend time on the course in Augsburg, perhaps fit in a race, and hopefully be ready to earn that Olympic spot. We will see what happens. I am excited for what comes next.

Notes on the event: US Olympic Trials were held in Charlotte, NC at the US National Whitewater Center . The event was held over 3 days, with over 135 athletes from 10 countries participating. Over the three days, the event drew nearly 20,000 spectators, a long with a great deal of media coverage.

Look for the results to be posted soon on my website. In the interim, go to the USACK website to view the official Olympic Trials results.

Glacier Breaker 2008

        It is my lot this year to race under duress- at least for the first two competitions. I knew this heading into them because I set my travel dates. This however does not make it any easier. The stress I am referring to is that of travel fatigue. I arrived 6 days prior to racing in Australia. I returned to the US a mere 3 days prior to the first domestic race of the year- the Glacier Breaker. I returned from Australia at 11:59 PM on the 19th of February. Spent most of the day on the 20th in the car and then fixing my boat. I managed to fit one workout in on the course in Charlotte on the 21st, before returning home and accidentally falling asleep for 3 hrs. Then I trained once on the 22nd and subsequently jumped in the car to drive to the race at the Nantahala, Where upon arriving, I successfully slept through the entire night for only the second time after returning home.

        Physically, I was not in ideal condition. Mentally, however, I felt quite prepared. I made sure to start the process of getting ready to compete before race day. Alas, while I was ready mentally, success was not to be had on this day.

        My first run started off quite well. Until gate 9, I was moving well, although I felt like the run was more effort than it should have been. The water in gate 10 caught me by surprise, and I found myself leaning on my stroke to try and make the fix. I spun the gate after a quick decision and moved towards gate 11. I took a small touch, being slightly unprepared. At this point I was slightly unhinged and my balance felt terribly off. I came through the falls to the upstream at 12 and found myself leaning on my strokes again. I was a little slow into the upstream, ran the boat around and started moving towards the upstream at gate 13. I came behind the up nice and high and was looking for a good quick exit so I could get back on track and back on balance. As I took my exit sweep, my paddle blade hit a rock under the water, twisting the paddle in my hand. With no pressure on the blade face I started to flip, but caught my balance quickly. The damage, however, had already been done. My bow had lost all of its angle, and I fought to regain it so I could successfully cross to gate 14 located in the middle of the river. I scrambled and made my turn into the gate, but I did not make it far enough. The gate passed just to the right of my head. I looped for the gate, losing at least 15 seconds in the process. I finished my run but was very tired by the end. I could feel the effort in a way I was not used to.

        With only an hour of turn around time between runs, I had to quickly reset myself mentally. I was angry and disappointed after the first run, but I had to let it go. I resolved two things for the second run. The first was to find the feel I lacked in the first run. I felt like I was working too hard for my speed and the moves. I had to relax a bit and loosen up. Secondly, I wanted to just do the moves and do the well.

        I achieved both aims during my second run. I was in the gates, and I was holding a good pace the whole way down. I felt light on the water, and my speed felt effortless. I was a bit cautious near my trouble spot on the first run and lost some time accordingly, but never the less I was pretty quick, and found what was missing. So it is all there, my next goal will be to pull this out on both runs- find that feel immediately. When I do, the race should go quite well.