How long have you been paddling?
I have been paddling for 16 years.
What got you started?
While at school in Colorado, I was invited as a “raft passenger” on a week-long trip, on the Cataract Canyon section of the Colorado river. Most people on that trip were kayakers. Just before we left, I had read Edward Abbey’s famous book: “Desert Solitaire”, which transports the reader through landmark places of the Utah desert, including “the Maze”: the most remote and inaccessible district of Canyonlands National Park. A few days into that rafting trip, we hiked from the river up into the Maze. This is the easiest way to access that area. It was such a wonderful experience to walk through a landscape I had just read about, and it was even more beautiful than I had imagined. I will never forget what I saw that evening! We explored that magical place called “The Doll House,” and a surreal land of standing rocks. We also watched a fiery sunset over the Needles District of the park, across the river from us. It was mesmerizing, and this scene is still very vivid in my memory, today, some 18 years later! This moment made me realize that rivers could lead me to the most remote and stunning corners of wilderness.
That was the first hook for me. Over the course of that same trip, I also realized how much fun my kayaker friends were having. Kayaks were so nimble and playful, I felt trapped on the raft, and wished I could join them amongst the river waves. Before that trip was over, I had decided I was going to learn how to kayak. It took another two years, before I could finally start learning kayaking, and I did so in a “trial by fire" kind of way.” But that is another long story.
Why wildwater kayak? Has that always been your boat of choice? What else do you paddle?
I have only been paddling wildwater for under three years. I had paddled Wavehoppers before (the plastic shorter, wider, much heavier, and a lot more stable version of wildwater boat), but I started paddling composite boats after someone convinced me to try for the 2020 US Team. Both the World Championship and the World Cup were going to happen in the US, so it was an opportunity to jump on. I decided I would give it a try IF I could find a boat. These boats are not easy to come by, so that was a big IF. But a few months later, I found an old but good boat. This obviously was a sign of the Universe that I had to give this discipline a try, so I started training. Right away, I realized this was going to be a good challenge. I liked that, and worked hard to learn how to “tame” that beast of a boat. In the Fall of 2019, I qualified for the 2020 Senior and Master teams and trained my heart out, but Covid hit, and all the races were canceled. I kept training, made the 2021 team, and here I am, today, still paddling wildwater.
I still have a lot to learn and have much room for improvement in the discipline, so I almost exclusively paddle my WW boat. However, I do enjoy paddling rivers for pleasure. I especially love creeking, although I do not do it as much as I used to, as my focus has shifted, at least for the moment. I do skip some of my training sessions (don’t tell!) on summer weekends to go run the Upper Yough in my creeker (a Lettmann Granate) or, if I am practicing for the race, in a Green Boat a friend is graciously lending me. I also like going “old school,” and attaining in my Dagger Outburst, which to my humble opinion is one of the best boats on the planet.
What is your practice regimen, if you have one?
Without going into the details, I do six or seven paddling workouts every week (some can be very short), and an additional two to three non-specific workouts (run, or gym). This is if all goes well, and nothing unexpected happens at work, or if I don’t decide to take Saturday off to go run the Upper Yough (but that’s a secret, remember?).
When the Downriver Race results came out, there was a lot of excitement about a woman leading the pack with the fastest time among racers overall. How do you feel about that excitement?
First, I want to thank everyone for the kind words I received, after the race. I was not expecting that kind of reaction, but it was nice to see some Potomac paddlers, both men and women, sharing that sentiment of excitement. I usually “move on” quickly after a race. The little time I might spend dwelling on it is usually to revisit what I could have done better, independently of the result. So that little bit of “buzz” took me out of that overanalytical mode, and helped me savor the result of my race a bit more than I usually do.
I also want to add that although winning certainly is rewarding, it is only the icing on the cake. The hardest part of a race is showing up, and the most important part is to give it all you have. In my book, sparing nothing makes you a winner. So every year, I love watching paddlers of all ages enter the Potomac race in all kinds of crafts and push themselves to the finish line. Kudos to all for that!
Finally, a special shout out to all the ladies who entered the race this year. About 20 women raced, I believe. This represented about a third of the field, and we should celebrate that: Way to go ladies! How about a 50/50 women to men ratio in 2022? Let's do it!
What are your favorite rivers, just for fun? (Do you paddle just for fun?)
I love them all! But…
The Upper Yough is one of my all-time favorites. You can make it easy enough or more challenging, but it remains fairly inconsequential; it is just a big, fun, playground!
The Upper Blackwater, although it has been several years since I have run it, is the epitome of creeking to me. Creeking is my favorite style of boating, and the Upper B is probably the best creek I have ever paddled.
The Numbers, in Colorado, is a wonderful section of river, which is also dear to my heart, since this is where I cut my teeth as a kayaker.
And of course, I cannot forget the Potomac. Every time I am on our home river (and that is quite often), I take a couple of minutes to be grateful for it. How lucky are we to have this much beauty in our backyard, and to get to know “Lady Potomac” (I am not sure why, but I think the Po is a “she”… What do you think?) better, day after day, and to experience all her different moods, from her spring temper tantrums to her mellow summer flows. This is a true privilege for us DC area paddlers.
What do you do for a living? Is there any tie-in to your paddling, or is paddling totally separate?
I am a scientist. I manage research committees for an NGO located in Washington, DC, called HESI (Health and Environmental Sciences Institute). It has nothing to do with paddling, but I am grateful to have a boss who understands what I do and supports my endeavor by giving me a lot of flexibility if I need to travel to races.
Were there any "uh oh," unexpected-trouble moments in your racing career that stand out in your memory?
It would be presumptuous to call my racing experience “a career,” but I do have a “uh oh” moment that almost nipped this whole wildwater adventure in the bud. At the end of 2018, I decided I had to quit paddling because of a back issue that had been plaguing me for almost 10 years. The pain was so excruciating that sitting in a boat had become unbearable. Fortunately, I found a gifted osteopath who got me back on my feet and gave me my life back. It was and is wonderful!