The National Champoinships

On the 3rd of July Antonia and I have been kayaking for a year. It's been the quickest year of my life . . . I say that every year but this one was ridiculously quick.

This weekend we are competing in the National Championships in Nottingham yes the lovely Holme Pierrepont where it all began, the same regatta in fact we watched last year with the chosen 12 who started the fast track programme. I remember watching all the kayak races thinking . . . yeah a couple of months and I will be able to do that!!! I can safely say this project Antonia and I took on has been harder than I ever imagined.

The hardest thing has to be, to enjoy a sport I have never done before. The normal way to get into a sport is either as a child where you naturally have more fun what ever it is you do or you have a go at something new and if you like it, build up gradually. We were thrown into the sport to which we were thrown out of every day for most of the year in my case, and then asked constantly if I am having fun??? Well no not really but I can’t give up till I have cracked it! The point is without out the deep foundations of canoe and kayaking usually built over years, the love of it is a bit false. I love water sports, training hard and competing but the actual love of Sprint Kayking has to come through over time. It's hard to do when there is so much pressure on us to get good quickly. A whole year later and I am only just starting to feel the love and that has come through meeting inspiring people, experiencing different disciplines of kayaking, actually racing and for not being rejected by my kayak for 3 weeks now! A year on I realize I have only just scratched the surface of an amazing sport, I couldn’t possibly give up now, I will see how things are looking in another year.

As for the Nationals, yes I am nervous but I am going to race for the love of racing. We have nothing to loose and everything to gain.

p.s. I missed rowing enormously over the weekend of Henley. The Bristol girls (and guy coxes) did the best the club has ever done and I am very proud of them.