ultimately, all of this boils down to just a few things: a start-gate, a finish-line, a time, penalty seconds, maybe one crucial gate sequence. my mind is always on the finish line, the last ten strokes after the last gate when everything is done and the last few pulls to the finish mean the culmination of years of effort and focus. my head will be down, mind will be clear, and my body will do what it’s supposed to. that moment is what i’m training for.
between this moment and that, there is a lot that needs to happen. many of the crucial moments between now and then will not involve just me, many won’t involve me at all. one of the most rewarding aspects of my canoeing career has been the people i have shared it with. my family is the most obvious example, been there the whole time, seen more start gates and finish lines than anyone besides me. an experience like the olympics is worth waiting and working through the cycle of years in between because it’s the one race that’s sure to be seen by everyone who has been a part of any aspect of the journey. in a fringe sport like mine, the olympics is as much of a movement as a sporting event. no matter how hard i work towards the finish-line, i will come up short without a good support network. this is the page where i thank those already involved in my race to the finish-line and invite others to become a part of the push.
