My canoeing career so far...

I have been paddling competitively for 15 years. During this time I have paddled all classes of sprint canoes/kayaks gaining significant success for both my club and country, both as a junior and more lately in the permitted Womens’ classes.

Three years ago, following success with K class kayaking and the growing lobby for women to take park in C class canoeing, I started training in this class. At that time there were no competitve races for women but this did no deter me and so I started racing against the men.

Training, training and more training is the key to success in any sport and this is the main aspect of my dedication to canoeing. In this respect I have been fortunate in securing training from the Train brothers who are based in Fladbury and are the most respected C class canoe trainers in the UK.

Fortunately I then met up with another girl who was also keen to take part in C class canoeing and so both of us started competing regularly in the sprint canoe races at the National Watersports Centre (Holme Pierrepoint) in Nottingham in an attempt to raise the profile of the sport for women. Our persistence finally paid off when the first women’s C1 event was finally scheduled. We both took part and I was successful in winning this first ever event. Since that time we have both gone from strength to strength paddling both individually in the C1 classes and together in the C2 Classes.

My successes to date include winning the C2 500m event in the 2008 French National Championships and coming 3rd in the 2009 Waterside Race A (we were the only women competitors). The highlight of my career so far however is undoubtably the ICF World Championships of 2009 held in Dartmouth Nova Scotia where I was selected to race for Great Britain in the women’s C2 200m, the women’s C2 500m and the women’s C1 500m events. With my partner I achieved a Silver medal in the C2 500m event and a Bronze medal in the C2 200m event. I was also 6th in the C1 500m event. These were the only medals won by the Great Britain team and gave a major boost to my paddling ambitions.

Following on from my success in 2009 I am more determined than ever to progress my canoeing career and to promote this sport for women that has for too long been a domain solely for men. As witnessed by the last World Championships women have proven that they can compete in this sport as well as men and I am looking at my next goals for the coming future.

At the 2010 sprint world Championships the ICF (International Canoe Federation) have made the Women’s C1 200m a Medal event. Also a C2 500m event will be included again as an exhibition event.

I am working hard towards being selected to race for the Great Britain team again in both of these events.