RIDING THE FAMILY WAVE TO A THREE-PEAT
Q & A
Photos courtesy of: Paddle Worldwide, PSA
Cape Town teenager Sam Mocke recently returned from the Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in La Vila Joiosa, Spain, with his third consecutive junior world title. He’ s continuing a proud family tradition, with dad Dawid having claimed four World Series titles, and mom Nikki and uncle Jasper one each, among many other successes. We caught up with Sam to find out more …
1How did it feel to get the third junior world title in the bag, and what does this win mean to you?
The third world title actually has a little bit more meaning to me. It’ s been the main goal from the beginning. I ' ve wanted to get three from when I started paddling. I just like the number. So it does have a little bit more meaning to it – to get the third one done and in the bag.
2Can you take us through the race – what your plan was heading in and how it unfolded on the day?
The plan going in was to lead from the start and just let as few people pass me as possible and to race the seniors instead of racing the juniors. I had a very good start on the day, so that definitely played into my plan and was what I wanted to do. Then the only thing that I would have changed about the race is my last two km because I kind of ran out of energy a little bit there. But other than that, I think I had a good race.
3What was the vibe like in the SA team after finishing top of the medal table in Spain and taking the Nations Cup title?
The South Africans were very happy. Obviously the junior boys got a 1, 2, 3, 4, which is unheard of. I don ' t think it ' s ever happened before in history. So, really happy to make history with the South African boys. And the vibe … we had a phenomenal champs, in the juniors especially, so everyone is happy.
4What do you love about ocean racing in particular – and why do you think South Africans are so good at it?
I think it ' s the fact that little margins count over a long distance. It ' s quite unpredictable. But it ' s also the only kind of paddling event where it ' s a 20k individual time trial. Basically once you turn the top way, there ' s not going to be any wash riding off anyone else, it ' s your own race, it ' s your own thing, and I really love that. I also really love the ocean and like connecting with the ocean, and surf ski really is a way of doing that. You really have to find your rhythm. South Africans are really good at it, I think, because it ' s just a cultural thing. We ' ve just done it for very long, and our ocean here is wild. You get every kind of conditions imaginable.
5Can you tell us a bit more about yourself – where are you based, what school are you at, what grade and what do you enjoy doing when not paddling?
I am at Wynberg Boys ' High School in grade 11 and I play water polo in my free time. That is how I actually get my swimming base, and a lot of my fitness comes from water polo. Wynberg really has a great water polo programme and water polo is really on the up at the moment.
6Obviously, your family has a long legacy in paddling – how much of an influence have they had on you and who in particular do you look up to?
Obviously, being a Mocke means something. My family isn ' t like every other family in the paddling scene. My parents have accomplished a lot, my uncles have accomplished a lot … So I think it ' s really helped me in the way that I race. They’ ve really shaped the person that I am and the racer that I am, and they definitely are hard racers. They tell me to race from the front and to either get to the front or die trying, and that ' s definitely how I raced. Obviously, it cost me a little bit. Like I said, I died in the last two km, I could have saved myself, but, I think without them I definitely wouldn ' t have been racing like that.
7What are your long-term sports goals?
I definitely want to go to the Olympics. It is definitely something that I would like to accomplish. I don ' t know if it would be a one-off thing or if I would pursue sprinting persistently and try get a medal, but definitely an Olympic Games at some point.
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