I left the gun in the cooler , drove up to the cars , and with a giant smile , jumped out and asked if they needed any help . I offered to give anyone a ride that needed it or a tow if my car would do it . I had no money ( the way I was dressed ), and my car was also not worth anything . Whether it was my chirpy attitude or that there was nothing to be gained from robbing me , they pushed a car back and let me through .
Christine was , of course , horrified , and we both agreed that it was time for her to leave . She ’ d return to Brussels , get a job and make some money so I could continue to train , and then when getting to Europe , have a little money to do the world cup .
TOPS NEEDLE
Norbert Sattler set up a challenging course for the team trials on a rapid called Tops Needle on the umGeni river . It was so hard that SA Canoeing decided that the women and juniors would start the race at gate 10 , avoiding the ‘ must make ’ moves at the top . Only a handful of us completed the entire course without missing gates , and I won the race by 22 seconds ( with a five-second penalty for a touch ).
But team selection was not based on results . Your result indicated your speed , but in the end , the team was chosen by a council . They did not want me on the team , period . I was ' an American ' to them . After this long road , the hard training , the dedication and the sacrifice , I was about to miss out on making the Olympic team , not because I was not fast enough , but because other people didn ’ t want me on it .
But Norbert fought for me . He made the case that we had three spots at the Olympics . I was the fastest paddler and was SA ’ s only hope at a good result . The other two , Aleck Rennie and Wade Harrison , would represent the paddlers who had never left South Africa . I was given ' third spot ' on the team and had my place in the Olympics !
ON MY WAY TO THE OLYMPICS
I could go on about hitchhiking from event to event across Europe , sleeping in toilets to escape the rain , and raiding the food bins of restaurants to eat , but none of it mattered . I had made it to the world cup series and was on my way to the Olympics . Everything else was irrelevant .
As I reflect on this , I am heartened by the words of astronaut Kalpana Chawla who said , “ The path from dreams to success does exist . May you have the vision to find it , the courage to get on it , and the perseverance to follow it .” t : + 44 1629 732611 | e : info @ peakuk . com peakuk peakukkayaking peakuktv