ThePADDLER 66
I was hungry to prove myself and over-trained the first week
and created a terrible cycle of tendonitis that slowed me down
However , what makes Dane unique isn ’ t just his skill , dedication , and hard work that he employs in his everyday paddling , but how he approaches the world . He is humble , helpful , and genuine in his desire to make the world a better place , making what he does look effortless . However , he is like the duck gliding smoothly across the surface but paddling like hell underwater . Don ’ t ever think it is easy for him ; it isn ’ t . He could coast for a while , but he doesn ’ t – he drives hard , pushes harder , and expects himself to perform better all of the time .
My choice at age 20 to move to Washington , DC and start training for the USA slalom team was a lot different from Dane ’ s competitive career . I went straight to the top of the sport and trained with the USA team under Bill Endicott . After giving me five days to train in Washington the summer before and seeing my potential , he invited me . I moved to Washington to train twice a day and was also in engineering school .
RICHARD FOX
I was hungry to prove myself and over-trained the first week and created a terrible cycle of tendonitis that slowed me down . It was a long five years of financial ruin , dropping out of school , and laser-focused on making the USA team , but falling short year after year . Finally , I had the opportunity to train with Richard Fox in Brazil for six weeks . He wasn ’ t coaching me , but I
EJ helix on Mutt ’ s Nutts , River Nile
was doing every workout with him , absorbing everything I could , and trying to beat him every day .
When I arrived , he would leave me behind on the one-hour endurance flatwater paddles , but I could beat him on those by the end . I got competitive with him in the gates , but he was still better when I left . However , I returned to the USA and won the first two races of the season – my first wins ever in slalom against the USA team . It was my birth as a contender on the world stage in 1989 , and I made the USA team easily and had some good finishes in the World Cups , with a fifth , sixth , and seventh being my best ones .