The Paddler Magazine issue 72 Summer 2023 | Page 90

PADDLER 90

What is the most significant accomplishment in your career to date ? 13 Green Race championships with 18 clean ( ish ) races in a row is pretty awesome .

If you had to choose one last thing you wanted to achieve within WW paddling before giving it up , what would that be ? It ’ s never giving it up . I want to paddle until my last living day .

Any fellow paddler you would like to interview and why ? Benny Marr . He ’ s the most entertaining human in kayaking .

What ’ s the one river you haven ’ t paddled that would be on your bucket list ? Fantasy Falls .

What do you do when not kayaking ? I ’ m a Wildland Fire Paramedic , but I also spend a lot of time searching for the perfect wave while surfing in warm places .

Name just one thing we can do as paddlers to improve our environment . Pick up any trash you see on the side of the river ; I always try to pick up any trash I see .

Here in the UK , a lot of work by British Canoeing is being done to bring more women into the sport ; what ’ s being done in the US , and by whom ? Anna Levesque does so much to get women into paddling by creating a safe environment for learning . There are also loads of women ’ s paddle days around the US , including the Women ’ s Paddlefest and the Green River Takeover , for women who are already into it but looking for more women to share the day with .

You ’ re one of the paddlers of this generation . Which paddlers from the past would you have loved to have paddled with ? I wish I could have paddled with Nikki Kelly during the Seven Rivers expedition ; she ’ s such a hard ass .

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HAVE YOU EVER BEEN SCARED , AND IF NOT – WHAT WOULD IT TAKE ?

I ’ m scared all the time ! I ’ m good at masking it , but big water really scares me . Big water with crocs scares me even more which was the three days I encountered while I paddled down the Murchison section of the White Nile in Uganda .