PADDLER 25 https :// www . instagram . com / em . a . davies /
Are there any specific techniques or skills you ’ ve found especially helpful as a female kayaker ? I haven ’ t found any specific techniques or skills as a female kayaker . I think it ’ s all very personal to you and your journey in kayaking . I came from a strong slalom background , so I am used to visualising moves on the river , reading the water , and putting my boat in places I want it to be . That has set me up well for my river skills .
I struggle with my head game . I do not believe in myself as much as I should and allow the nerves to take over . I am working on realising that things are within my capability and skill set .
What role does social media play in promoting women ’ s participation in extreme sports like white water kayaking ? It plays a part in women ’ s participation in anything , including kayaking . I see male figures on social media and think I ’ d like that paddle there , or if there ’ s a skill they are showing , it still influences me to give it a go . However , when I see a female doing something , it hits me slightly differently . It ’ s hard to explain ; it ’ s slightly more relatable when I see a female doing something . Watching a female do something is more empowering and motivating for me . I will be more likely to give something a go than watch and go ; yes , that was cool !
I have always done and chosen very male-dominated activities , but I have also enjoyed that . It hasn ’ t massively impacted my kayaking so far ! It ’ s a nice thing to have , though , to see more females in the sport and to paddle with . It ’ s super cool to see how strong the female field is getting and to be a part of that !
I coach a small group of girls in slalom , and it ’ s cool to see how my kayaking career influences them !
How do you handle setbacks or disappointments , and what keeps you resilient ? Setbacks and disappointment are hard things to deal with . The way I ’ ve found best to manage is setting myself a time where I allow myself to be mad , annoyed , cry , shout , and be emotional . That could be ten minutes , an hour , a day , but after that , I think , is this something I can control or is it out of my control ? If it ’ s out of my control , there isn ’ t much I can do about that , but if it is in my control , I begin to create a plan moving forward and try to remind myself there is always something good to come out of it , even if it because we ’ ve learnt something or not I will be stronger at the end of it !
The people around me are also key to this . Sometimes , I just want to be with people I ’ m close to , and sometimes , I want to talk about my frustrations . Setbacks can make you feel relatively isolated , and taking the step to talk to someone – anyone – has helped me realise that others are going through or have been through similar things , and sharing makes things easier . I realise it ’ s not forever either ; it ’ s a difficult and frustrating time , but it will end at some point , and I will get through it .
Is there anything you ’ d change within the industry to make it more inclusive ? The progress in equipment and boats plays a huge part in this . The progression in female equipment in the last decade and where it is heading is fantastic . A significant step was creating a kit that fitted and worked for female paddlers . Women-suited equipment also comes with targeted advertising campaigns that can be inspirational and fun to watch .
Sea side fun
One thing I have found useful and am still excited about is having a pee zip in my drysuit that , as a female , I can use . Previously , I would have to completely undress to pee , and that is very unpleasant when you ’ re : 1 . In a rush , 2 . It ’ s cold and raining , and 3 . The faff ! But now it ’ s just an unzip of the drysuit flap and unzip of the onesie , and away you go . One of my favourite things ever !
If you could capture just one ‘ feel-good ’ moment whilst paddling – which would it be and why ? There are so many feel-good moments in kayaking : learning a new skill and pulling it off in the moment , running something you weren ’ t too sure about , and smashing the line !
But to pick just one would be on the Futaleufu this year . When we arrived , it was really high flow , and I wasn ’ t keen or confident about going kayaking , so I shuttled and took photos for the first week . But after some time and some TLC , my confidence grew , and in no time , I ran the classic bridge to bridge with the group , and then , to progress from that , I led people down the section . One particular lap stuck with me . My partner Aaron and I went for a high water lap and had the best time ever ! It ’ s amazing that we can head out and experience some of the best classic whitewater in the world together . A really special memory .
Which river anywhere in the world would be on your bucket list ? Is there anywhere in the world that ’ s got you hooked ? Somewhere you want to keep going back to again and again ? There are so many on the bucket list ! To pick one , for now , South America has got me hooked . There are so many cool rivers and places to experience and explore . The colour of the water and the areas the rivers are in look like something different ! Also , I really enjoy that there are minimal things that want to kill you , such as no crocs , hippos , nasty snakes or nasty insects and bugs . I visited the Futa this winter , just gone and have been a few years ago ; the levels were so different from each other that it was super cool to experience , and it was my first experience kayaking high volume . It won ’ t be the last either for Futa and high-volume kayaking ! A bit further up north would be next to explore kayaking in Pucon .
PADDLER 25 https :// www . instagram . com / em . a . davies /