PADDLER 66
Interview: Peter Tranter Photos: Sven Tosch(@ toschigraphy) & Grayson Bourne After competing in five Olympic Games, winning two ICF World Championship medals and 68 national titles, Grayson started KayakPro after moving to the US following his retirement from competitive sport. Designing his new machines around kayakers and producing his highquality ergometers, Bourne enjoyed quick success as paddlers around the world discovered his equipment. So, naturally, we thought it was high time we caught up and take a look at his background and what lies ahead for the future. Take it away, Gray …
PADDLER 66
A chat with … Grayson
BOURNE
Interview: Peter Tranter Photos: Sven Tosch(@ toschigraphy) & Grayson Bourne After competing in five Olympic Games, winning two ICF World Championship medals and 68 national titles, Grayson started KayakPro after moving to the US following his retirement from competitive sport. Designing his new machines around kayakers and producing his highquality ergometers, Bourne enjoyed quick success as paddlers around the world discovered his equipment. So, naturally, we thought it was high time we caught up and take a look at his background and what lies ahead for the future. Take it away, Gray …
The first question we always ask is – how did you get into paddling, and when? Just randomly lucky! There was an after-class option at my rather rough secondary school, which was to take French or build a kayak. No contest.
And how did you specifically get into kayak racing and sprinting? With the boat I had just built( an Avoncraft Gnat), I needed a place to store it – so I went to Chelmsford Boating Club. A great group of young guys, a little older than me, had just started racing, so I started at a local race too – quickly followed by the DW. Luckily, I won my first age group race.
How did your first ergo machine progress into what is now a very successful career as the owner of KayakPro? The first was a replication of a Lawler ergo – just after I moved to the US, but prior to that, I had built many other exercise machines previously at Chelmsford Canoe Club, so I had a history of this.