Kayaking, Swimming, Waterpolo, Rugby and many more
Top 10 Results:
2003
Represented South Africa at freestyle kayaking world champs in Austria (32nd junior)
2004
Represented South Africa at freestyle kayaking international Champs in Australia (10th junior)
2005
Represented South Africa at Freestyle kayaking World Champs in Australia
Awarded Team Leader award at Academy of Huge Experiences, WV USA
Winner, Zambezi big air contest
Knights, SAB sports star of the year nominee.
2006
First Descent of Gonubie Falls, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
2008
One of three on Laos Expedition, Ran 25+ first descents including 50 foot Champi Falls
General Information:
Recently I have changed my focus of paddling towards expedition kayaking. This paddling involves descending un-paddled, often unmapped rivers in remote parts of the globe with the sole aim of being the first to do so. So, after graduating at the end of 2009 I hope to become an “a-list” expedition kayaker with the opportunity to kayak technically terrifying rivers in the most remote places on earth.
My paddling career started at a very young age with my dad taking me out on a canoe after school and progressed with me taking friends paddling with dolphins from when I was around 12 years old. Soon after that I found a love for white-water and progressed to be selected for the national team to kayaking in Austria in 2003.
In 2008 my paddling finally found direction with my involvement with two Australians in a highly successful expedition through parts of Southern Laos on the Vietnamese border. We kayaked more waterfalls and rapids I can count with only one or two of them having been descended before. This expedition taught me more about the sport and the demands of expedition paddling.
An area where I would like to progress is in my input with kayak and paddle design. I hope that with time I can be an invaluable input with the Research and design for Max Paddle and Fluid Kayaks.
Training Tips:
Cross train: Having more than one sport with exercises that complement each other will help keep you motivated and will help prevent injury. To help with my paddling I try swimming train regularly and attempt to gym as often as possible. However, the time on the water is the most essential of the paddling and one mustn’t try relying on other sports for total fitness for paddling and kayaking.
In white water kayaking it is crucial that one practise ones rescue and safety techniques to make sure that if the situation arises where fast action is needed to save someone’s life one will be able to act quickly without fault. Make sure that you know your knots and when you should use them, and you should periodically practise using your safety equipment.
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