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Jessica's  Kayak Slalom Photo Album

 

I took 2007 off from competition in order to live a normal high school life.  I spent the last year hanging out with friends at home in California.  The time off from the water was a good break for me — it also gave me the opportunity to take up a second discipline: racing a C1.  I hope to be able to race my C1 internationally in 2009.  Girls racing a C1?  Why not?  It’s about time!

 

I looked forward to the Junior Olympics as it marks the beginning of my training season for the 2008 U.S. Team Trials.  It feels good to be racing again.  I truly missed everyone in the racing circuit and it reminded me why I loved paddling.  I met up with familiar faces from Denver, Durango, Pennsylvania, D.C., Texas, North Carolina, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alberta.  I also met some new faces from Australia and Iran.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Wiegand and all the generous volunteers filled our two weekends with with several memorable events: four slalom races, freestyle, boatercross, and downriver. 

 

With technical coaching from Toby Roessingh and conditioning coaching from my Dad, I trained hard on the course the week before and placed first in K1 and C1 events during the Junior Olympics.  I was really excited about racing C1 as it was my first national-level race.  It was also very inspiring to see more women C1 than men C1 during the Grand Prix Slalom race.  I met the following women C1 paddlers and look forward to future races with them: Haley (Wisconsin), Kara (B.C.), Jasmine (B.C.), and Laura (Missouri) — you rock.

 

Speaking of women, a delegation of Iranian paddlers participated.  I learned a lot about their culture while they discovered ours.  They were surprised to see men and women swimming together in the same pool and on the river.  My dad taught them how to play Frisbee and also helped them distinguish between yogurt and sour cream.  They taught me how to speak a few phrases of Farsi and gave me a sampling of Farsi rap music.

 

I met Norm Bellingham, the Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee at the U.S. Olympic Complex in Colorado Springs.  (Norm was a member of the U.S. Olympic Kayak team in 1984, 1988, and 1992).  I was part of the Iranian delegation touring the facility.  This visit allowed me to observe first-hand how Olympians lived and trained. 

 

Thank you to the following sponsors for supporting my Junior Olympics experience: 

 

The Gold Country Paddlers -my recreational paddling club at home

The Kern River Alliance -my friends from the Bakersfield / Kernville areas

Jim and Jan Bowerman -OC2 Team from Oregon

Vince Giese -inspired my dad to take up C1 who in turn inspired me

The Surdhars -hosting our homestay in their beautiful home in Longmont, CO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2007 North American Junior Olympics

June 30—July 8, 2007

Golden, Colorado

 

 

Good to be racing again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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