Cyndi's Racing Log

June 2007

3,2,1 …. Go. My 2007 racing season started off with a bang this year. In April right before CPA’s annual SK102, I attended a race clinic held by Holm and Melissa Schmidt. Holm is a former Olympic sprint paddler. For two days he critiqued our strokes, changed our paddling positions, taught us to wake ride and shared his training tips. It was a wonderful way to start the season.

Those few days with Holm taught me how valuable coaching can be so since then I’ve been training with the Washington Canoe Club whenever I can make a practice. Sprint boats are entirely different than sea kayaks and I’ve had to adapt a little. For one thing I’ve been in both a K4 and a K2 – never before have I paddled a boat with another person so that has been a whole new thing. When my first day of training with the WCC in a K4 was over the coach, Derek, said “now, try a K1”. I think he just wanted to see me fall over but I’m happy to report that much to his surprise I stayed dry!

Despite spending time in these flatwater sprint boats, I’ve still got my sights on big water this year. The main racing goal is the NY Mayor’s Cup in October. Twenty Seven miles around Manhattan complete with 3 to 5 foot waves in Hell’s Gate.

For those races, I’ve added another boat to my fleet – the KayakPro Nemo. It’s a beauty! A true openwater worthy sea kayak that is built for speed. So far I’ve only had it out in 2 foot or less waves but the stability is impressive. It is also very fast. Over distance I’m probably just .2 MPH slower than in the Tbolt. Check out the blog for all the details.

2007 Races:

Brian and I are again organizing a race series for CPA. In addition to competing in all of the CPA races, I’ve been thinking of competing in Broadkill in August, Wye Island in September and the Mayor’s Cup in Oct. I’m now also considering whether to compete in the USCA National’s in Warren, PA in August.

Here is a list of races that look interesting to me. Most are located in the Mid-Atlantic or somewhere along the east coast. A few are further away but look like such fun I kept them on the list. Click here to see the whole thing..

The Gear Locker:

Everyone knows that I love gear. Getting into racing has been a great excuse to add to the kayak fleet. Here are some photos: