Nationals

Right after making Jr. and Senior USA slalom teams in Canoe and Kayak, I left North Carolina and drove the six hours down to Columbus, Georgia for freestyle national championships. I hadn’t been in my play boat since Worlds in December and I was really excited to get back in my Rockstar. I was especially excited to get back out on a wave because I hadn’t been able to wave boat since 2015, so I was itching to go paddle when I arrived. The wave was super fun, but we did not get a ton of practice time due to lack of water. After three short sessions of practice, it was comp time. Outside World Columbus organized the event beautifully with awesome decorations and the best swag bags ever! Saturday morning, I helped judge the cadet Jr. Women’s, and then I got ready for my comp.

My rides were solid in prelims putting my in a close second to Adrienne. I then judged men’s and jumped in for a late session that night to perfect my tricks. The next morning was super cold and stormy, making us have a bit of a scare before the comp because the water was delayed, but Georgia Power pulled through and soon everything was kicking off. I judged cadets again and then did a few surfs to warm up. I was feeling pretty good and was able to keep it together through my rides. On my best ride I threw down Air Blunts, Back Blunts, a Back panam, and my favorite, a helix, giving me a score of 498 and holding my top spot through all the rides. The event was very fun and super well run, can’t wait for next year! Thanks to all the organizers and volunteers who helped with such and awesome event.