Calling all female freestyle kayakers- I challenge you too…..

Worlds was amazing and for the first time ever I got to throw lunars and tricky wus as part of my competition rides. My ultimate goal though is to see the sport go to another level again. With just over a year to the next worlds and then 3 years until the Nottingham worlds 

I challenge all the female boaters out there young and old. I challenge you too…

1. Learn every trick on the score sheet front and back, left and right.

2. Play with crazy sequence and combinations

3. Master an throw the BIG tricks : lunar-loops, tricky-loops, backloop-mcnastys, lunar-tricky wus, split-split-tricky wu’s, split-phoenixs …….

Why, because I have thrown them so they are possible and I promise you they are amazing fun and feel awesome!!!

4. Aim for a Worlds ride that is beyond your imagination right now.

Thanks Dennis Newton for having a vision to help me achieve all these tricks and for the hundreds of hours spent coaching me and helping me work them out. Also to every other paddler who has helped coach, guide and support me in my journey, there are far to many to list but you know who you are and thank you.

Thank you Emily Jackson, Ruth Gordon Ebens, Jutta Kaiser, Paula Floyd, Rosie Cripps, Tanya Faux, Nouria Abou-Newman, Deb O’keefe and many more legendary female paddlers for inspiring me, starting the push to this exceptional level of performance and for leading the charge.

If your young or new to the sport (within the last 10 years) and don’t recognize these ladies names ‘google’ them as these girls are among a crew of girls who paddled over the last century or two and started the charge in bringing the sport of freestyle kayaking (hole and big waves) to where it is now.

I can’t wait until I next get to paddle an amazing hole and throw down these tricks again.

Until then lets just enjoy them on video. All my favorite big big tricks are between 35 seconds and 1 minute on the video.

Claire O