Reviewing the Year and Prepping for the Next

2021 is coming to a close. Plans are being made, tickets are being bought, and excitement is stirring for the coming year. But before 2022, it’s important to look back in everything that has happened the past 365 days whether it be progression, competitions, or failure.

There’s nothing more awesome than feeling yourself progress in a sport. It’s exciting, confidence inspiring, and just simply increases stoke, so how does this carry into the next year? It can sometimes be hard to feel progression. Sometimes it’s very small and blends in with your boating, and while others may notice an increase in skill, you don’t see it yourself. I generally assess progression by looking at where I was the previous year.

Back in 2020 (which honestly feels like last week), my paddling ability shot way up as I was consistently paddling class V rivers and creeks for the first time, and with my high school being shut down due to Covid, I was paddling the Green 2-4 times a week. Even with all this time spent paddling hard whitewater, I still had challenges; the main one being that I wasn’t always 100% sure why I was messing up certain lines. This is most notable on the rapid Gorilla, a southeast classic. I was about 50-50 on my ability to stay upright at the bottom, and I could never quite figure it out. In 2021, my ability to understand whitewater and choose lines dramatically increased. I began seeing the river differently, seeing how certain features affected my boat control and how to use those features to my benefit. This led to me staying upright almost every time I did Gorilla, no matter the level. This skill is not talked about enough in the river community as many people don’t understand water, but I believe it is one, if not the, most important skill a kayaker can develop, for it will take you to the next level of the sport, opening up opportunities to you that wouldn’t have shown otherwise. I suggest that you do the same and compare where you were last year to where you are now. Sometimes it’s not always apparent, but if you’re consistently paddling and with people who push you to be better, then you will progress.

Another point of assessing the year comes in competitions. If you don’t compete, then you can skip over this, but I do suggest everyone compete in some form of kayaking at some point. The pandemic has put quite a damper in competitions, but a few still occur. This year, I competed in the Green Race and the Lord of the Fork race. I podiumed in juniors in both races, and while I feel alright with those results, I’m already thinking of next year and how I can do better. I already plan on training harder, building on what I accomplished in 2021. I’ve also looked at and thought about where I messed up lines and how I can be cleaner in the years to come. Generally, I would also be competing in freestyle, but I was unable to attend any events, and I only spent around a dozen days in my play boat, so for 2022, I want to compete in more freestyle events with the goal of making the US freestyle team now that I’m old enough. While you may not be competing quite at the level I am, or maybe you’re at a higher level, it’s important, no matter your level, to review competitions and begin making a plan for what/where you’re going to compete this coming year. I keep a list of all my freestyle and racing results, dating back to when I was 12 years old. This helps me stay organized and compare my results year to year.

The final point I’m going to make is rather frustrating but incredibly important: failure. Everyone fails, loses, messes up, and it sucks every time. It would be epic if all we did was succeed, but then then glory of winning would be lost, so let’s break this down. Whether it be failing a trick, screwing up a rapid, or messing up in a competition, it’s important to take a moment and think about what happened. I make sure to do this every time I mess up a rapid or a trick. It can be really easy to ignore mistakes and brush it off as a fluke, but the truth is that there are learning moments in every mistake. Every flip, missed stroke, unnecessary stroke, failed line, and failed trick contain a lesson to be learned. No progression comes without failure, so it’s beyond key to look at what you did wrong and learn why it happened. With this assessment will come the skill I mentioned earlier: understanding the river. Looking back on my mistakes is one of the biggest proponents to my progression as a paddler as well as a person. And while what I’ve talked about is incredibly important in my opinion, there is one thing that trumps all of these: fun.

Kayaking is supposed to be fun. Any activity is supposed to be fun. Feeling dejected or unhappy isn’t bad, but I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to keep on pushing and have fun. I kayak for the love of it, and while I deeply enjoy competing and paddling challenging whitewater, having fun and ending each day on the river with a smile is what I push hardest for. I suggest you do the same.
It’s been a great year, and I hope for an even better one next year filled with stout rapids, more podiums, and even more joy. I’m writing this while on a plane to Flagstaff, Arizona, for a 12 day, self support trip on the Grand Canyon with some of my best friends. Peace out 2021, and see you all on the river.