2003 World Freestyle Kayak Championships – Report 19, May 24

My Lucky Charms

I never considered myself to be superstitious, or to believe in luck. However, over the years I have found several things to really help me to focus on my task at hand, winning the competition.

The first is my wife. Before my rides, I always spot my wife, make eye contact and wave to her. This reminds me that I am a part of a bigger picture than just this ride, which relaxes me. It also pulls my focus outside of myself, so I don’t start a ride talking to myself and not paying attention to what I am doing.

The second is an ancient Viking Rune. A rune is a small design that the Vikings brought with them to bring luck in whatever the endeavor was. I have one in the shape of an arrow. It was the warrior rune. The purpose was to assure victory in competition. Kristine got my first on in 1998 and I won 9 events in a row. She just found me another one last week. The key for it to help me is for me to remember that I have it on before my rides. This way, I remember the goal, to win the competition. Sometimes you get so wrapped up in the specific goals that you forget to have a good logistical plan to win the whole thing. This Rune fixes that.

Lastly, I find that I perform best when I am just showing off. This means that I need people to show off to. So, on my way into any wave or hole during a competition, I look around at my fans or competitors and wave to them to acknowledge that I see them and it actually relaxes me because I know I am simply going to do what I do best next. If I don’t look at the judges or spectators before going in it is because I am so wrapped up in myself that I am not focusing properly. I don’t usually have a good ride that way.

That sums up my luck charms and little routines!