New York, New York

I've been staying with my uncle on 91st and York, which has been fairly incredible. The view is great and I've had a blast running around the city. Its so convenient...you truly can't beat the location.
Maybe I'm getting old, but New York seems a little fast paced...duh. I love the excitement and the culture, however people need to slow down a little bit. I walk fast compared to San Diego, but I walk like a gimp compared to New Yorkers.
Its fun though. I went out for drinks at a Tapas restaurant with my uncle last night. It was funny...one moment I'm eating Chorizo and drinking white wine with a bunch of suits and the next my best friend picks me up and takes me to the biggest dive bar on the lower east side. It was called something docs....I got a splinter from the bar....yes that dive. Then we drove over to the restaurant he manages called Hill Country. I walked in and was instantly hungry. Its a huge BBQ joint. I only tasted the mac and cheese but the ribs looked tasty. I also tried a mullet...which was...interesting.
I was in bed by 1am...not bad for NY standards considering all the bars stay open until 4am here. I'm an old fart because I'm so used to 2am closing at the BE.
I head up to Sebago lake on Sunday to do a clinic with the little kiddies. I will also get to paddle! Haven't done that in about two weeks! Woopee! Should be a pleasant Labor day weekend.
Once I head back to San Diego I the 10th I will begin my public speaking tour of the Chula school system. That should be fairly exciting!
Oh keep your eyes open...in the next couple of weeks my brother and I will be in The Journal News of Westchester and Rockland Country NY.

A New Begining

I've decided to take a risk and quit my job....within the next few months.
My goal is to make a living off of athletic sponsorship and athletic endorsements so I can devote all of my time (outside of training and competing) to community service.

Its a scary thought. Because as of this moment I have $0 athletic sponsorship.
It may even seem crazy to leave my job, or plan on leaving my job in the near future without any financial stability. However, I'm playing big and I need to go for what I want and love.

I want to have adventure...I want to paddle, I want to study Muay Thai, I want to sail around the world, I want to learn to pilot my own airplane...the list goes on. I also want to make a difference in community. I want to share my experiences with people. I want to share with people how big of a difference having a team behind you can make. I want to explain to people that being "unstoppable" in your life means you never give up, you only become "complete".

My head is spinning with new ideas, ethusiasm, and possibility...however my little voice keeps telling me to be fearful. My little voice will be ignored.

photos

Our beautiful lunch ladies in Italy.



My spanish friend.





Greg Barton. It was truly an inspiration to see him at Worlds.






The best girl paddlers I've seen come out of Rockaway!!! They're going to catch me one of these days!!

Home Again

It was a rough ending to World Championships. Although I was extremely proud of my team, the girls and I were very disappointed.
It was quite an emotional ending. The USA qualified two spots for the Olympics and both Carrie Johnson, Jordan Malloch, and Rammi Zur all had outstanding races. We're so proud of them.

What I was really moved by over the trip, was the way the team came together. I've been around the sport since 2001 and I have never seen a team as united as this team was. I was so happy to have experienced it.

Over the course of the summer my relationship with paddling has evolved and transformed. To be honest, at the beginning of the year there were times when I despised paddling and wanted nothing to do with it.

That, I believe, was because I was paddling very selfishly. I wasn't sharing my experiences with even my closest family. When you're not sharing your experiences (good or bad) it puts so much pressure on you that it loses a lot of meaning.

While laying by the beautifull lake of Pusiano Italy I changed my view. It was an epiphany of sorts. There, under the Italian sun I gave up paddling for myself. I told myself "I will enjoy it and love it because I will find the joy in effort everyday" but I began paddling for my family, for my team, for my country, and for our future. Paddling was only selfish for me because I made it completely selfish and most of the time I embraced that.

As soon as I got home from Europe I flew to National Championships. I was keeping my word as a National Team athlete to make an appearance at Nationals. This is a somewhat controversial subject. For the National Team, Nationals isn't a very important race and most of the time the team has just finished there most important race of the year. Its hard for the athletes to motivate themselves to attend a race that isn't as prestigious, especially when its not funded.

I cannot explain the amount of value I got out of attending Nationals. My club team Rockaway Olympic Canoe/Kayak sponsored my air fair (THANK YOU). I also began remembering where I came from as an athlete. I realized, even though I had a very disappointing race at Worlds I have come so far. Less than ten years ago I was attending my first Nationals and barely making it down the course. I also spent time with kids from my club who could be the most talented I've ever seen come out of Rockaway (thanks to Hannah Menke coaching).

In 2000 I raced at New York Empire State Games. I got multiple medals in different events. Hannah Menke raced canoe against the men because there isn't a canoe event for women. Obviously, being new to her event and racing against men twice her age and size she didn't get a medal. I gave her one of mine saying "you worked just as hard as everyone else, its important for you to have this". She didn't want to take it, but I told her she could give it back when she medal ed at the regatta. At Nationals this week Hannah Menke handed me back an Empire State Games medal that had the year 2000 on it. She medal ed this year, still racing against men twice her size and age. I don't know if Hannah knows how much that medal means to me, especially coming out of World Championships.

Aside from all my profound epiphany's (haha) about paddling, I have made some business decisions as well. I'm taking quite a risk this fall by not working at The Bitter End (my fabulous employer) as much as last year. Financial instability is always a worry for athletes. I decided to commit myself fully to my sport. Not just to train my butt off...but to really try to expand the paddling community, create more media exposure, and really make a difference in people's lives by sharing my experience.

My goals over the next year include but are not limited to, in no specific order:

#1 Getting enough athletic sponsorship that I don't have to work
#2 Travel to different states and train with and help coach developing clubs (first trip will hopefully be to Gig Harbor this fall!)
#3 Share my story with 10,000 people
#4 Transform the image of paddling into something that will be more widely appreciated
#5 Qualify for the Olympic Games
#6 Be part of and help create the strongest Olympic Team the USA has ever seen


Please support me in these goals!!!

Thank you to all my readers, it makes me so happy to know everyone is enjoying my pictures! More to come soon from Nationals!!

Ho hum...

Thanks for keeping up! And thanks for all of your support.

This has been a very disappointing regatta for the women's K4. I can't explain it...but the boat just didn't move the way it could.

I swear...there's a broken heart and then, there is not performing nearly as well as you hoped. They both hurt in an indescribable way. I think this year it hurt the most, because I could feel the pain of my team in a way I never ever had before. And this year, I think we wanted to do well more than ever before.

However, the race is done. Everyone knows that you train all year for one day, and it could either be your day or not. That's part of the game.

I know everyone put everything out on that line; thats all you can really ask for.

Now we get a good long break...before we start training our asses off again in October.

Rammi and Carrie did exceptionally well. Boys K4 made their final for the 200m. Fantastic.

Thanks again...

This is my job...

I keep reminding myself that this is my job. Aside from the training, I feel as if I'm on some luxury vacation. Its unreal.


Today's lunch...sadly it was Bunny...


in disguise


Trip to Belaggio




my dearest brother



The pool at Antonio Rossi's kayak club. Italy knows how to do it.


sluuuurrrrpeeeeee......





Tour De Italy...they must have got lost.


beautiful girly


There is kayaking...and then there is Italian Fashion....


Haircut.