July 2, 2024 • 37 mins
Evy Leibfarth was practically born in the river. The child of two whitewater guides, the 20-year old is set to make her second Olympics appearance in Paris and make history. She will become the first woman in her sport to compete in three events; canoe, kayak and kayak cross, the last of which is a brand new sport to the Olympics. In this episode of The PowHERful Podcast, Evy takes us inside her training schedule, how she’s learned to embrace and celebrate every part of herself, and how we can be the experts of the watch party when watching her and her teammates take to the water.
To watch the full interview, check out our YouTube (@ThePowHERful)!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you're listening to this podcast, we know one thing
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Speaker 2 (00:07):
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Speaker 1 (00:34):
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Speaker 4 (00:39):
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Hello friends, and welcome to the Powerful Podcast.
Speaker 5 (00:47):
I'm your Host Aja McCord. In this podcast, we introduce
you to powerful women who are changing the game in
and outside of their field of play. These are women's stories,
women who happen to be doing things that many of
us us can only dream of, but the lessons and
inspiration they share is universal.
Speaker 6 (01:05):
Hey friends, welcome back to the Powerful Podcast. I'm your
host aj McCord. I am so excited to introduce you
to our next powerful woman. This is somebody who competes
in a sport that is near and dear to my
own heart. And she has been one of those sort
of teenage finals that we've been watching for years and years.
She's already made her Olympic debut in Tokyo, but this
summer in Paris, she is going to make history as
(01:28):
the first woman in her sport to compete in not one,
not two, but three events. We're talking women's canoe, women's kayak,
and a brand new sport debuting in Paris in twenty
twenty four, Women's kayak Cross. So Emie Leap Forard, thank
you so much for being on the podcast with us.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Thank you so much. Aj. I'm so excited to talk
with you today.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
It's gonna be so fun.
Speaker 6 (01:48):
So I talked about your sport being near and dear
to my own heart, and that's because I was a
white water rafting guide in college and so I rafted
on the Arkansas River Brown's Canyon in Colorado, and so
watching you do kayaking, canoeing in this white water and
it's just been so cool to see how you have
literally taken to.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
It like a fish to water. Tell us how you
got into this sport.
Speaker 7 (02:12):
Yeah, so I've been in this sport literally my entire life.
My parents actually met as raft guides, which is kind
of crazy.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
And so I always grew up like right by the river.
Speaker 7 (02:23):
My parents took me kayaking for the first time when
I was maybe like, I don't know, five months old
or something. Oh, they used to take me down little
rivers on their lap. And then as I got older,
I begged for my own kayak and they got me
a neon pink kayak and a sparkly paddle. And I
think that was half the reason that I loved it,
which I was really little, because I just I loved
(02:44):
the color. And then yeah, as I grew up, I
just really found a love for it. I just loved
being in the water, being on the river, and would
do just kind of anything that could get me closer
to that.
Speaker 6 (02:57):
And you grew up in North Carolina, right that those
were the rivers that you were close.
Speaker 7 (03:01):
To, Yes, ma'am, So I grew up ten minutes from
the Nineheala River and that's a great place for you know, rafting.
Learning how to kayak gets like class two three for
most of the river and so it's just an amazing
place to learn.
Speaker 6 (03:14):
Yeah, okay, so how do you go from because your
sports are pretty new. I mean the women's canoe debuted
in Tokyo, right, and then kayak crosses debuting this year
in Paris. I have a ton of friends who are
whitewater rafting guys. We still go back almost every summer
to Beauta Vista in Colorado and get a chance to.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Get on the river again.
Speaker 6 (03:34):
But even me, as somebody who was in the sport
and thoroughly enjoyed it was very competitive, didn't really understand
that there was an opportunity to compete.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
In the Olympics.
Speaker 6 (03:44):
Like, at what point did that switch for you of going, oh,
this is really fun and I want to do what
every chance I can to wait a minute, Actually this
could this could be a career.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
I could make something out of this.
Speaker 7 (03:56):
It actually switched for me when I was pretty young.
My dad as a coach for the UF national team
before I was born, so I kind of always had
someone in my corner telling me, hey, like, if you
want to go to the Olympics in this like, you're
gonna have to work hard, but you can make it happen.
And I remember being eight years old. We had an
Olympic Day celebration at the Nana Hilla Outdoor Center and
(04:17):
I was watching on the TV someone that I knew
personally competing in the Olympics, and I remember like talking
to my dad and being like, Oh my god, I
want to do that so badly. How do I make
this happen? And I think that that's when I decided
that I wanted to go to the Olympics in the sport.
But I didn't really think it was going to happen so.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Early for me.
Speaker 7 (04:39):
Actually, it was kind of a surprise getting to your
to Tokyo because I qualified after just one season on
the senior circuit because you have to be fifteen in
order to race, and so I did wait until my
fifteenth birthday and then it all kind of happened in.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Such a blur. But I yeah, crazy experience.
Speaker 6 (04:57):
What do you remember about that whirlwind of a time
qualifying for your first Olympics at sixteen?
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Oh gosh, it's hard to say.
Speaker 7 (05:06):
I guess I just remember being really excited and just
kind of being like, oh.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Well, I guess I'll see where this goes, because.
Speaker 7 (05:13):
You know, I went into that season, just having no
idea how I was going to do compared to all
the older girls, you know, people that I'd been watching
since I was eight years old, and I just had
a lot of fun with it. I think that it
was a completely different world for me. You know, there
was a lot of other things to focus on instead
of just kayaking. You know, there was being drug tested,
(05:36):
and there was you know, all of the travel and
making sure that you had enough time to train before
the race, and then just learning how to deal with
the stress that came around it. So it was just
so much happening at once. But I've always loved, you know,
kind of being in a fast paced, changing environment, so
I really loved it actually.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Okay, so speaking of fast paced changing environments, so people
who don't have a great understanding of kayak cross or kayaking,
can you give us a little bit of a breakdown
of your sport and each of the disciplines that you're
going to be competing in this summer.
Speaker 7 (06:08):
Yeah, So kayaking canoe, i'd say, are the most traditional disciplines.
They've been around for pretty much as long as the
sport has been around, and that's your typical around twenty
to twenty four gate course. It's down a section of
river with some rapids, and there are six upstreams and
then the rest are downstreams, and you have to get
(06:29):
through the obstacle course as fast as you can without
any penalty. So if you touch a gate, you get
a two second penalty, and if you miss a gate,
you get a fifty second penalty. So it's all about
like being precise but making those like split second decisions
to get there. And then kayak cross is a much
more new sport. I started racing it back in twenty
(06:49):
nineteen and it really caught on kind of around that time.
But it's actually four people going down the course at once,
and you're in plastic boats instead of carbon boats because
you're actually supposed to like hit each other. So you
drop in off this ramp and then everyone just kind
of battles it out. There's only around like six or
(07:11):
seven gates, and you're allowed to touch them, you're allowed
to move them out of the way with your paddle,
and you have to be one of the first two
people to cross to go into the next round because
it's like, uh, eighth, final, quarterfinal, semifinal type of situation.
But yeah, it's crazy because you just have to make
so many decisions and you don't know where anyone's going
(07:31):
to go, what's gonna happen. A lot of people kind
of describe it as bumper curs on the water because
you were just trying to bump the other girls.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Out of the way, which is actually, like.
Speaker 7 (07:41):
I don't know, it's crazy because everyone that you're trying
to like knock out is also your friends, So I
kind of you just have to like turn off that
mindset for a minute. But I'd say, like the biggest
difference is in canoe and kayak you have a plan,
you have a visualization, you know exactly how it's going
to go, like in an ideal world, and in kayak cross,
(08:01):
you have no idea what's going to happen. You have
plenty a's and b's and c's and d's, and you
have all of these kind of connecting decisions that you'd make,
but really no one knows what's going to happen.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 6 (08:12):
So like kayak cross for people who maybe watch the
Winter Games a little bit more, snowboard cross has been
around a little longer, so that's a similar thing.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
It's like snowboard cross, but.
Speaker 8 (08:21):
In the water with kayaks as opposed to on boards
on a mountain.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 7 (08:27):
And I know that I grew up watching that sport,
and so it's pretty exciting to be able to be
a part of it in you know, my sport, in
our own way. And I think it's just great for
people to watch. You know, it's so exciting because you
don't know what's going to happen until the very pH.
Speaker 6 (08:41):
Okay, So I want to I want to take people
inside what it is like to learn to navigate a river,
because again, like I remember.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
My first summer on the water, it was terrible.
Speaker 6 (08:53):
I was crying all the time because I would flip
my boat, I would get wrapped on a rock. I
mean I got wrapped on this rock so hard when
I was rafting, which like for those who don't know,
like basically, there's a rock in the middle of the river,
you're supposed to go around it, right, like pretty obvious. No, no, no,
I couldn't steer this thing around that to save my life.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Oh, I got wrapped like so hard.
Speaker 6 (09:18):
It took five or six people to pull my boat
off of this rock. And I'm standing on top of
it sobbing because this is like my third day of training,
and so I'm like, I'm the worst guide.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I'm never gonna do this sport.
Speaker 6 (09:30):
I'm never gonna, like, who's gonna trust me to take
them down the river after this chaos? So, learning a
sport on a living, breathing, moving body of water, what
was that like for? Like, please tell me I'm not
alone and having some like really embarrassing learning out of
the river stories.
Speaker 7 (09:45):
Oh girl, you are not alone at all. If it
makes me feel any better. I flipped and got like
kind of stuck on an optacle during the Tokyo Olympics,
like during the Olympic run, So like, I definitely feel
you there. I think that I'm and I think that
such a big part of learning a sport is failing
at it sometimes and having those embarrassing moments because that's
(10:07):
when you learn. You know, you probably won't make that
thing mistake again. I hopefully won't.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yeah, you will not manifest that right now?
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 6 (10:17):
I still every time I go down the river, I
like know where that rock is. And the funny thing
is when I was learning, the water was so low
that year, which is why there were so many rocks
available to hit in the river, and trust me, I
hit almost all of them.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
But like, I haven't seen that rock since my.
Speaker 6 (10:33):
First summer, which was like ten years ago, because it
doesn't it's covered by.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Water now, but I know exactly where the river that is.
Speaker 6 (10:42):
And So you grew up as the daughter of two
people who are probably self replaying river rots, loved learning
on the water, loved being on the water growing up.
What was your childhood like that you were you know,
you were so part of this community that your parents
were a part of. And yet you know you're also
going through middle school in high school and sort of
developing your own life and your own friends circle.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Like what was that childhood like for you?
Speaker 7 (11:08):
I think, honestly, looking back at it, it just feels
really normal to me. You know, I've been a part
of the river community for so long that I just
I can't imagine my life without it. So it's really
hard for me to like think back to like what
parts about my growing up did it changed, because I
just I wouldn't be meet without.
Speaker 6 (11:24):
It, isn't it all of how once you get on
the river, it really does become a part. Like I
can go anywhere in the world, and I'm fascinated by
a river. And your sport has taken you to many
rivers around the entire world, some of them, I'm sure
high desert, jungle, rainforest, probably really cold rivers.
Speaker 8 (11:42):
Like, what are some of the most extreme rivers that
you've found yourself in in your life?
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Well, I guess growing up I did pretty much.
Speaker 7 (11:51):
All the time just flallom, which I love. And the
whole kind of point of that is to do harder
moves on rivers, so you're not doing the biggest rapids,
You're not you know, traveling to the most remote places
in the world. It's really about like building your skills up,
being really like technical. And I also do a kind
(12:13):
of kayaking like creaking, river running, whatever you want to
call it. And I didn't really start doing that that
much until maybe two or three years ago, and I
learned on the Green River in North Carolina, and that
was really scary for me. I'd say, that's the first
time that I've really been like scared on a river.
And I think, really, I think just because I like
(12:35):
I was exposed to it from such a young age,
and you know, a lot of times people ask me like, oh,
like surely you're like so scared as you're going down,
like so much can happen, And for sure, I think
it's the scariest sport. But I think that a cool
part about salomn is that you don't have to be
and like it's okay to be scared and it's okay
to kind of like feel that and feel all that emotion.
But I think it's a really healthy way to kind
(12:57):
of like move through it. And then for me to learn,
like while creaking, to do that in a completely different
way was I don't know. I think that was probably
one of the biggest hurdles that I've had to get over,
was actually, you know, learning how to be scared and
then you know, find that confidence still. And I had
some really great friends that kind of like taught me
(13:18):
how to do that, and I'm so thankful for it.
But I definitely think a river can be, yeah, a
scary place. I've definitely cried my fair share in Eddie's
above rapids, Blow Rapids.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
I'm just like a very emotional paddler, you know, but
probably the same.
Speaker 6 (13:35):
So tell people for people who don't know what creaking is,
because what we're gonna see you do in Paris is
you're gonna compete on a closed course, right, So like
you know everything that's happening in the water, what you
can see, what you cannot underneath you, Right, that's the
point of like a course. But when you are creaking,
when you're doing something like that, what does that entail
(13:55):
for people who maybe don't understand what it looks like
to go to floor a new place.
Speaker 7 (14:01):
Yeah, So slalom typically happens on an artificial course, So
there's literally a conveyor belt that takes you up to
the top, which is amazing because I hate carrying my boat.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
I think it's the worst singing world. And it's pretty short.
Speaker 7 (14:17):
It only takes like about a minute to paddle down,
so you can really memorize every single part of it,
every single rack, every single rock, like everything you have
down in like river running and creek boating, you don't
have that because it's much longer sections of river. You
know a lot of times it's a three or four
hour run. So even if it's not like the biggest
white water, it's still really hard to orient yourself and
(14:39):
to remember where you are. For me, visualization is such
a big part of what I do. I like to
be able to visualize every single stroke that I'm going
to take going down and on like a long river.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
I just can't do that.
Speaker 7 (14:50):
I also just don't really have that good of memory.
So like growing up, trying to remember a solemn course
to a race was awful. I used to have to
draw these course maps because I would just go to
the wrong gates.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Oh my gosh. So it's so funny.
Speaker 6 (15:03):
I was reading an article and like prep for this interview,
and one of them said, you can probably find heavy
drawing before her race in the tent, like warming up.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Are you drawing the course before your race?
Speaker 7 (15:14):
Sometimes I am, yeah, you know, if I'm having a
really hard time remembering it, which I think it's very fair.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
Twenty gates to the lot, so what.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
And it's like important for people to know.
Speaker 6 (15:24):
Like she says downhill or like downriver and upriver, that
means that she literally has to go to the side
of the course, flip her boat back up river, go
up the river, and then come back down through.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
The gate thing again.
Speaker 6 (15:37):
So like this is not an easy Like it's not
easy to just go up a river.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Like I challenge you to go out into any creek
and try it, Like, this is not easy.
Speaker 6 (15:44):
You have to understand the water, you have to understand
the eddies, you have to understand what's going on. So
I don't blame you. I would want to detailed, like
put Siri in my ear. Okay, at this gate, turn right,
at this gate, turn left, like I want step by
step driving instructions.
Speaker 7 (15:58):
No, literally, So like the good thing is though, when
there is a course, you know it's it's numbered. The
green gates are down, the red gates are up, and
so it does make it easier to know like where
to go through the white water and everything when you
have these like gates like telling you where to go
and if they are like pretty tricky.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
I wish that most rivers had that. I think it
would helped me a lot.
Speaker 6 (16:18):
You're like, actually on this like brand new creek that
I'm just trying for the first time, can I have
some markers please?
Speaker 7 (16:23):
And yeah, just a couple, just like ten or eleven
maybe on like the big rapids, not that many.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Not that many.
Speaker 6 (16:30):
Really, What is the biggest rapid that you've run in
your in your creaking time.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Or favorite rapid?
Speaker 7 (16:39):
Hmmm, the biggest one that I've done was a waterfall
in Chile. It was just like thirty feet, so kind
of like a baby waterfall, but like sorry standards, just.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Thirty feet lot man is like three stories.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
But it was amazing.
Speaker 7 (16:57):
I'm really scared of heights, so that's been tricky for
me to kind of overcome. Also with with kayak cross.
You know, you start on a ramp and that's really high.
So every time I'm up there, I'm like looking down
and I'm like, oh my god, am I going to
really do that?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Even though I've done it hundreds of times, Surely I'll
get over it at some point. I don't know.
Speaker 6 (17:16):
So how long is your boat typically, because like your
boat is still free falling, like when you do the
kayak cross, it's not like, oh the boat kind of
touches the water. No, there's like a good second or
so hang time when from the moment the gate drops
to you actually getting to the water. So you have
that free falling experience at the beginning of like every
kayak cross race, which must be exciting for somebody with
(17:39):
a fear of height.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Oh yeah, for sure.
Speaker 7 (17:41):
You're you know, you're sitting up there at the top
and the starter always goes like ready go, but you
don't know when they're gonna say it.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
You know.
Speaker 7 (17:48):
They try to keep it so that everyone has to
have like a really fast reaction time.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
So you just have like not you, maybe just me.
Speaker 7 (17:55):
I have like so much like I guess, like excitement
and anxiety you like at the start because I'm like,
just get me, like past this initial drop, and then
it doesn't get any better once you drop, because then
there's three other girls next to you that you're like
battling around. But I would sew like one hundred percent
of the time, I would rather like the battle than
the drop.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Just get me.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
So once you're through the start, the rest of the race,
this is where you own. We just have to get
you through the start in.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Paris exactly exactly.
Speaker 6 (18:26):
Do you mention how fast you have to be? And
one of the things that I was reading was this
stroke and correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds
like it's a move that you have sort of made
your signature, the hummingbird stroke. Can you explain to me
what this is how either you developed it or became
such a such a massive part of your tactics as
a kayak and cane expert.
Speaker 7 (18:48):
Yeah, so, when I was younger, I was, you know,
always trying and compete with the big girls. And my
first year on like the senior circuit, I was fifteen,
and I'd say the average age is like twenty five
or thirty. So everyone was honestly just way stronger than me.
And so you know, for every stroke that they did,
(19:09):
I had to take two strokes to go as fast
as them because I just didn't have that same pole
on the water. So to make up for it, I
just started paddling literally as quickly as I could, so
like my stroke rate looked completely out of control. You know,
there wasn't that much like blade pressure on every stroke,
but I like made up for it was just like
the sheer volume of strokes that I did, and it
(19:31):
was like a hummingbirds wings, you know, it was just
going really fast, not that much like pull on everything,
but just you know, getting myself there. And as I've
gotten older, it's gotten a little bit more toned down.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
You know, I've gotten a lot stronger, but.
Speaker 7 (19:46):
I'd say it's still one of my kind of signature
things is that my stroke looks very fast and it
looks really out of control, but you know, it gets
me there.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
There's a method to the madness, you promise for sure.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
For sure.
Speaker 7 (19:56):
I think it's kind of cool because a lot of
like countries have their own signature style, like like the
French paddlers are known for being very smooth on the water,
which means that you know, every stroake counts they're setting up.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
They're using the water so well.
Speaker 7 (20:12):
They just look like they're just I don't know, they
kind of look like they're just killing and then they
go super fast. It's crazy, but it's so interesting that
every paddler has developed their own technique, you know, someway
or another.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
Yeah, it's like it's a style preference, is what happens.
Speaker 6 (20:28):
Because there's so many ways to sort of get you
from point A to point B that it makes sense
that you have developed your own style within this. The
other thing that I was reading about that I think
is a really cool thing to talk about as we
come off of celebrating Pride Month is just how you
have really come into your own as a human being
in the spotlight of a sport, because that is what
(20:50):
you are in kayak and in canoe and so can
you tell us a little bit about your personal journey
and how you've sort of started sharing that.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
With the world.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 7 (21:04):
Well, when I was younger, the first person that I
kind of like came out to is being by was
you know, very southern, very traditional, and didn't really accept it,
and it kind of, I don't know, it's really hard
for me because I felt like, yeah, my friend didn't
accept like every part of who I was, and like,
(21:24):
I don't think that being queer is like anything different
than normal, I guess, so it felt really weird to
me that someone would kind of care because it doesn't matter, Like,
it doesn't affect my paddling at all, it doesn't affect
who I am as a person at all, and so
kind of, as I got older, I just realized that honestly,
(21:44):
I shouldn't care what they think because they don't affect me.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Well, I mean, they did it, they were my friend,
but in general.
Speaker 7 (21:53):
Yeah, and I don't know, I just wanted to kind
of share my journey with that and share that it's
completely normal that you can be literally whoever you want
and still be like a badass professional athlete, and yeah,
I don't know, I hope that you know, anyone listening
and anyone who sees my story just is not afraid
(22:13):
to be themselves and not afraid to just put it
out there. And you know, I feel like all of
your friends to accept you for exactly who you are.
You shouldn't have to change any part of yourself.
Speaker 8 (22:25):
Yeah, I mean, and you're only twenty years old, and
so this is a journey you've had to go on
through your teen years, which is obviously relatively common for
a lot of people to have to navigate this aspect
of who.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
They are and figuring out their identity. What do you
think is the biggest lesson.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
That you learned in coming out and then not.
Speaker 6 (22:44):
Just to your friends and family, but to the world
who's going to be rooting you on in Paris.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
I don't know. I feel like.
Speaker 7 (22:52):
Not to make it sound like more of like a
small deal than it was, but I'd say the biggest
lesson I've learned is it's not that deep, Like you
shouldn't ever care what people are going to think about
you being your like true authentic self, like whether that's
coming out or whether that's you know, dressing the way
that you want to to a sporting event or you know,
(23:12):
maybe not looking like the traditional like vision of an athlete.
I think that you just need to accept yourself and
as soon as you do that, people are either.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Gonna accept you or not.
Speaker 7 (23:24):
And it doesn't matter as long as you know, you're
really happy and you have that group of support around you.
Speaker 6 (23:30):
It's so cool to see you live your truth and
then the joy that comes from it, because it is
radiating from you, like it seems like you.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Were just You're confident in who you are, You're confident.
Speaker 6 (23:40):
In your skills, and it's you're ready to make some
history here in Paris. What has been what has been
the best part of this lead up time to Paris?
The qualification is done, you know, you've got your ticket.
What is like the best part of your life right.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
In this moment?
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 7 (23:59):
I feel like there's so many different things, but I'd
say that this year, in my journey to Paris, I've
just been appreciating the small moments, like obviously like the
qualification and you know, the eventual like walking in the
ceremony and having that Olympic start.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
They're huge moments that are going to be with me
for the rest of my life.
Speaker 7 (24:17):
But right now I'm appreciating that I get to, you know,
have a cuissant on my walk back from training every day,
and that I get to be in Paris with some
of my best friends who have been racing with since
I was like a child, and you know, they qualified
and I qualified and now we all get to you know,
be on the water together. I don't know, there's just
there's so many small little things, but really that kind
(24:39):
of just getting to be with my friends through this
and getting to appreciate every moment leading up to it.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Yeah, it's like the joy of presence.
Speaker 6 (24:46):
It's like you've which I think not to like continue
to bring it back to the river, but for me,
that's one of the things that I truly love about
being on the water is that it requires every ounce
of your presence. You have to be prepared for the river.
You have to be paying attention to the river. And
I know you hike and surf and snowboard on your
days off. For me, surfing is the same thing where
(25:07):
it's like there's something about being on the water that
reminds you just how beautiful being present is and not
worrying about what happened, not worry about what could happen,
but just like soaking in the.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
Moment, I completely agree.
Speaker 7 (25:23):
I feel like, for me, when I'm on the water,
like I'm really I'm not thinking of like anything else
that's going on outside my life. I'm just thinking about,
like literally just the flow of the water and how
I get to like be there and use it. And
I think that, you know, I get that on artificial rivers,
and I get that on natural rivers, and it's something
that's so special to me when I get to go home,
(25:44):
is just to be on that river that I grew
up on. Yeah, just kind of appreciate the small little details,
because that's really what we figured out life is primarily about.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
It's just all those small.
Speaker 6 (25:56):
Little things put together, and all those small things put
together have to you having a chance to make some
history in Paris. I cannot wait to root you on. Okay,
So now we're going to move into our something to
sip on. This is a segment brought to you by
the Sports Bra, the.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Very first one sports bar in the world, and they
want to know, what are you sipping on, evy after
a good day on the river.
Speaker 6 (26:17):
What are you reaching for to sort of celebrate that
or maybe put one of those embarrassing hitting a rock
days behind you.
Speaker 7 (26:27):
I would probably go with I don't think it has
a name, so I'm like lift out the ingredients.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
That what it is?
Speaker 7 (26:34):
Okay, So like passion fruit syrup, maybe like a scoop
of like fresh passion fruit. The same with the light
chi just a little bit of that, a little bit
of like smashed up watermelon, red.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
Bull and line.
Speaker 7 (26:48):
There we go, all of that together, just like a
fruity little mocktail. So good, so refreshing, my favorite thing.
Speaker 6 (26:56):
Oh that sounds so good. Adding to the cart right now,
that's that's gonna be. And it'll give you a little
kick too.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
Oh yeah, no, like as you said, you have to
try it. I will.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
Okay. Next up, we have our powered up segments.
Speaker 6 (27:07):
This is where we go rapid fire questions and literally
every podcast I say this is rapid fire, and then
we get distracted and there's nothing rapid about it because
we tell these funny stories and it is what it is.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
But we're to maintain that this is a rapid fire.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Okay, I love that for you.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Positivity exactly, okay.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
Coffee or tea coffee?
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Okay, how do you take your coffee?
Speaker 7 (27:30):
I am definitely an ice lot take early, which I
feel like being in Paris and training in Paris, they're
not big into ice lattes, and I feel like I've
kind of been like withdrawal.
Speaker 6 (27:38):
Right now, our thoughts are with you this challenging time.
Speaker 3 (27:44):
It's a hard life.
Speaker 7 (27:46):
And then at night always like vanilla chaie with milk.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Oh so good? Oh for sure. What's your favorite ice
cream flavor?
Speaker 7 (27:57):
Ooh, that's a tricky one. I'm more of like a
frozen yogurt girl than ice cream. So maybe just like
your like typical frozen yogurt, like slightly tart with just
like some raspberries on top.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
That would be my way too.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
I love it. What is your go to meal before
or after kayaki or canoeing?
Speaker 3 (28:20):
I really like to make this. It's kind of like
a sauce. It's tomatoes, zucchini.
Speaker 7 (28:28):
And spinach with some like lemon juice. I'm just a
little bit of salt and pepper and it's just so good.
You can put it on rice or pasta or bread
like anything.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
I make it way too much.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
That sounds so good. I'm gonna get that recipe from
me too. For you somebody who is a night owl
or an early bird.
Speaker 7 (28:48):
Oh my gosh, such a night owl. Really, I could
stay up like as late as I want and not
get tired, But I think, like, as an athlete, you know,
a lot of my workouts are really early when I'm
like doing my winter training can so I have to
get up at like five, and that's just not my
vibe at all.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
Definitely hard.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
So this is why rapid fire it doesn't work, because
I forgot.
Speaker 6 (29:08):
One of the things that we need to talk about
is that after you go off and make some history
in the Olympics, you also are on track to be
pre med. So speaking of trying to like have to
manage a lot of things in practice, you've decided that
you're going to take pre med classes in addition to
training to.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Be a fund Olympian.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
Yeah. No, that was like a great decision on my part, right, Yeah,
I shouldn't.
Speaker 7 (29:28):
Like anyone else, but it wasn't also confirmed.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
It's a really easy lesson. It's a really easy track
to take, Yeah for sure.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
No, you know, I barely think about it when I'm studying. Yeah,
so I'm I've taken a year off of NI just
to like focus on the Olympics.
Speaker 7 (29:48):
But right now I am doing my AMT, so I'm
hoping to get some experience on an ambulance as soon
as I'm back from the Olympics.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
Which actually be super fun.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
How did you get interested in the medical field.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
I got interested really young.
Speaker 7 (30:03):
So actually I was watching my dad race when I
was it must have been like five or six, and
I was like running along the river bank trying to
like follow him and cheer him on, and I just
like completely wiped out on a rock, like hit my head.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
And then this like paddler came up.
Speaker 7 (30:21):
To me and you know, was checking me out, making
sure I didn't have a concussion or anything, and I
thought he was the coolest person in the world.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
I called him the kayak doctor, and.
Speaker 7 (30:30):
I like, since then, I've always been like, I want
to be the kayak doctor.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Okay, that's how I first got interested in it.
Speaker 6 (30:38):
Okay, so we're gonna go out and win some medals
and then when when we're done with that, we're gonna
go back and stay on the US national team as
a team Doctor's.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
Yes, exactly. I think that's a great idea. I love it.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
I love it. I cannot wait.
Speaker 6 (30:51):
As somebody who has had a lot of close friends
go through the medical track.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Godspeed. I believe in you wholeheartedly.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
Oh my gosh. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Okay, so back to our back to our rapid fire.
Speaker 6 (31:04):
If you weren't a an Olympian in canoe or kayak,
what would you want to be an Olympian in?
Speaker 7 (31:10):
So growing up, I always wanted to be an Olympian
in gymnastics. I did gymnastics until I was like twelve
or thirteen, and I really had like choose between that
or kayaking. But like, honestly, I wasn't that great at gymnastics.
I'm not that coordinated, but I really did love it.
So I'd say if younger me had to decide, it
would be gymnastics, and now it would probably be surfing
(31:33):
or like say, warning, just because they're like, they're all
such bad as athletes to do it and they're all
such cool people, and you know, I would love to
be I would love to be like that.
Speaker 6 (31:42):
We have a few surfers on this podcast this summer,
so make sure you listen. Carissa was our first, our
first guest.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
Oh my gosh, no. I at her like a couple
of weeks ago at a media somemming that I did.
She was amazing, huge fan.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
Of Charismore as a human being and as a surfer.
She's the best. Oh yeah, she's the best. Okay, what
is your dream vacation spot?
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Are we talking places I can kayak or places that
can't kayak?
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Choose your own adventure, whatever you can do one of each.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (32:13):
Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I think there
are all places like in kayak. So I'm gonna go
with New Zealand. Okay, I've been to North Island. I've
never been to South Island so much amake the kayaking,
and then also Iceland. I'm hoping to go next year
to do some like waterfalls and stuff that would also
(32:34):
just love to go as a tourist and you know,
rent a van around.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Yeah, we could just watch the you don't have to
always been down the water.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
You know.
Speaker 7 (32:41):
Like I love the idea if just like, once I
see them, I kind of want to do them.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
I have like foe mo when I see a rabid
you know, I do.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
I do.
Speaker 6 (32:50):
I got a chance to go to New Zealand this
year at the beginning of the year and we kayaked.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Of course. Now I'm gonna blank on the name. I'll
put it in the notes of the podcast.
Speaker 6 (32:58):
But we got a chance to raft the largest commercially
rap and waterfall in the world.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Yes, that was it.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
Yeah there in January, I ran that river. It was amazing.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
Oh my gosh, we probably were running it at the
same time we didn't. Oh no, so much fun.
Speaker 6 (33:14):
That river was so beautiful, The water was so warm,
and it was so playful. It just felt like one
of the most it just felt like one of the
most sacred, playful, beautiful rivers I think I've ever been on.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
Oh my gosh. Yeah, it's amazing to paddle.
Speaker 7 (33:29):
I have a lot of friends that like grew up
like right around there, So so cool to finally get
to paddle it with them.
Speaker 3 (33:36):
Yeah, but you do beautiful Oh yeah, yeah, yeah of course.
Speaker 6 (33:39):
Oh yeah, lovely Again, it's like thirty feet this thing
is tall. It was, it was tall and a raft
and a raft is like two times bigger.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
Oh my god, it's like so much scarier in a raft.
Speaker 7 (33:49):
I feel like I'm really scared of rafting actually, because
I I am so used to being like the only
one in the boat and you know, controlling exactly where
it goes.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
Yeah, it's hard to let go of that control a
little bit.
Speaker 6 (34:00):
See, I don't like the control that I give up
in a kayak because my legs are stuck Like.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
I don't like that my legs are stuck inside something.
Speaker 6 (34:09):
So like if I flip right, like I grew up
in the ocean, I grew up swimming, like, I want
to know that I can use my legs to get.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
Me out of whatever situation I've gotten myself in.
Speaker 6 (34:19):
And so I don't like the idea of the skirt
and my legs being scrunched up like that to me
feels like I've.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
Given too much control to the boat itself.
Speaker 7 (34:29):
I feel you. I think maybe you should never try canoeing.
Then how is listening? Who doesn't know canoeing? You're you're
on your knees, fill with like this gray skirt and everything,
but you are like very cramped in there.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
You have to stub your leg then yeah, m hm.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
Okay, well how about this. I will try kayaking if
you will try rafting with me. We will choose a
river and we will do we will do a trade
of sports.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
I accept the terms.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
Okay, great, I cannot wait.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
We have to go.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
That's more epic though, maybe back to New Zealand we'll
see for sure.
Speaker 7 (35:02):
No, that sounds nay to me. There's so many there's
just too many options.
Speaker 6 (35:06):
Okay, twenty twenty five coming in New World Tours every time.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Okay.
Speaker 6 (35:12):
And then the last question, Ebbie, is what does powerful
mean to you?
Speaker 7 (35:18):
I think powerful just means staying really true to yourself
and really going after your goals.
Speaker 3 (35:25):
I think it means not.
Speaker 7 (35:26):
Being afraid to fail or to you know, not get
exactly where you want to go, or not take the
path that you think you're going to take, but still
doing everything in.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Your power, you know, having that drive.
Speaker 7 (35:39):
Because I think that you know, as a professional athlete,
it's been kind of a journey to recognize that I
can have really big goals and I cannot make them,
and I can still keep pushing and I can still
be proud of myself and the journeys I've been on.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
Mmm. I love that.
Speaker 6 (35:54):
And that goes back to what we're talking about, which
is that it's all those small moments that really make
up the journey.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
Those big moments that you're gonna have in Paris are.
Speaker 6 (36:02):
Going to be amazing, but all the small moments make
every single day worth it, regardless of the.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
Outcome, Oh my gosh, for sure.
Speaker 7 (36:10):
Yeah, Like every day I'm so excited to go to
training and see my friends and be on the river
and everything, and you know, that's what drives me. It's
not necessarily those big moments are the big wins. It's
just you know, the joy and kind of every day.
And I hope to kayak as long as I feel that,
which I think is going to be a really long time.
Speaker 6 (36:29):
Well, I certainly hope we get to watch you kayak
for a really long time because it has been so
fun to get a chance to follow your journey the
last few years, and I cannot wait to root you
on in Paris this summer.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
Everie, thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
Oh my gosh, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 7 (36:44):
I'm so excited to listen and hear all of the
amazing stories that other girls talk about.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Appreciate you. Thanks so much for joining us this week
on the Powerful podcast. To see you'll next week.
Speaker 6 (36:53):
This is a reminder to check us out every Tuesday
all summer long everywhere you get your podcasts, and if
you really enjoy us and don't want to miss an episode,
be sure to hit that subscribe button.
If you're listening to this podcast, we know one thing
for absolute certain you are a fan of women's sports.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
And there's nothing better than enjoying women's sports with community,
and no better place to find that community than the
Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, the very first women's sports.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Bar in the world.
Speaker 4 (00:18):
The owner Jenny Wynn and her team have created the
best atmosphere combined with top tier menu and cocktail options
to root on your favorite team. So next time you're
in Portland, be sure to stop by the sports Bra
and don't forget All summer, the sports Bra will be
featuring drinks picked.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Out by our powerful women. So stop by, have a sip,
and enjoy the summer.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Sports season jam packed with women's sports at the Sports Bra.
Hello friends, and welcome to the Powerful Podcast.
Speaker 5 (00:47):
I'm your Host Aja McCord. In this podcast, we introduce
you to powerful women who are changing the game in
and outside of their field of play. These are women's stories,
women who happen to be doing things that many of
us us can only dream of, but the lessons and
inspiration they share is universal.
Speaker 6 (01:05):
Hey friends, welcome back to the Powerful Podcast. I'm your
host aj McCord. I am so excited to introduce you
to our next powerful woman. This is somebody who competes
in a sport that is near and dear to my
own heart. And she has been one of those sort
of teenage finals that we've been watching for years and years.
She's already made her Olympic debut in Tokyo, but this
summer in Paris, she is going to make history as
(01:28):
the first woman in her sport to compete in not one,
not two, but three events. We're talking women's canoe, women's kayak,
and a brand new sport debuting in Paris in twenty
twenty four, Women's kayak Cross. So Emie Leap Forard, thank
you so much for being on the podcast with us.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Thank you so much. Aj. I'm so excited to talk
with you today.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
It's gonna be so fun.
Speaker 6 (01:48):
So I talked about your sport being near and dear
to my own heart, and that's because I was a
white water rafting guide in college and so I rafted
on the Arkansas River Brown's Canyon in Colorado, and so
watching you do kayaking, canoeing in this white water and
it's just been so cool to see how you have
literally taken to.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
It like a fish to water. Tell us how you
got into this sport.
Speaker 7 (02:12):
Yeah, so I've been in this sport literally my entire life.
My parents actually met as raft guides, which is kind
of crazy.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
And so I always grew up like right by the river.
Speaker 7 (02:23):
My parents took me kayaking for the first time when
I was maybe like, I don't know, five months old
or something. Oh, they used to take me down little
rivers on their lap. And then as I got older,
I begged for my own kayak and they got me
a neon pink kayak and a sparkly paddle. And I
think that was half the reason that I loved it,
which I was really little, because I just I loved
(02:44):
the color. And then yeah, as I grew up, I
just really found a love for it. I just loved
being in the water, being on the river, and would
do just kind of anything that could get me closer
to that.
Speaker 6 (02:57):
And you grew up in North Carolina, right that those
were the rivers that you were close.
Speaker 7 (03:01):
To, Yes, ma'am, So I grew up ten minutes from
the Nineheala River and that's a great place for you know, rafting.
Learning how to kayak gets like class two three for
most of the river and so it's just an amazing
place to learn.
Speaker 6 (03:14):
Yeah, okay, so how do you go from because your
sports are pretty new. I mean the women's canoe debuted
in Tokyo, right, and then kayak crosses debuting this year
in Paris. I have a ton of friends who are
whitewater rafting guys. We still go back almost every summer
to Beauta Vista in Colorado and get a chance to.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Get on the river again.
Speaker 6 (03:34):
But even me, as somebody who was in the sport
and thoroughly enjoyed it was very competitive, didn't really understand
that there was an opportunity to compete.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
In the Olympics.
Speaker 6 (03:44):
Like, at what point did that switch for you of going, oh,
this is really fun and I want to do what
every chance I can to wait a minute, Actually this
could this could be a career.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
I could make something out of this.
Speaker 7 (03:56):
It actually switched for me when I was pretty young.
My dad as a coach for the UF national team
before I was born, so I kind of always had
someone in my corner telling me, hey, like, if you
want to go to the Olympics in this like, you're
gonna have to work hard, but you can make it happen.
And I remember being eight years old. We had an
Olympic Day celebration at the Nana Hilla Outdoor Center and
(04:17):
I was watching on the TV someone that I knew
personally competing in the Olympics, and I remember like talking
to my dad and being like, Oh my god, I
want to do that so badly. How do I make
this happen? And I think that that's when I decided
that I wanted to go to the Olympics in the sport.
But I didn't really think it was going to happen so.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Early for me.
Speaker 7 (04:39):
Actually, it was kind of a surprise getting to your
to Tokyo because I qualified after just one season on
the senior circuit because you have to be fifteen in
order to race, and so I did wait until my
fifteenth birthday and then it all kind of happened in.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Such a blur. But I yeah, crazy experience.
Speaker 6 (04:57):
What do you remember about that whirlwind of a time
qualifying for your first Olympics at sixteen?
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Oh gosh, it's hard to say.
Speaker 7 (05:06):
I guess I just remember being really excited and just
kind of being like, oh.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Well, I guess I'll see where this goes, because.
Speaker 7 (05:13):
You know, I went into that season, just having no
idea how I was going to do compared to all
the older girls, you know, people that I'd been watching
since I was eight years old, and I just had
a lot of fun with it. I think that it
was a completely different world for me. You know, there
was a lot of other things to focus on instead
of just kayaking. You know, there was being drug tested,
(05:36):
and there was you know, all of the travel and
making sure that you had enough time to train before
the race, and then just learning how to deal with
the stress that came around it. So it was just
so much happening at once. But I've always loved, you know,
kind of being in a fast paced, changing environment, so
I really loved it actually.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Okay, so speaking of fast paced changing environments, so people
who don't have a great understanding of kayak cross or kayaking,
can you give us a little bit of a breakdown
of your sport and each of the disciplines that you're
going to be competing in this summer.
Speaker 7 (06:08):
Yeah, So kayaking canoe, i'd say, are the most traditional disciplines.
They've been around for pretty much as long as the
sport has been around, and that's your typical around twenty
to twenty four gate course. It's down a section of
river with some rapids, and there are six upstreams and
then the rest are downstreams, and you have to get
(06:29):
through the obstacle course as fast as you can without
any penalty. So if you touch a gate, you get
a two second penalty, and if you miss a gate,
you get a fifty second penalty. So it's all about
like being precise but making those like split second decisions
to get there. And then kayak cross is a much
more new sport. I started racing it back in twenty
(06:49):
nineteen and it really caught on kind of around that time.
But it's actually four people going down the course at once,
and you're in plastic boats instead of carbon boats because
you're actually supposed to like hit each other. So you
drop in off this ramp and then everyone just kind
of battles it out. There's only around like six or
(07:11):
seven gates, and you're allowed to touch them, you're allowed
to move them out of the way with your paddle,
and you have to be one of the first two
people to cross to go into the next round because
it's like, uh, eighth, final, quarterfinal, semifinal type of situation.
But yeah, it's crazy because you just have to make
so many decisions and you don't know where anyone's going
(07:31):
to go, what's gonna happen. A lot of people kind
of describe it as bumper curs on the water because
you were just trying to bump the other girls.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Out of the way, which is actually, like.
Speaker 7 (07:41):
I don't know, it's crazy because everyone that you're trying
to like knock out is also your friends, So I
kind of you just have to like turn off that
mindset for a minute. But I'd say, like the biggest
difference is in canoe and kayak you have a plan,
you have a visualization, you know exactly how it's going
to go, like in an ideal world, and in kayak cross,
(08:01):
you have no idea what's going to happen. You have
plenty a's and b's and c's and d's, and you
have all of these kind of connecting decisions that you'd make,
but really no one knows what's going to happen.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 6 (08:12):
So like kayak cross for people who maybe watch the
Winter Games a little bit more, snowboard cross has been
around a little longer, so that's a similar thing.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
It's like snowboard cross, but.
Speaker 8 (08:21):
In the water with kayaks as opposed to on boards
on a mountain.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 7 (08:27):
And I know that I grew up watching that sport,
and so it's pretty exciting to be able to be
a part of it in you know, my sport, in
our own way. And I think it's just great for
people to watch. You know, it's so exciting because you
don't know what's going to happen until the very pH.
Speaker 6 (08:41):
Okay, So I want to I want to take people
inside what it is like to learn to navigate a river,
because again, like I remember.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
My first summer on the water, it was terrible.
Speaker 6 (08:53):
I was crying all the time because I would flip
my boat, I would get wrapped on a rock. I
mean I got wrapped on this rock so hard when
I was rafting, which like for those who don't know,
like basically, there's a rock in the middle of the river,
you're supposed to go around it, right, like pretty obvious. No, no, no,
I couldn't steer this thing around that to save my life.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Oh, I got wrapped like so hard.
Speaker 6 (09:18):
It took five or six people to pull my boat
off of this rock. And I'm standing on top of
it sobbing because this is like my third day of training,
and so I'm like, I'm the worst guide.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I'm never gonna do this sport.
Speaker 6 (09:30):
I'm never gonna, like, who's gonna trust me to take
them down the river after this chaos? So, learning a
sport on a living, breathing, moving body of water, what
was that like for? Like, please tell me I'm not
alone and having some like really embarrassing learning out of
the river stories.
Speaker 7 (09:45):
Oh girl, you are not alone at all. If it
makes me feel any better. I flipped and got like
kind of stuck on an optacle during the Tokyo Olympics,
like during the Olympic run, So like, I definitely feel
you there. I think that I'm and I think that
such a big part of learning a sport is failing
at it sometimes and having those embarrassing moments because that's
(10:07):
when you learn. You know, you probably won't make that
thing mistake again. I hopefully won't.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yeah, you will not manifest that right now?
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 6 (10:17):
I still every time I go down the river, I
like know where that rock is. And the funny thing
is when I was learning, the water was so low
that year, which is why there were so many rocks
available to hit in the river, and trust me, I
hit almost all of them.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
But like, I haven't seen that rock since my.
Speaker 6 (10:33):
First summer, which was like ten years ago, because it
doesn't it's covered by.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Water now, but I know exactly where the river that is.
Speaker 6 (10:42):
And So you grew up as the daughter of two
people who are probably self replaying river rots, loved learning
on the water, loved being on the water growing up.
What was your childhood like that you were you know,
you were so part of this community that your parents
were a part of. And yet you know you're also
going through middle school in high school and sort of
developing your own life and your own friends circle.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Like what was that childhood like for you?
Speaker 7 (11:08):
I think, honestly, looking back at it, it just feels
really normal to me. You know, I've been a part
of the river community for so long that I just
I can't imagine my life without it. So it's really
hard for me to like think back to like what
parts about my growing up did it changed, because I
just I wouldn't be meet without.
Speaker 6 (11:24):
It, isn't it all of how once you get on
the river, it really does become a part. Like I
can go anywhere in the world, and I'm fascinated by
a river. And your sport has taken you to many
rivers around the entire world, some of them, I'm sure
high desert, jungle, rainforest, probably really cold rivers.
Speaker 8 (11:42):
Like, what are some of the most extreme rivers that
you've found yourself in in your life?
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Well, I guess growing up I did pretty much.
Speaker 7 (11:51):
All the time just flallom, which I love. And the
whole kind of point of that is to do harder
moves on rivers, so you're not doing the biggest rapids,
You're not you know, traveling to the most remote places
in the world. It's really about like building your skills up,
being really like technical. And I also do a kind
(12:13):
of kayaking like creaking, river running, whatever you want to
call it. And I didn't really start doing that that
much until maybe two or three years ago, and I
learned on the Green River in North Carolina, and that
was really scary for me. I'd say, that's the first
time that I've really been like scared on a river.
And I think, really, I think just because I like
(12:35):
I was exposed to it from such a young age,
and you know, a lot of times people ask me like, oh,
like surely you're like so scared as you're going down,
like so much can happen, And for sure, I think
it's the scariest sport. But I think that a cool
part about salomn is that you don't have to be
and like it's okay to be scared and it's okay
to kind of like feel that and feel all that emotion.
But I think it's a really healthy way to kind
(12:57):
of like move through it. And then for me to learn,
like while creaking, to do that in a completely different
way was I don't know. I think that was probably
one of the biggest hurdles that I've had to get over,
was actually, you know, learning how to be scared and
then you know, find that confidence still. And I had
some really great friends that kind of like taught me
(13:18):
how to do that, and I'm so thankful for it.
But I definitely think a river can be, yeah, a
scary place. I've definitely cried my fair share in Eddie's
above rapids, Blow Rapids.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
I'm just like a very emotional paddler, you know, but
probably the same.
Speaker 6 (13:35):
So tell people for people who don't know what creaking is,
because what we're gonna see you do in Paris is
you're gonna compete on a closed course, right, So like
you know everything that's happening in the water, what you
can see, what you cannot underneath you, Right, that's the
point of like a course. But when you are creaking,
when you're doing something like that, what does that entail
(13:55):
for people who maybe don't understand what it looks like
to go to floor a new place.
Speaker 7 (14:01):
Yeah, So slalom typically happens on an artificial course, So
there's literally a conveyor belt that takes you up to
the top, which is amazing because I hate carrying my boat.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
I think it's the worst singing world. And it's pretty short.
Speaker 7 (14:17):
It only takes like about a minute to paddle down,
so you can really memorize every single part of it,
every single rack, every single rock, like everything you have
down in like river running and creek boating, you don't
have that because it's much longer sections of river. You
know a lot of times it's a three or four
hour run. So even if it's not like the biggest
white water, it's still really hard to orient yourself and
(14:39):
to remember where you are. For me, visualization is such
a big part of what I do. I like to
be able to visualize every single stroke that I'm going
to take going down and on like a long river.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
I just can't do that.
Speaker 7 (14:50):
I also just don't really have that good of memory.
So like growing up, trying to remember a solemn course
to a race was awful. I used to have to
draw these course maps because I would just go to
the wrong gates.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Oh my gosh. So it's so funny.
Speaker 6 (15:03):
I was reading an article and like prep for this interview,
and one of them said, you can probably find heavy
drawing before her race in the tent, like warming up.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Are you drawing the course before your race?
Speaker 7 (15:14):
Sometimes I am, yeah, you know, if I'm having a
really hard time remembering it, which I think it's very fair.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
Twenty gates to the lot, so what.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
And it's like important for people to know.
Speaker 6 (15:24):
Like she says downhill or like downriver and upriver, that
means that she literally has to go to the side
of the course, flip her boat back up river, go
up the river, and then come back down through.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
The gate thing again.
Speaker 6 (15:37):
So like this is not an easy Like it's not
easy to just go up a river.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Like I challenge you to go out into any creek
and try it, Like, this is not easy.
Speaker 6 (15:44):
You have to understand the water, you have to understand
the eddies, you have to understand what's going on. So
I don't blame you. I would want to detailed, like
put Siri in my ear. Okay, at this gate, turn right,
at this gate, turn left, like I want step by
step driving instructions.
Speaker 7 (15:58):
No, literally, So like the good thing is though, when
there is a course, you know it's it's numbered. The
green gates are down, the red gates are up, and
so it does make it easier to know like where
to go through the white water and everything when you
have these like gates like telling you where to go
and if they are like pretty tricky.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
I wish that most rivers had that. I think it
would helped me a lot.
Speaker 6 (16:18):
You're like, actually on this like brand new creek that
I'm just trying for the first time, can I have
some markers please?
Speaker 7 (16:23):
And yeah, just a couple, just like ten or eleven
maybe on like the big rapids, not that many.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Not that many.
Speaker 6 (16:30):
Really, What is the biggest rapid that you've run in
your in your creaking time.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Or favorite rapid?
Speaker 7 (16:39):
Hmmm, the biggest one that I've done was a waterfall
in Chile. It was just like thirty feet, so kind
of like a baby waterfall, but like sorry standards, just.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Thirty feet lot man is like three stories.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
But it was amazing.
Speaker 7 (16:57):
I'm really scared of heights, so that's been tricky for
me to kind of overcome. Also with with kayak cross.
You know, you start on a ramp and that's really high.
So every time I'm up there, I'm like looking down
and I'm like, oh my god, am I going to
really do that?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Even though I've done it hundreds of times, Surely I'll
get over it at some point. I don't know.
Speaker 6 (17:16):
So how long is your boat typically, because like your
boat is still free falling, like when you do the
kayak cross, it's not like, oh the boat kind of
touches the water. No, there's like a good second or
so hang time when from the moment the gate drops
to you actually getting to the water. So you have
that free falling experience at the beginning of like every
kayak cross race, which must be exciting for somebody with
(17:39):
a fear of height.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Oh yeah, for sure.
Speaker 7 (17:41):
You're you know, you're sitting up there at the top
and the starter always goes like ready go, but you
don't know when they're gonna say it.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
You know.
Speaker 7 (17:48):
They try to keep it so that everyone has to
have like a really fast reaction time.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
So you just have like not you, maybe just me.
Speaker 7 (17:55):
I have like so much like I guess, like excitement
and anxiety you like at the start because I'm like,
just get me, like past this initial drop, and then
it doesn't get any better once you drop, because then
there's three other girls next to you that you're like
battling around. But I would sew like one hundred percent
of the time, I would rather like the battle than
the drop.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Just get me.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
So once you're through the start, the rest of the race,
this is where you own. We just have to get
you through the start in.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Paris exactly exactly.
Speaker 6 (18:26):
Do you mention how fast you have to be? And
one of the things that I was reading was this
stroke and correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds
like it's a move that you have sort of made
your signature, the hummingbird stroke. Can you explain to me
what this is how either you developed it or became
such a such a massive part of your tactics as
a kayak and cane expert.
Speaker 7 (18:48):
Yeah, so, when I was younger, I was, you know,
always trying and compete with the big girls. And my
first year on like the senior circuit, I was fifteen,
and I'd say the average age is like twenty five
or thirty. So everyone was honestly just way stronger than me.
And so you know, for every stroke that they did,
(19:09):
I had to take two strokes to go as fast
as them because I just didn't have that same pole
on the water. So to make up for it, I
just started paddling literally as quickly as I could, so
like my stroke rate looked completely out of control. You know,
there wasn't that much like blade pressure on every stroke,
but I like made up for it was just like
the sheer volume of strokes that I did, and it
(19:31):
was like a hummingbirds wings, you know, it was just
going really fast, not that much like pull on everything,
but just you know, getting myself there. And as I've
gotten older, it's gotten a little bit more toned down.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
You know, I've gotten a lot stronger, but.
Speaker 7 (19:46):
I'd say it's still one of my kind of signature
things is that my stroke looks very fast and it
looks really out of control, but you know, it gets
me there.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
There's a method to the madness, you promise for sure.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
For sure.
Speaker 7 (19:56):
I think it's kind of cool because a lot of
like countries have their own signature style, like like the
French paddlers are known for being very smooth on the water,
which means that you know, every stroake counts they're setting up.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
They're using the water so well.
Speaker 7 (20:12):
They just look like they're just I don't know, they
kind of look like they're just killing and then they
go super fast. It's crazy, but it's so interesting that
every paddler has developed their own technique, you know, someway
or another.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
Yeah, it's like it's a style preference, is what happens.
Speaker 6 (20:28):
Because there's so many ways to sort of get you
from point A to point B that it makes sense
that you have developed your own style within this. The
other thing that I was reading about that I think
is a really cool thing to talk about as we
come off of celebrating Pride Month is just how you
have really come into your own as a human being
in the spotlight of a sport, because that is what
(20:50):
you are in kayak and in canoe and so can
you tell us a little bit about your personal journey
and how you've sort of started sharing that.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
With the world.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 7 (21:04):
Well, when I was younger, the first person that I
kind of like came out to is being by was
you know, very southern, very traditional, and didn't really accept it,
and it kind of, I don't know, it's really hard
for me because I felt like, yeah, my friend didn't
accept like every part of who I was, and like,
(21:24):
I don't think that being queer is like anything different
than normal, I guess, so it felt really weird to
me that someone would kind of care because it doesn't matter, Like,
it doesn't affect my paddling at all, it doesn't affect
who I am as a person at all, and so
kind of, as I got older, I just realized that honestly,
(21:44):
I shouldn't care what they think because they don't affect me.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Well, I mean, they did it, they were my friend,
but in general.
Speaker 7 (21:53):
Yeah, and I don't know, I just wanted to kind
of share my journey with that and share that it's
completely normal that you can be literally whoever you want
and still be like a badass professional athlete, and yeah,
I don't know, I hope that you know, anyone listening
and anyone who sees my story just is not afraid
(22:13):
to be themselves and not afraid to just put it
out there. And you know, I feel like all of
your friends to accept you for exactly who you are.
You shouldn't have to change any part of yourself.
Speaker 8 (22:25):
Yeah, I mean, and you're only twenty years old, and
so this is a journey you've had to go on
through your teen years, which is obviously relatively common for
a lot of people to have to navigate this aspect
of who.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
They are and figuring out their identity. What do you
think is the biggest lesson.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
That you learned in coming out and then not.
Speaker 6 (22:44):
Just to your friends and family, but to the world
who's going to be rooting you on in Paris.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
I don't know. I feel like.
Speaker 7 (22:52):
Not to make it sound like more of like a
small deal than it was, but I'd say the biggest
lesson I've learned is it's not that deep, Like you
shouldn't ever care what people are going to think about
you being your like true authentic self, like whether that's
coming out or whether that's you know, dressing the way
that you want to to a sporting event or you know,
(23:12):
maybe not looking like the traditional like vision of an athlete.
I think that you just need to accept yourself and
as soon as you do that, people are either.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Gonna accept you or not.
Speaker 7 (23:24):
And it doesn't matter as long as you know, you're
really happy and you have that group of support around you.
Speaker 6 (23:30):
It's so cool to see you live your truth and
then the joy that comes from it, because it is
radiating from you, like it seems like you.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Were just You're confident in who you are, You're confident.
Speaker 6 (23:40):
In your skills, and it's you're ready to make some
history here in Paris. What has been what has been
the best part of this lead up time to Paris?
The qualification is done, you know, you've got your ticket.
What is like the best part of your life right.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
In this moment?
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 7 (23:59):
I feel like there's so many different things, but I'd
say that this year, in my journey to Paris, I've
just been appreciating the small moments, like obviously like the
qualification and you know, the eventual like walking in the
ceremony and having that Olympic start.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
They're huge moments that are going to be with me
for the rest of my life.
Speaker 7 (24:17):
But right now I'm appreciating that I get to, you know,
have a cuissant on my walk back from training every day,
and that I get to be in Paris with some
of my best friends who have been racing with since
I was like a child, and you know, they qualified
and I qualified and now we all get to you know,
be on the water together. I don't know, there's just
there's so many small little things, but really that kind
(24:39):
of just getting to be with my friends through this
and getting to appreciate every moment leading up to it.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Yeah, it's like the joy of presence.
Speaker 6 (24:46):
It's like you've which I think not to like continue
to bring it back to the river, but for me,
that's one of the things that I truly love about
being on the water is that it requires every ounce
of your presence. You have to be prepared for the river.
You have to be paying attention to the river. And
I know you hike and surf and snowboard on your
days off. For me, surfing is the same thing where
(25:07):
it's like there's something about being on the water that
reminds you just how beautiful being present is and not
worrying about what happened, not worry about what could happen,
but just like soaking in the.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
Moment, I completely agree.
Speaker 7 (25:23):
I feel like, for me, when I'm on the water,
like I'm really I'm not thinking of like anything else
that's going on outside my life. I'm just thinking about,
like literally just the flow of the water and how
I get to like be there and use it. And
I think that, you know, I get that on artificial rivers,
and I get that on natural rivers, and it's something
that's so special to me when I get to go home,
(25:44):
is just to be on that river that I grew
up on. Yeah, just kind of appreciate the small little details,
because that's really what we figured out life is primarily about.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
It's just all those small.
Speaker 6 (25:56):
Little things put together, and all those small things put
together have to you having a chance to make some
history in Paris. I cannot wait to root you on. Okay,
So now we're going to move into our something to
sip on. This is a segment brought to you by
the Sports Bra, the.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Very first one sports bar in the world, and they
want to know, what are you sipping on, evy after
a good day on the river.
Speaker 6 (26:17):
What are you reaching for to sort of celebrate that
or maybe put one of those embarrassing hitting a rock
days behind you.
Speaker 7 (26:27):
I would probably go with I don't think it has
a name, so I'm like lift out the ingredients.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
That what it is?
Speaker 7 (26:34):
Okay, So like passion fruit syrup, maybe like a scoop
of like fresh passion fruit. The same with the light
chi just a little bit of that, a little bit
of like smashed up watermelon, red.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
Bull and line.
Speaker 7 (26:48):
There we go, all of that together, just like a
fruity little mocktail. So good, so refreshing, my favorite thing.
Speaker 6 (26:56):
Oh that sounds so good. Adding to the cart right now,
that's that's gonna be. And it'll give you a little
kick too.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
Oh yeah, no, like as you said, you have to
try it. I will.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
Okay. Next up, we have our powered up segments.
Speaker 6 (27:07):
This is where we go rapid fire questions and literally
every podcast I say this is rapid fire, and then
we get distracted and there's nothing rapid about it because
we tell these funny stories and it is what it is.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
But we're to maintain that this is a rapid fire.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Okay, I love that for you.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Positivity exactly, okay.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
Coffee or tea coffee?
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Okay, how do you take your coffee?
Speaker 7 (27:30):
I am definitely an ice lot take early, which I
feel like being in Paris and training in Paris, they're
not big into ice lattes, and I feel like I've
kind of been like withdrawal.
Speaker 6 (27:38):
Right now, our thoughts are with you this challenging time.
Speaker 3 (27:44):
It's a hard life.
Speaker 7 (27:46):
And then at night always like vanilla chaie with milk.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Oh so good? Oh for sure. What's your favorite ice
cream flavor?
Speaker 7 (27:57):
Ooh, that's a tricky one. I'm more of like a
frozen yogurt girl than ice cream. So maybe just like
your like typical frozen yogurt, like slightly tart with just
like some raspberries on top.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
That would be my way too.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
I love it. What is your go to meal before
or after kayaki or canoeing?
Speaker 3 (28:20):
I really like to make this. It's kind of like
a sauce. It's tomatoes, zucchini.
Speaker 7 (28:28):
And spinach with some like lemon juice. I'm just a
little bit of salt and pepper and it's just so good.
You can put it on rice or pasta or bread
like anything.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
I make it way too much.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
That sounds so good. I'm gonna get that recipe from
me too. For you somebody who is a night owl
or an early bird.
Speaker 7 (28:48):
Oh my gosh, such a night owl. Really, I could
stay up like as late as I want and not
get tired, But I think, like, as an athlete, you know,
a lot of my workouts are really early when I'm
like doing my winter training can so I have to
get up at like five, and that's just not my
vibe at all.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
Definitely hard.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
So this is why rapid fire it doesn't work, because
I forgot.
Speaker 6 (29:08):
One of the things that we need to talk about
is that after you go off and make some history
in the Olympics, you also are on track to be
pre med. So speaking of trying to like have to
manage a lot of things in practice, you've decided that
you're going to take pre med classes in addition to
training to.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Be a fund Olympian.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
Yeah. No, that was like a great decision on my part, right, Yeah,
I shouldn't.
Speaker 7 (29:28):
Like anyone else, but it wasn't also confirmed.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
It's a really easy lesson. It's a really easy track
to take, Yeah for sure.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
No, you know, I barely think about it when I'm studying. Yeah,
so I'm I've taken a year off of NI just
to like focus on the Olympics.
Speaker 7 (29:48):
But right now I am doing my AMT, so I'm
hoping to get some experience on an ambulance as soon
as I'm back from the Olympics.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
Which actually be super fun.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
How did you get interested in the medical field.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
I got interested really young.
Speaker 7 (30:03):
So actually I was watching my dad race when I
was it must have been like five or six, and
I was like running along the river bank trying to
like follow him and cheer him on, and I just
like completely wiped out on a rock, like hit my head.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
And then this like paddler came up.
Speaker 7 (30:21):
To me and you know, was checking me out, making
sure I didn't have a concussion or anything, and I
thought he was the coolest person in the world.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
I called him the kayak doctor, and.
Speaker 7 (30:30):
I like, since then, I've always been like, I want
to be the kayak doctor.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Okay, that's how I first got interested in it.
Speaker 6 (30:38):
Okay, so we're gonna go out and win some medals
and then when when we're done with that, we're gonna
go back and stay on the US national team as
a team Doctor's.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
Yes, exactly. I think that's a great idea. I love it.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
I love it. I cannot wait.
Speaker 6 (30:51):
As somebody who has had a lot of close friends
go through the medical track.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Godspeed. I believe in you wholeheartedly.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
Oh my gosh. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Okay, so back to our back to our rapid fire.
Speaker 6 (31:04):
If you weren't a an Olympian in canoe or kayak,
what would you want to be an Olympian in?
Speaker 7 (31:10):
So growing up, I always wanted to be an Olympian
in gymnastics. I did gymnastics until I was like twelve
or thirteen, and I really had like choose between that
or kayaking. But like, honestly, I wasn't that great at gymnastics.
I'm not that coordinated, but I really did love it.
So I'd say if younger me had to decide, it
would be gymnastics, and now it would probably be surfing
(31:33):
or like say, warning, just because they're like, they're all
such bad as athletes to do it and they're all
such cool people, and you know, I would love to
be I would love to be like that.
Speaker 6 (31:42):
We have a few surfers on this podcast this summer,
so make sure you listen. Carissa was our first, our
first guest.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
Oh my gosh, no. I at her like a couple
of weeks ago at a media somemming that I did.
She was amazing, huge fan.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
Of Charismore as a human being and as a surfer.
She's the best. Oh yeah, she's the best. Okay, what
is your dream vacation spot?
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Are we talking places I can kayak or places that
can't kayak?
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Choose your own adventure, whatever you can do one of each.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (32:13):
Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I think there
are all places like in kayak. So I'm gonna go
with New Zealand. Okay, I've been to North Island. I've
never been to South Island so much amake the kayaking,
and then also Iceland. I'm hoping to go next year
to do some like waterfalls and stuff that would also
(32:34):
just love to go as a tourist and you know,
rent a van around.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Yeah, we could just watch the you don't have to
always been down the water.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
You know.
Speaker 7 (32:41):
Like I love the idea if just like, once I
see them, I kind of want to do them.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
I have like foe mo when I see a rabid
you know, I do.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
I do.
Speaker 6 (32:50):
I got a chance to go to New Zealand this
year at the beginning of the year and we kayaked.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Of course. Now I'm gonna blank on the name. I'll
put it in the notes of the podcast.
Speaker 6 (32:58):
But we got a chance to raft the largest commercially
rap and waterfall in the world.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Yes, that was it.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
Yeah there in January, I ran that river. It was amazing.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
Oh my gosh, we probably were running it at the
same time we didn't. Oh no, so much fun.
Speaker 6 (33:14):
That river was so beautiful, The water was so warm,
and it was so playful. It just felt like one
of the most it just felt like one of the
most sacred, playful, beautiful rivers I think I've ever been on.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
Oh my gosh. Yeah, it's amazing to paddle.
Speaker 7 (33:29):
I have a lot of friends that like grew up
like right around there, So so cool to finally get
to paddle it with them.
Speaker 3 (33:36):
Yeah, but you do beautiful Oh yeah, yeah, yeah of course.
Speaker 6 (33:39):
Oh yeah, lovely Again, it's like thirty feet this thing
is tall. It was, it was tall and a raft
and a raft is like two times bigger.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
Oh my god, it's like so much scarier in a raft.
Speaker 7 (33:49):
I feel like I'm really scared of rafting actually, because
I I am so used to being like the only
one in the boat and you know, controlling exactly where
it goes.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
Yeah, it's hard to let go of that control a
little bit.
Speaker 6 (34:00):
See, I don't like the control that I give up
in a kayak because my legs are stuck Like.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
I don't like that my legs are stuck inside something.
Speaker 6 (34:09):
So like if I flip right, like I grew up
in the ocean, I grew up swimming, like, I want
to know that I can use my legs to get.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
Me out of whatever situation I've gotten myself in.
Speaker 6 (34:19):
And so I don't like the idea of the skirt
and my legs being scrunched up like that to me
feels like I've.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
Given too much control to the boat itself.
Speaker 7 (34:29):
I feel you. I think maybe you should never try canoeing.
Then how is listening? Who doesn't know canoeing? You're you're
on your knees, fill with like this gray skirt and everything,
but you are like very cramped in there.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
You have to stub your leg then yeah, m hm.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
Okay, well how about this. I will try kayaking if
you will try rafting with me. We will choose a
river and we will do we will do a trade
of sports.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
I accept the terms.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
Okay, great, I cannot wait.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
We have to go.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
That's more epic though, maybe back to New Zealand we'll
see for sure.
Speaker 7 (35:02):
No, that sounds nay to me. There's so many there's
just too many options.
Speaker 6 (35:06):
Okay, twenty twenty five coming in New World Tours every time.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Okay.
Speaker 6 (35:12):
And then the last question, Ebbie, is what does powerful
mean to you?
Speaker 7 (35:18):
I think powerful just means staying really true to yourself
and really going after your goals.
Speaker 3 (35:25):
I think it means not.
Speaker 7 (35:26):
Being afraid to fail or to you know, not get
exactly where you want to go, or not take the
path that you think you're going to take, but still
doing everything in.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Your power, you know, having that drive.
Speaker 7 (35:39):
Because I think that you know, as a professional athlete,
it's been kind of a journey to recognize that I
can have really big goals and I cannot make them,
and I can still keep pushing and I can still
be proud of myself and the journeys I've been on.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
Mmm. I love that.
Speaker 6 (35:54):
And that goes back to what we're talking about, which
is that it's all those small moments that really make
up the journey.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
Those big moments that you're gonna have in Paris are.
Speaker 6 (36:02):
Going to be amazing, but all the small moments make
every single day worth it, regardless of the.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
Outcome, Oh my gosh, for sure.
Speaker 7 (36:10):
Yeah, Like every day I'm so excited to go to
training and see my friends and be on the river
and everything, and you know, that's what drives me. It's
not necessarily those big moments are the big wins. It's
just you know, the joy and kind of every day.
And I hope to kayak as long as I feel that,
which I think is going to be a really long time.
Speaker 6 (36:29):
Well, I certainly hope we get to watch you kayak
for a really long time because it has been so
fun to get a chance to follow your journey the
last few years, and I cannot wait to root you
on in Paris this summer.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
Everie, thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
Oh my gosh, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 7 (36:44):
I'm so excited to listen and hear all of the
amazing stories that other girls talk about.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Appreciate you. Thanks so much for joining us this week
on the Powerful podcast. To see you'll next week.
Speaker 6 (36:53):
This is a reminder to check us out every Tuesday
all summer long everywhere you get your podcasts, and if
you really enjoy us and don't want to miss an episode,
be sure to hit that subscribe button.
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