On a personal level, my feelings about being in Oklahoma City transcend paddling. My aunt and uncle spent their entire adult lives in this community. They were amazing people and huge supporters of my paddling career. Meeting so many people who knew them connects me to something far more important beyond my work.

Having said that, Oklahoma City as the confluence of personal and professional pursuits is fantastic. On any given afternoon, my daughter paddles past the Chesapeake Finish Line Tower as I work side by side with people who are as passionate about promoting paddlesports as I am.

So I was particularly honored when the The Oklahoman chose New Years Day to publish an op-ed I wrote following our Relocation Announcement a few weeks earlier. Take a look – that confluence is front and center:

http://newsok.com/usa-canoekayak-in-center-of-the-stream/article/3636192

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2012!

Two-time Olympian Carrie Johnson

Coming up on my first year full year leading USA Canoe/Kayak, I’m very excited with the progress we’re seeing in competitive paddlesports. We are adding new Clubs and new Club Coaches at a terrific pace; Collegiate racing opportunities and programs are on the rise; And today we are benefiting from more capital investment in Canoe/Kayak racing in the U.S. than any other time in history of the our sport.

While we’re enjoying some terrific momentum, our Olympic program is trying to overcome a big challenge. At the end of last year, the U.S. Olympic Committee significantly reduced funding to our Flatwater Sprint National Program, our top athletes and role models for our young racers (check out this video to see the story of a GREAT role model!) These Olympic Hopefuls are struggling simply to make it to the Start Line at this year’s World Cups and World Championships. With their primary support system and coaching team threatened, our National Team’s participation and performance at the year’s most important competitions are severely jeopardized.

Taking Action

It was unthinkable to me that this could happen within our program so I am doing what I can to help. I decided to align my participation in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon and Half Marathon (I am running the half) with our new USA Canoe/Kayak fundraising program, “Ascend As One,” where our Clubs are teaming up to help our program overcome this gap. On behalf of the athletes and coaches for whom I work, I would be grateful for your contribution to our Ascend As One program.

Contributing is super easy. Just email me a commitment to me at Joe@usack.org. Commitments could be a per mile contribution (13 mile run – which I’ve never done before!) or just a flat contribution – either way, 100% of all proceeds will directly support our National Team Program (no administrative fees!) Gerald, my colleague at USA Canoe/Kayak, will then follow up to find a payment option that works best for you.

Chesapeake Finish Line Tower (Opening July, 2011)

And with the assistance of our partner, the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, our Ascend As One has some cool incentives for various levels of participation. Please email me for more information about that but I can tell you that the coolest incentive is being permanently recognized on a plaque on the brand new Chesapeake Finish Line Tower in Oklahoma City. This four-story, six million dollar glass building that sits on the Finish Line of the Oklahoma River venue will become an iconic symbol of our sport’s new direction and spirit of progress!

Thank you for your support of our athletes and our sport.

Opportunities to connect paddlesports to the broader world around us are everywhere. Not a bad thing when one of those places is center stage of America’s favorite game. Keep up the good work, Evan!

Thanksgiving promotes a healthy spirit of reflection and gratitude. Looking back at Thanksgiving within the context of my life in paddlesports, this holiday was always the first big training camp of the season. As the first extended break on the school calendar for many, Thanksgiving was the ideal time to bring athletes together and work hard towards next year’s goals.

I was reminded of some of my favorite Thanksgiving memories this week when Washington College’s web site ran a feature article about USA Canoe/Kayak Olympian, World Cup and World Champion, Lecky Haller. The article captured the purity and simplicity of this champion’s approach to the sport and the values I learned from him that always stood out during this time of year.

(Check out the article about Lecky HERE.)

Over a 15-year period, I spent at least 10 Thanksgivings with Lecky at training camps across this holiday weekend. Whether as my coach, fellow teammate, or coaching junior athletes together, Lecky’s love for the water and drive to excel consumed every Thanksiving training camp we attended. No matter where we were, we had plenty for which to be thankful. To this day, I am still thankful for the way we chose to spend many Thanksgivings and the impact it had on our lives.

For many of our USA Canoe/Kayak athletes and coaches, traditional Thanksgivings are often traded for Thanksgivings spent on the water. While missing family time during holidays can be challenging, these training camp experiences bring a perspective of Thanksgiving that are uniquely shaped by an appreciation for water and help define the kind of competitors we aspire to be.

No matter where you are this holiday, Happy Thanksgiving!

Everyone seems to have a couple of thoughts on where the SUP movement is heading and here are a few of mine:

• The appeal of walking on water is pretty cool. Who hasn’t pondered on what it feel like to have your feet on the water’s surface and not fall below. SUPs come as close any craft in delivering that experience.

• For new paddlesports participants, SUPs convey a better sense of forgiveness with less consequences for making a mistake than traditional paddlesports craft.

• SUPs are sexy. Have you picked up an SUP magazine lately? This sport sells beautiful people like no other in paddling.

• Competitive events play a critical role in SUP’s success. SUP events are fun, festive, well organized and often have a cash purse.

These ideas bode well for this evolving industry and to say I’m a little curious about SUPs would be an understatement. I’m completely fascinated by the sport and am diving in headfirst to learn all that I can. In my personal quest to experience more kinds of paddlesports, SUP is a natural step in the right direction.

How about you?

The end is coming. An ending that will not be resisted or contested although in time, the preceding period will be somewhat missed. On Friday night in Vancouver, thousands of Olympians from around the world will declare an end to their four year training session and shout to the world, “Game On!!” The Winter Olympics will begin.

Saying “good-bye” to four years of preparation for, in some cases, a few minutes (or even seconds!) of performing is an overwhelming transition zone. Think about that. Most of us go to a job each day where we’re expected to perform all the time with very little training. The Olympians we’ll watch over the next two weeks train 99.9% of the time for a very short opportunity to perform. If you work in sales for a living, imagine training for four years in preparation for one sales call! How would that frame this opportunity for you?

For some of the participating Olympians, the Opening Ceremony will simply challenge them to stay focused on the task. You see, athletes don’t just leave the Olympic Village a few minutes before show time and march. Protocol, security and waiting can account for several hours of time and energy that frankly could be spent assisting your performance in other ways like relaxing and recovering. Some top athletes will try to employ strategies to participate in the Opening Ceremony without compromising what they’re coming to Vancouver to do. IPods, food and sitting (as opposed to standing) can help. Their self-talk might sound something like this:

“Don’t stray too far from the goal.”
“Don’t have too much fun.”
“Stay focused.”
“Winning is Job 1.”

But for many athletes, the Opening Ceremony IS the victory. Putting on your country’s colors, marching into a stadium packed full of Olympic fans in front of a global viewing audience and telling the world, “Tonight, I am on equal footing with the very best in the world” will become an indelible memory these athletes will share with friends and family for the rest of their lives. Their participation will symbolize fun, camaraderie, sportsmanship and process to name a few. For some, this will be their podium moment in life.

When it comes to the Opening Ceremony, there is no right or wrong to athlete participation. It’s the variety of perspectives that makes the Opening Ceremony so interesting and as viewing participants, we want all of them! During my first Opening Ceremony in Barcelona in 1992, my participation and pride connected to my sport of whitewater canoe/kayak returning to the Olympic program for the first time in 20 years. There was a special bond that evening between the canoe/kayak athletes from all the different countries that equaled the bond I felt with the other U.S. athletes. This helped me to scale the enormity of the event and frame in it in a way that was uniquely mine.

To that end, Friday night will be LOADED with different perspectives! Seeing what gold medal favorite and U.S. Olympic skier, Lindsey Vonn, brings to the Opening Ceremonies as she battles an injury that threatens her Games participation is going to be fascinating. But as I watch the Opening Ceremony from Vancouver, I can be 100% certain of one thing – I will be reminded that the spirit and goodwill of the event is both a gift to our society and a mirror that reflects the best side of humanity.

Enjoy the Games!

It’s cool to see one my favorite bloggers, Chris Brogan, not only embracing this concept but promoting it to others. And of course these terrific mediums of communication allow us to share our goals and increase public accountability for them like never before. So I’m ready to roll out my part of the Brogan challenge.

My 3 Words for 2010: Edges, Energy, Elite

Edges – This word directly relates to my work leading USA Canoe/Kayak through its transition period. With just about anything canoe/kayak, the sport is often perceived as challenging to do and difficult to access (not true, by the way.) Trying to lead, grow or change our interest in the sport from the “center of the circle” is nearly impossible – most people outside of our circle who we want to bring to the inside will not make the time or the effort to find us. So, I’m going to the edges of our circle to meet and engage such people at the edges of their respective circles. At these edges is where we’ll find new participants, sponsors and stakeholders who understand this and are stepping out to their own edges. The edges are where life gets interesting, the new rules are created and where the shape of your circle becomes changeable. Time at the Edges = Rewarding Opportunities

Energy – There are two elements here for me in 2010. First, to live the life I want to live and best serve the relationships that matter to me most. Time to do it all is NOT the issue – energy is. Being more attentive to my entire energy system and how I fuel it is a huge piece to my success, happiness and effectiveness. Second, our home in Tennessee is going to become our personal center for better understanding alternative energy opportunities. I’m going to absorb all that I can about options like solar and wind and take steps to integrate them into our lives.

Elite – This is the word that comes from “What I cold have done better in 2009.” Since retiring from top level competition after the Athens Olympic Games, I figured it was time to adjust my life to fit the flow of peeps similar to my age, responsibility, etc. I kind of distanced myself from the “world’s best” process which I used so effectively in my competitive paddling years. Big mistake. My “Elite” edge is a part of my DNA and putting it out to pasture is crazy. Elite is a belief system that works well for a whole lot of other things besides racing well on the river. I’m glad to have it back into my “everyday lifestyle.”

The beauty of 3 words is that they’re a guide that simplifies your best self. So, what are you waiting for? What are your 3 words?

Change doesn’t come easy nor does it come fast. But there’s nothing like being a part of it, particularly when you care about what you’re changing and you can see results along the way. With that in mind, this video below and link to a letter from USA Canoe/Kayak’s Board Chairman, David Backer, reflect that sentiment – please take a moment to check it out and of course let me know your thoughts!

Click HERE for David Backer’s letter

Resource Links

Soft Power Health

Jessie’s Team Jackson Kayak page

Jessie’s NPR story (Audio)