We All Had To Start Someplace

(Reprinted from an article in the 1988 Race Results)

You've seen them - kevlar canoes, bent shaft paddles, water tubes hanging from their mouths and a one word vocabulary of "hut". Sometimes it becomes two words - "Hut Darnit!". They come flashing past you, maybe calling out for you to warn you they are about to pass. They are the "serious racers" - they are the ones that want to win, as if the rest of us didn't want to win.

Immediately you feel out of place. You think "What am I doing here? I can't compete with him. I'm in the way. Too slow." Or maybe your reaction is something like "Who in the heck do they think they are?".

Get any racer out of his smelly T-shirt and soggy shoes (aqua socks in '00) and you'll find out that they are pretty much like you.

They started just like you did. They got in a race, probably didn't win, place or maybe they didn't even finish. They were sore too. They ached, and swore they would never do it again. They dumped, ran into other canoes, and probably spilled over Ryerson Dam (not a mandatory portage in '88) or got hung up in the middle of Dam # 1 (who hasn't?)

After the first race, they got into another. they practiced and talked to "racers" to learn technique. Maybe even practiced with them. Before you know it, they were saying "hut", drinking from a tube, and somebody looked at them and called them "racers".

That's how most of us got started. We got bit by the bug. So don't let a "racer" intimidate you, discourage you, bother you, or even ignore you. Give it a try, enter this race and then another. Come back with a story to tell. Do your best and know that the ache in your bones comes from hard work and accomplishments. The only loser is the person that sits in front of the TV and does nothing.

Oh yes, after the race, talk with someone that looked like they knew what they were doing. Racers love to give hints on how to improve - unlike some other sports - the more the merrier. They can usually tell you where people practice in your area, and very possibly encourage you to join them when they practice.

(Give me a call at 847-604-2445 and I'll put you in touch with someone who would be glad to help you. - Don)