Signing Off

This blog doesn't get updated anymore.

As you can read in the posts below, I spent a couple years dedicated to whitewater slalom. They were some of the best years of my life. Faced with roaring, powerful rapids, I learned that strength and speed mean nothing if you don't have balance, timing, and precision. A powerful rapid can be brutal you if you hit a line wrong. But nail the line, and you can soar effortlessly across the water. It's the most amazing feeling. I imagine it's like surfing down the face of a monster, thundering wave -- at the end of the day, it's just physics, but it feels like magic.

Unfortunately, training for whitewater slalom from mid-Missouri required great financial and personal sacrifices. They were sacrifices that I knew I could make, but ultimately decided not too. It was not an easy decision, but it was the right one for me.

Several amazing female canoeists are making great sacrafices to fight for C1W inclusion, and they are winning medals on the international stage! Their remarkable efforts deserve our support. For more information on these extraordinary women, check out www.justcanoeit.com. I promise you'll be inspired by their tenacity.

For up-to-date information on canoeing (and kayaking) in Missouri, check out www.missouriwhitewater.org and visit the message board for the latest news.

I'm grateful to everyone who gave me a place to stay, loaned me gear, or shared a tip on how to nail a tough move. I'm especially grateful to those who chased my boat downstream when I swam, and gave me encouragement when I was scared, intimidated or discouraged. The slalom racing community is an incredibly generous group of paddlers, coaches, family and friends. Thank you all.

I still paddle every chance I get -- so I'll SYOTR soon!

All my best,
Laura