tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79583553648714615462024-03-18T21:02:19.389-07:00Hailey Thompson's Whitewater Canoe and Kayak BlogHi! This is my blog to tell you how my whitewater competitions have gone, what my plans and goals are, and where I'm going with it all. Enjoy!Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-26386650942336323052011-10-08T13:45:00.000-07:002011-10-08T14:35:29.327-07:00The 2011 Tale<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1R3R_G-PwozpX1AwzlnLdcPPr9XyZnXUrbo931eAhe5wzzM7jhcR0M8BBEbwzflXY5u29BD95-SCAia5jX5RaYVe9a1sbPCn5G9oi8s_QEJ258_WhywOFmfcxxGLzMSwogMpvcNAY1yQR/s1600/Pre-Worlds+2011.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1R3R_G-PwozpX1AwzlnLdcPPr9XyZnXUrbo931eAhe5wzzM7jhcR0M8BBEbwzflXY5u29BD95-SCAia5jX5RaYVe9a1sbPCn5G9oi8s_QEJ258_WhywOFmfcxxGLzMSwogMpvcNAY1yQR/s400/Pre-Worlds+2011.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661237628210882850" /></a>Training before Worlds in Bratislava....<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_ibhniqYb9US5g_eo8gQJsEMGB2AxBBM3oQbf-QtZIFSrdrR7OK02SHAuC_73GZjv_cd3YL36N5fnhfxQhiNnkgqpKsfw8cnHB8DUkz6Smat5taznNe-wVH540vcBLt1GS1a36Uy7mSb/s1600/Croatia+2011.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_ibhniqYb9US5g_eo8gQJsEMGB2AxBBM3oQbf-QtZIFSrdrR7OK02SHAuC_73GZjv_cd3YL36N5fnhfxQhiNnkgqpKsfw8cnHB8DUkz6Smat5taznNe-wVH540vcBLt1GS1a36Uy7mSb/s400/Croatia+2011.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661236174619703778" /></a>Croatian blue....<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLUHZCM5ZYBzdwPtx9HQtM8MzJZhRmXXypqOHpQEqdYmmpRRQ4fbRNW7SPYbBwLPYrVnrGla3T8ZCBHHzjXL_CrpxvqaCsPPxX4Z-65k9C6oUmqTUSq5JUL1UQrNcuqjo2z9ngg7w6gqX/s1600/Worlds+2011.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 373px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLUHZCM5ZYBzdwPtx9HQtM8MzJZhRmXXypqOHpQEqdYmmpRRQ4fbRNW7SPYbBwLPYrVnrGla3T8ZCBHHzjXL_CrpxvqaCsPPxX4Z-65k9C6oUmqTUSq5JUL1UQrNcuqjo2z9ngg7w6gqX/s400/Worlds+2011.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661235221066203634" /></a>Competing in Worlds....<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikd3J5qhxXkWoGpp2eSjh2zN6x0a19DUCW3nw3PnaMOiaOiEhRaDifUocMuyfo4AVeaWH3i3myCQgG6Olfdl3wjGSdWDlzg-mP0bKH6Jtrt_UgqMORS-omu1ncv8c-BQK2Qqr7rOuigfg/s1600/DSC_0190.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikd3J5qhxXkWoGpp2eSjh2zN6x0a19DUCW3nw3PnaMOiaOiEhRaDifUocMuyfo4AVeaWH3i3myCQgG6Olfdl3wjGSdWDlzg-mP0bKH6Jtrt_UgqMORS-omu1ncv8c-BQK2Qqr7rOuigfg/s400/DSC_0190.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661234863760861234" /></a>Homecoming my senior year....<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7i52PnRHWK054BfVOwBa2L-dVxr1ZoLI_Jh6Ychd8cec3ra7zHjrFcwVvp-sKVz72IHijhDUzPRSYEIRoz2Fosdv1fsRySji025w4K8Z0GpsIUkw0esFdNVNXfmvznr4t3pKL_XJ1pDf/s1600/Nationals+2011.2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7i52PnRHWK054BfVOwBa2L-dVxr1ZoLI_Jh6Ychd8cec3ra7zHjrFcwVvp-sKVz72IHijhDUzPRSYEIRoz2Fosdv1fsRySji025w4K8Z0GpsIUkw0esFdNVNXfmvznr4t3pKL_XJ1pDf/s400/Nationals+2011.2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661233389261452610" /></a>Pulling through the gates at National Championships 2011....<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimY76v1exJwdrgwimfA8tgB73fs3EYTfVpg2cUwEtsg83yC4mahsMyr05WgDKly_K6o6Lr-3RfXYoidSW8GG9tCObCGZ1yTVZkQI-XRApScNOtOswFXuq5r36vxnC7YZpoOUQjOyM8ypJM/s1600/Nationals+2011.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 333px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimY76v1exJwdrgwimfA8tgB73fs3EYTfVpg2cUwEtsg83yC4mahsMyr05WgDKly_K6o6Lr-3RfXYoidSW8GG9tCObCGZ1yTVZkQI-XRApScNOtOswFXuq5r36vxnC7YZpoOUQjOyM8ypJM/s400/Nationals+2011.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661230335118650418" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;">Happy to be on the podium....</div><div><div>The season of 2011 was a mind-blowing experience. I found myself traveling all over Europe for a solid three months – the longest I’ve ever been away from home on my own – and I learned a great deal about myself and the world. After my first month of training in France, I traveled across Belgium and Germany with my coach, Pierrick Gosselin, to Prague, CZ, where the fourth World Cup was held. I trained hard in the week leading up to the race, and felt good about my chances. Once I got the actual race, however, things did not go precisely as I had anticipated. The day of qualifications was rough, with me barely slipping into semifinals. My semifinal run was even more of a disappointment to me. My speed wasn’t up to par, and a final disheartening blow was dealt to me when I passed through boat inspection following my run and discovered that I would be disqualified due to an underweight boat. Not exactly how I’d hoped the race would unfold, but it happened and I learned from it. With such a bitter pill behind me, I moved into training for Worlds with fervor. For the First several weeks of training, I lived and paddled with the U.S. team at the incredible course in Bratislava, Slovakia. The Danube River is the second longest river in Europe, and at one point along its meandering journey, is passes through a dam just south of Slovakia’s capitol. In the center of the dam is a chute which channels enormous amounts of water through the man-made whitewater channel residing on an island in the middle of the river. The channel moves swiftly, pouring down its gradient at incredible speeds, plummeting over a grandiose 16-foot-drop, and undulating in fabulous waves. Training was intense with two-a-days most every day, and I wore myself out, but splashing through such water was addicting. The days passed, and my friendships with the U.S. team members grew deeper (as did the life-jacket tan-lines), and I became more and more competent on the course. After long moths of separation, my parents showed up in Slovakia! I was overjoyed to see them…although it’s admittedly every seventeen-year-olds dream to go off on adventures all by themselves, I realized in my time away just how much I love being around my parents, who happen to be some of my closest friends. I trained for several more days after their arrival before we decided to take a short family vacation in Croatia. This turned out to be well timed, for in my last training session before we left I had a minor drama involving me flipping over above a shallow pour-over and smashing my forearm against a rock…thankfully it ended up being a deep bone bruise rather than a fracture, but our time in Croatia gave me a little time to recover before Worlds. Croatia, by the way, is HANDS DOWN, the most stunning country in the World. I won’t go into too many details, but to sum it up, this small country is a narrow strip running along the azure Adriatic Coast, with Mediterranean terrain, rocky coves, olive trees, raw, beautiful mountains, and, a ways away from the coast, a host of thermal towns, and national parks with brilliant turquoise lakes and waterfalls. Just think, that was without the details! After our short gypsy-jaunt, my parents and I returned to Bratislava for my final week and a half of training before World Championships. Upon my arrival, I re-joined the international training team (with 18 athletes from North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa partaking), and enjoyed my time preparing for the competition physically and mentally while surrounded by such enjoyable, cultural company. Finally the race arrived, rang in by a fabulous opening ceremony involving flags, speeches, rock bands, opera artists, cultural dances, live DJs, the best hip-hopping group in eastern Europe, and of course, fireworks. It was quite the show. The course which had been set was simple in concept, with a flowing gate sequence, but what many racers overlooked was the very simple possibility of making a cumulating mistake (being slightly off-line in the first gate, more so in the second, then completely missing the third). I was wary of this, but still, my first run had a few too many minor mistakes, and I landed in 17th. My second run, I was prepared for, and I ran the upper two-thirds of the course flawlessly before I ran into trouble at gate 17 (seems like a bad number for me!). I was too far left, and had to loop back up for the gate. I knew this lost me valuable time, and I paddled like a mad woman to make up for it, but in the end I finished 20th – right on the edge for semifinals. The last boat was from China, and it was a close race which ended in me missing semis by one-tenth of a second. I was devastated to say the least, and knew that is would take something extravagant for me to forgive myself. The European Journey had come to its close, and although my cultural and training experiences had been out-of-this-world, I was bitter about my race performances. I returned home gratefully – three months is a very long time to be away, and it was wonderful to see my friends and family again (granted, not so great to make up the two weeks of AP Calculus I missed) and I spent my days catching up with all of the work and people I had missed. Homecoming of my senior year came and went - glittering girls in their candy-colored dresses, boys in their pumped-up kicks, tuxes, and shutter-shades, and school spirit the equivalent of nationalism in the cold war – and I grew conscious of one last opportunity for me to redeem myself in my eyes, for my performances in the past season. Nationals. Initially, I had ruled the race out of the possibility. I had missed so much school, and to fly to North Carolina for the race would mean missing more. But with the encouragement of my parents and a personal desire for redemption, I went for it. So three days before the race, I hopped on a night-flight to Charlotte, and found myself once again in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I had three training sessions before the race (only one of which was on the race venue), but I felt the deep-seated desire to perform. The race day came, and I did well during my runs on qualification day. Overjoyed, I moved into semifinals in first place. My frustration from the summer became channeled, and I plunged into my semis run with gusto. I finished happy and fairly confident, even though the course had been more challenging. To my intense joy, I progressed on to Finals, still clinging to first. As I paused in the start gate before my final run, I realized that this was it. The point I had been reaching to get to since that bitter beginning in Prague, and a final spark of aggression filled me. The timer sounded, and I took that last once of frustration and channeled it into my run. I negotiated the gates with an intense desire to perform to my personal pinnacle. Although I had several touches, my speed was enough to carry me through, and passing the finish line, a huge smile broke across my face. That was the performance I had worked for. My friends and fellow competitors bobbed in the eddy at the bottom of the run and we hugged one another, laughing and grateful to make it as far as we had. The U.S. Team leader, William Irving came running down the side of the river, and shouted to me, “Hailey, you are in first!”<br />…<br />It was a long summer, with an incredible number of highs and lows, but the joy I felt at capturing the Gold at Nationals was purely relieving. Two of my best friends, Colleen Hickey and Catie Vuksich stood on the podium next to me, and I felt so grateful to be there with them, and to have reached that point at the end of my season. There are so many people who I have to thank. Joel McCune, the coach who helped me kick off my season, Pierrick, Vincent, Manu, and a whole host of wonderful French coaches, Jakobe, my Slovakian coach at Worlds, Darren Bush and the folks at Rutabaga, Werner, Keen, Pyranha, and Level Six….but most of all, my Parents. Without them, none of this ever would have happened. And thank you, for reading this, and following this whitewater story wherever it leads.<br /></div></div></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-85704360525202222612011-07-29T05:04:00.000-07:002011-07-29T05:14:37.168-07:00The First Month of FranceSo many things have happened since Junior National Team Trials. For one, getting on a plane and flying to France. Once I arrived I joined a group of international competitors (from Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Finland, France, South Africa, Mexico, Germany, Senegal and Canada, and of course, USA) to begin intensive training. Our first week of training was spent in Montreuil Sur Mer, a small French town in the north, about fifteen minutes away from the Sea. Training was wonderful, learning rapidly from our multiple coaches, Vincent, Manu, Thibaut, Christophe, Gonz, and Pierrick. We usually had two long sessions each day, and would intersperse on-the-water training with beautiful trail runs (past ruined castles, pastures, and turquoise rivers), visits to the sea to swim, and exceptionally French (and exceptionally fun) activities like Cart du Voilé, which is like sailing except for the fact that the sail is attached to a small cart, rather than a boat, in which you fly across the beach. The first week passed, and we took our group to a town tucked far up in the French Alps, called Bourg Saint Maurice. Bourg is famous in the paddling community for being the most challenging natural river which is raced on…in the world. What seems to always be left out of the descriptions is the absolutely breath-taking place through which this river tumbles. The mountains plunge upward, grazing the sky with their snow capped, craggy peaks, and the valley is full of wild flowers and highland pasture, and then of course, the Town of Bourg St. Maurice, which is so quintessentially Alpine it almost seemed unreal. My first impression of the town was that I had died and landed in heaven, and the impression was only made more substantial after my first training session on the river which flows through town. The river is absolutely marvelous, a roaring torrent of icy-blue, glacial water pouring over mammoth drops and forming crashing waves. Initially, training in Bourg was quite the barrier for me. The water was massive, and mentally, my approach wasn’t aggressive enough. If I got one thing out of Bourg – it was learning to approach each training session as if it were an international competition. After a few days, my coaches decided my abilities were good enough to attack the upper section of Bourg, which is even more powerful and fast than the lower section. I ran it smoothly, with no mishaps, and was incredibly stoked to have made peace with such an impossible set of drops. Our time in Bourg seemed to pass to quickly, lost in the rapid succession of training sessions, afternoon climbs up the surrounding mountains, swims in alpine lakes, and visits to Bourg’s incredible gelato shop. Soon, we were back in Montreuil, where we repeated our first week of training. The days passed, and we traveled here, to Metz, which is in eastern France, close to the German border. The town is lovely, a Venice of Northern France, with lovely, intricately carved churches and palaces threaded by green canals and rivers which are home to hundreds of white swans…so perfect it’s almost cliché. The course here is nice – smaller drops, but fairly quick water. I have been competing in French Nationals as a fore-runner (demonstration boat, as I am not a French citizen). My first day went well, with two solid runs (one which would’ve landed me in second if I were competing officially), but that night I suddenly became really sick with a burning fever. The next morning I woke up with terrible body aches and a head ache. I raced poorly in the morning, and spent the day trying to sleep in the car as the rest of the team from Montreuil competed. By the end of the day I was exhausted, wracked by feverish burns and chills. Once I got medication, I felt much better, but this morning I found out that I was still pretty weak when I attempted to race. My run was painfully slow, simply because I had run out of strength. I am hoping to make a full recovery soon, so that I have a good chance at performing well in Prague for World Cup #4. I shall share more as the journey continues!Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-46661148962896012562011-07-01T12:08:00.000-07:002011-07-01T12:39:24.320-07:00Junior National Team Trials and the Departure to Paris<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmd-E6xRohY0BH60tvTPB2JmKydN8NnOB8CodBjmgmOzIffrxjO43QzzGNR3ImGrHtNMDkhW3ObnN3GQnNAXmmP6UHl52ZHi-y91kv5vbsEcNXO8fqbSEv1uMIJo2nytjuZM0CZggPTYu4/s1600/DSC_0275.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 252px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624470250748966770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmd-E6xRohY0BH60tvTPB2JmKydN8NnOB8CodBjmgmOzIffrxjO43QzzGNR3ImGrHtNMDkhW3ObnN3GQnNAXmmP6UHl52ZHi-y91kv5vbsEcNXO8fqbSEv1uMIJo2nytjuZM0CZggPTYu4/s400/DSC_0275.JPG" /></a> My lovely friends Sam and Sarah from Colorado...<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtN6IBNamHqN5JWWOYAp8B1ht43aF5nmx9BksrraOJKRnys_l1w8nxnH3ZBhM-4hElPPJ4vA0MwZJi6CRXvRi80Y05mhjNR4vc91QznJ2SfDg352g9Y-OFpjpT_BwW6ZwKmfsTqYfwnwU/s1600/DSC_0260.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 332px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624469151740570626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtN6IBNamHqN5JWWOYAp8B1ht43aF5nmx9BksrraOJKRnys_l1w8nxnH3ZBhM-4hElPPJ4vA0MwZJi6CRXvRi80Y05mhjNR4vc91QznJ2SfDg352g9Y-OFpjpT_BwW6ZwKmfsTqYfwnwU/s400/DSC_0260.JPG" /></a> C1W: Gold Medal<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdtK7P3Y4qsBzXL2mzx-PaymUUQnSO5TCAOjTwS2g_d3QgaDeKuGH1xVUzN-umECYG8mCIrMT5oiOMUKNa6ApPDi_Ftz4XuZkiuJxl5lme0gODouUh6_xpboPYYfuoD6Ly4f1Hn1n7NzC/s1600/DSC_0460.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624468399711389906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdtK7P3Y4qsBzXL2mzx-PaymUUQnSO5TCAOjTwS2g_d3QgaDeKuGH1xVUzN-umECYG8mCIrMT5oiOMUKNa6ApPDi_Ftz4XuZkiuJxl5lme0gODouUh6_xpboPYYfuoD6Ly4f1Hn1n7NzC/s400/DSC_0460.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufddG0WmFb_UGkrCAMsMhY2d60cguy6EvHFsp0-puesWTDGxzJzs6-vCWJFJfSOheY3sb0y9dh6gtSAIlPVX3az5iH-XZXVonUoonazBp-YMTf0tuTsPY-4CfxsPvp8IhHfE0rbA3qI76/s1600/DSC_0218.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624467809375510738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufddG0WmFb_UGkrCAMsMhY2d60cguy6EvHFsp0-puesWTDGxzJzs6-vCWJFJfSOheY3sb0y9dh6gtSAIlPVX3az5iH-XZXVonUoonazBp-YMTf0tuTsPY-4CfxsPvp8IhHfE0rbA3qI76/s400/DSC_0218.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624466958483522402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CTQzI87E4fNqdeF-Kgc8kGbrvvxcTEj8I7QJbwKvfnbS_oqDKkScMk1bVWLNA7DgkhjRv7Hm_R9DhDAbzZ4kGGeoLpzR5DdX9toGWQCdoquPKMuSofIIswNPkTShyrYqKNDAuYoEb91n/s400/DSC_0211.JPG" /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8p5ISQ-fxDbHrW3ACBTELKwj71cufXGdKuHVPhZpdT2AImKGiEn7JeTa3MTtsFjAK2vs_BMVxTOklxDibye7oB9mD1C5GapIlCjRgeaara4Z65ex6h6zeE6hVHK4X2rHgvAaqdQtrtrX/s1600/DSC_0118.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624465221513381682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8p5ISQ-fxDbHrW3ACBTELKwj71cufXGdKuHVPhZpdT2AImKGiEn7JeTa3MTtsFjAK2vs_BMVxTOklxDibye7oB9mD1C5GapIlCjRgeaara4Z65ex6h6zeE6hVHK4X2rHgvAaqdQtrtrX/s400/DSC_0118.JPG" /></a>So first come the house guests. It’s a dead-giveaway, the prelude to races in Wausau, when the number of paddlers residing at my house spikes, as it did about a week and a half ago. They came from the East coast, the south, and the west to compete in Wausau’s Junior National Team Trials this past weekend. In addition to living together, we trained together in the days leading up to the event (when it consistently poured rain for about 5 days in a row). The weather wasn’t ideal, but the athleticism and camaraderie exhibited most definitely was. The Friday before the race the weather miraculously cleared into the crystalline blue skies with puffy white clouds which are so classic of Wisconsin in June, much to my relief. Those beauteous skies held out as racers nervously anticipated the race. As procedures go, we went through the gear checking process, watched as the race-day gates were set, and then prowled the banks of the river, planning our lines and watching demonstration runs. Once activity by the river quieted down, I headed home for a calm, early night before the race. I had three marvelous friends from Colorado and Washington DC staying over and the four of us watched video of demonstrations and discussed the multiple approaches to the race the following day. With a plan whirling through my head that night as I drifted to asleep, I dreamt of whitewater.<br />Saturday morning arrived just as blue as the previous day, and I headed to the course. I was set to race in both Women’s Canoe and Women’s Kayak so I knew the day would sap whatever energy I had. I hopped in my sparkly purple canoe up above where the water plunges into the rapids to warm-up. As I paddled, what nerves I had accumulated dissipated and I felt myself sink into race-mode. Before I knew the time had passed, I found myself launching out of the start gate into the first run of Junior National Team Trials. I passed through the gates smoothly and without any major incident, but I finished disappointed and feeling slow. I pushed the feeling down and immediately prepared for my kayak run. The kayak felt far more successful, and after my run I grabbed some food, rehydrated, and located a nice shady patch where I could await the second runs. The afternoon came about and I found myself in the start gate again. I gripped the t-grip of my canoe paddle in frustration with my first run, and this time, when I broke the start line, I channeled my energy. When I passed the finish, I found that I had shaved 11 seconds of my time! Overjoyed, I hurried to my kayak and the fourth run of the day. I performed, but not as well as intended…my energy was sapped. I finished the first day of competitions in first for Canoe and in third for Kayak, and not overly disappointed. The course was re-set and I walked it several times that evening before repeating my quiet pre-race routine. The next day, I altered my plan. My Canoe runs the previous day had been good enough that, if I laid down a good first run, I could skip my second to conserve energy for kayak. The plan worked, as I finished my canoe run in first, so I decided to channel everything into my kayak performance. My first kayak run of the day wasn’t going to cut it – I remained in third, and in all honesty, I wanted gold. So that afternoon, with the full knowledge of how close the race had become, I powered out of the start gate. I maneuvered through the course with an intense focus, and passed the finish line with a time six seconds ahead of the next competitor! So, to my surprise and pleasure, I finished Junior National Team Trials with not one, but two gold medals…what an incredibly fortunate experience. These past three days have been just as whirlwind, even if I haven’t been competing – I’ve been packing up my bags because tomorrow, I fly out to Europe for the next two and a half months. I’ll be competing and training in France, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia; and I can’t even say how thrilled I am for the experience to begin.<br />So thank you…check in every now and then, and I promise, I will have more stories to share. Peace,<br />Hailey </div></div></div></div></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-39944369624517054022011-04-20T17:40:00.000-07:002011-04-20T18:56:19.101-07:00U.S. National Team Trials 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOb-fJoP1Vc1MItoNoDQYvIu1_R_rIWEne0KdRw2zzxHet2FBUQ6hBdD4mBG9_fOiM-uHtJ27RujtSMb2b0rEDrcsNA1_WTjNDpliqK6okQkWGVfs_CFYxavlbLNTGVVSRPExDhUkI1aZM/s1600/DSC_0102.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOb-fJoP1Vc1MItoNoDQYvIu1_R_rIWEne0KdRw2zzxHet2FBUQ6hBdD4mBG9_fOiM-uHtJ27RujtSMb2b0rEDrcsNA1_WTjNDpliqK6okQkWGVfs_CFYxavlbLNTGVVSRPExDhUkI1aZM/s400/DSC_0102.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597849177274841762" /></a>Swinging tight on an upstream gate...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfTCxMpCPJwdcaxZSCNKA5lWGjFXELN_WPYPix-6jy9pIb9ejuQZdWjGxFV_zlyzOdO-QZUt4v7zMhwx2O6iUNXJJQP5cAQOfuZ3d2znKk_58-u0Em1ziRDlaRWyuvoRH54-NRhICdM_4/s1600/DSC_0109.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 184px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfTCxMpCPJwdcaxZSCNKA5lWGjFXELN_WPYPix-6jy9pIb9ejuQZdWjGxFV_zlyzOdO-QZUt4v7zMhwx2O6iUNXJJQP5cAQOfuZ3d2znKk_58-u0Em1ziRDlaRWyuvoRH54-NRhICdM_4/s400/DSC_0109.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597847687323084466" /></a></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Driving through the waves....</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidI0u48D1X2Z06LG9ekcb5RtXqoYZVqTmUBNiZr4MNyiTb952PFygoXjSAzyub8Kc2jKZphEVuX4WGwokclWSkGUCPcSfqnceGxejW5A66HcGwZwhZMMI2zaAc2BxFxiCnUSYluRASnREe/s1600/DSC_0199.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidI0u48D1X2Z06LG9ekcb5RtXqoYZVqTmUBNiZr4MNyiTb952PFygoXjSAzyub8Kc2jKZphEVuX4WGwokclWSkGUCPcSfqnceGxejW5A66HcGwZwhZMMI2zaAc2BxFxiCnUSYluRASnREe/s400/DSC_0199.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597839177952118754" /></a>Maneuvering...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbregtmCYsHN9W2IiXvhgQkK5hrG2S-5ZqEStye_MDHwlyJjcpN2XU9rI7iWIAPf_z4VjkmC45eflXoGB7X6W8w7jGT6myqvHNGAje7lRVdj3-HGj34E3B8ohkJlcw98HHQVnSxu9MDhTn/s1600/DSC_0332.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbregtmCYsHN9W2IiXvhgQkK5hrG2S-5ZqEStye_MDHwlyJjcpN2XU9rI7iWIAPf_z4VjkmC45eflXoGB7X6W8w7jGT6myqvHNGAje7lRVdj3-HGj34E3B8ohkJlcw98HHQVnSxu9MDhTn/s1600/DSC_0332.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbregtmCYsHN9W2IiXvhgQkK5hrG2S-5ZqEStye_MDHwlyJjcpN2XU9rI7iWIAPf_z4VjkmC45eflXoGB7X6W8w7jGT6myqvHNGAje7lRVdj3-HGj34E3B8ohkJlcw98HHQVnSxu9MDhTn/s400/DSC_0332.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597835202841052050" /></a>Coach Joel McCune with C1W Natl. Team: Colleen Hickey, Hailey Thompson, Lisa Adams<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEoUG_WUbfKI5Qh25cPNRlISO43pxK0PkonFp7lX_cUoBsE0KGQq8M8iRoFogYYGka98GlKIdYIhyafa-ry25eYlQw3wZjbDwGHCDA-4WibBkpEVJ8QfnPduMQ9WlrwtZ2ZLViPx5GQz4j/s1600/DSC_0299.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEoUG_WUbfKI5Qh25cPNRlISO43pxK0PkonFp7lX_cUoBsE0KGQq8M8iRoFogYYGka98GlKIdYIhyafa-ry25eYlQw3wZjbDwGHCDA-4WibBkpEVJ8QfnPduMQ9WlrwtZ2ZLViPx5GQz4j/s1600/DSC_0299.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 355px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEoUG_WUbfKI5Qh25cPNRlISO43pxK0PkonFp7lX_cUoBsE0KGQq8M8iRoFogYYGka98GlKIdYIhyafa-ry25eYlQw3wZjbDwGHCDA-4WibBkpEVJ8QfnPduMQ9WlrwtZ2ZLViPx5GQz4j/s400/DSC_0299.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597831922741919906" /></a>U.S. National Womens Canoe Team: Lisa Adams, Hailey Thompson, Colleen Hickey</span><div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" >I’ve spent the past ten days living and breathing for my iridescent purple canoe. Not in a bad way at all, simply all of my energies have been poured into training for, and then competing in the U.S. National Whitewater Slalom Team Trials. Trials were held on the intensive, roaring, man-made rapids of the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. I spent the week training two sessions a day, under the precise coaching of Joel McCune and Scott McKlesky (both former elite-level competitive racers), alongside some of my fellow C1Ws, Colleen Hickey, Lisa Adams, Catie Vuksich, and Jen Singletary. Our days were entirely dictated by our training schedules, consuming enough food to keep going, and crashing in blissful sleep at night, trying to escape anxiety about the upcoming three-day race. Practice, however, had been undulating, and by Thursday afternoon (the last day before the Friday-Sunday race) I was feeling only a mediocre amount of confidence about my paddling on the course. I went back to Coach McCune’s house (where some of us competitors were home-staying) and tried to rest a little bit before returning to the man-made river to see what challenging gates the course-designers would set for Friday’s race runs. I made my way to the course, and attended the competitors meeting where we obtained our racing bibs and our start times. As the racers meeting ended, the athletes rushed to the concrete banks of the river to see what challenges lay in wait on the course set for us. I paced the shore, taking in the several crux moves on the course, trying to devise a plan as to how I would maneuver my way through the gates. All of the racers then gathered and watched as several demonstration boaters ran the gates, trying to follow and mentally record the lines they took. Once the demos were over, I found Coach McCune and McKlesky and walked the course with them. They both gave me valuable feedback on my plan, and helped me build up a little confidence for the following day’s race. I slept deeply that night, and woke up the following morning without a trace of my usual pre-race nerves. Initially, I was thrown off a bit, but quickly decided to embrace the lack of butterflies. Several of the C1 women headed out early to do what would become our routine workout, and headed to the course. I watched as first the men C1s, and then the women K1s headed down the course, before doing a final warm-up. Then it was game time. I took my first run, and although the top way flawless, I had a major collision with one of the large plastic, feature-forming bollards on the lower portion of the course…unfortunately, that threw me off line a fair bit. My second run on the first day was better, and I finished day one ranked fairly soundly in first for the women C1 class. That evening, after leaving the venue and refueling, the athletes returned as they had the evening before, to see which gates had been moved to form the course for Saturday’s race. The course appeared more challenging than that of the former race day, but my calm remained, and again I walked the course with McCune and McKlesky, and formed a plan. I repeated my routine, of heading back to Coach McCune’s and resting up for the following day. Day two was exciting. First of all, I became sick. With those wonderful stomach aches that decide to come and wrack your body at the most inopportune of times. That was manageable, however, and the first run of my second day was quite good, without a single touch to a gate-pole. After that, however, a massive storm rolled tumultuously over North Carolina. The race was pushed back for an hour, and only later did we discover that what we experienced was only a tendril of the fully fledged storm which killed 45 people in that region….we observed, with a shout, one of the kayak men sprinting out into the torrential rain to try to recapture his airborne, spinning kayak. I truly am sorry for the horrific loss many of the families in that area suffered. After things quieted down a bit, second runs took place, under a deceptively innocent blue sky. My second run was even better than my first, and again, I found myself clinging to the first slot for women C1. I was still pretty sick, so I went back to our homestay and slept. When I awoke, to my dismay, I had nearly missed demos, so I sprinted hastily to the course. The gates set for Sunday looked challenging, but no more so that Saturday had been. The routine of racing now drilled into my head, I rested for the evening. The next morning came, clear and warm, and I felt deep down that it was going to be a good day of racing. At the course, my first run was nearly perfect in respect to the lines I took, but I felt slow and accumulated four time-penalizing touches. Although I hadn’t felt superb about the run, I found myself still seated soundly in first. That was it, I had officially made the team…the only question of the final run was if I would win trials outright, or take second. As I waited in the start gate, for my final run, I made the conscious decision to, as Coach McKlesky put it, “take the boy lines” a.k.a., the risky, high speed moves that many of the male competitors take. It was a chance, but I knew I had secured a team slot, and so I took it. When the final beeps emanated from the start timer, I took off, hurtling through the gates in a wild exertion of the last ounces of my energy. As I pounded over the last mammoth drop of the course, passing the finish line, I knew that I had just landed the best run of my life. I had, because when I checked the scoreboard, not only had I shaved 30 seconds from my previous run, but I had just succeeded in winning every single one of the six runs of the race. The next several hours blurred together, from climbing to the top of the podium to receive my team jacket and “gold medal” (we were given these beautiful pieces of stenciled glass instead), to going through team processing and deciding which races to attend in Europe this summer. As of now, it’s confirmed, I’m going to the 2011 World Championships in Slovakia this fall! This has been an incredible journey, and I feel so fortunate to have been on it. Now, my wonderful mother and I are driving back into Wisconsin – a bit of a climate shock from the 80-degrees we left behind (here in the dairy state we’ve received no less than eight inches of snow in the past twelve hours), and I’m daydreaming of the places this whimsical sport will take me. So thank you, for all of those who read this, and for all of you who have supported me on this wild ride. Peace and happy paddling.</span></div></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-68506867584220897082011-04-03T09:47:00.000-07:002011-04-03T13:34:26.584-07:00Coach McCune<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8wr9EkG4FF6-qvty41EG1IH6hDksP4bwrKY7IbqAEOhm_0BPa2Uh9o4RwKBRKdA-EcLw3ny48x3BphLuSLkcubX5om12WE1pVGx5_v_zMsuye58Rv9bCRfbe3sv7dSncX963IoFNN8M2/s1600/DSC_0251.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 289px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591458028453594738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8wr9EkG4FF6-qvty41EG1IH6hDksP4bwrKY7IbqAEOhm_0BPa2Uh9o4RwKBRKdA-EcLw3ny48x3BphLuSLkcubX5om12WE1pVGx5_v_zMsuye58Rv9bCRfbe3sv7dSncX963IoFNN8M2/s400/DSC_0251.JPG" /></a><span style="color:#ff6666;"> Absorbing some words of wisdom. </span><br /><div><span style="color:#cc66cc;">This post isn't really a story. It's more of a shout-out to one person who has really impacted my paddling career. His name is Joel McCune. He's been my friend, fellow competitor, and coach from the start, and his unwavering kindness has made him one of the biggest influences in my life. So, thanks Coach McCune.</span></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-88780413738849431212011-03-28T13:43:00.000-07:002011-03-28T20:11:54.740-07:00The U.S. Open 2011<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMICumleITtrr3JQlK9-eiuI4YSAGSYtl4DLwdZTuWzXb76TOrXmqWoARLH9FbWYVb6jBvq6O9_7fuJab8jvzOn5hVMrnZzSRg8w8Ig1CmPW9_HFGDGmQeiOZZnDezFvf94QaMUKPVdw7/s1600/DSC_0122.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 342px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMICumleITtrr3JQlK9-eiuI4YSAGSYtl4DLwdZTuWzXb76TOrXmqWoARLH9FbWYVb6jBvq6O9_7fuJab8jvzOn5hVMrnZzSRg8w8Ig1CmPW9_HFGDGmQeiOZZnDezFvf94QaMUKPVdw7/s400/DSC_0122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589333556114862098" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);">C-1-W: Colleen Hickey, Myself, Catie Vuksich, on a fun training day.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhU7WvHG46PsJVF_PrfUZIHHy6pj4RU-5mjmpZZaJpcw1lPicOVXCKBUh8r2oibgIexcjh5aoOiXNKzzL3t2kdV_T1ITrfo0I2nlAKWzhytJOVwG8QrZKNYuYfzz101yq76_T9DuvbWKN/s1600/DSC_0180.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhU7WvHG46PsJVF_PrfUZIHHy6pj4RU-5mjmpZZaJpcw1lPicOVXCKBUh8r2oibgIexcjh5aoOiXNKzzL3t2kdV_T1ITrfo0I2nlAKWzhytJOVwG8QrZKNYuYfzz101yq76_T9DuvbWKN/s400/DSC_0180.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589332534749093346" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);">Getting in those vertical strokes.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglPVrdc7qbNXv2GQkDUYhacG6jJ2TCGzF8LjPS11o_Y_iOOh4tlLbgir7WJc1X8HEb13xsH0s7WiKxSCkJmUPpsPZNx09iXGCyA11zgaDuT_nift1R4Xe6tSwhqADfDSek5rayWMJI-5M/s1600/DSC_0228.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglPVrdc7qbNXv2GQkDUYhacG6jJ2TCGzF8LjPS11o_Y_iOOh4tlLbgir7WJc1X8HEb13xsH0s7WiKxSCkJmUPpsPZNx09iXGCyA11zgaDuT_nift1R4Xe6tSwhqADfDSek5rayWMJI-5M/s400/DSC_0228.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589319406258469666" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);">Focused on the course.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDZBtgFd8hyPSUNtChWNBgH5g2-X8b349qGuO_OffgMs_P8msijIt4E4EazisarJ3FlFNDcBhF_9jpwIsNG1dAlvBW8Qon3vd1tWcflGLYWu9kd1WZGNJUbKzSHeCHSdflV7yd9D01mgv/s1600/DSC_0308.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDZBtgFd8hyPSUNtChWNBgH5g2-X8b349qGuO_OffgMs_P8msijIt4E4EazisarJ3FlFNDcBhF_9jpwIsNG1dAlvBW8Qon3vd1tWcflGLYWu9kd1WZGNJUbKzSHeCHSdflV7yd9D01mgv/s400/DSC_0308.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589318380801116146" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);">Pulling heavily during a kayak run.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaa_3mHgw_O7UDaMv-b8V2Qiox4CkhAgx4vlJ_-mwgCGfcPS0duGQoRzMH4g9rdAHcYBl8IVEBS2Oiz5qrbHoDXEUIcK_8ErsWk0WZRNp_9KTE8goCC_qhbbQWjZaqp-1qLZSdVXhD3naV/s1600/DSC_0061.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaa_3mHgw_O7UDaMv-b8V2Qiox4CkhAgx4vlJ_-mwgCGfcPS0duGQoRzMH4g9rdAHcYBl8IVEBS2Oiz5qrbHoDXEUIcK_8ErsWk0WZRNp_9KTE8goCC_qhbbQWjZaqp-1qLZSdVXhD3naV/s400/DSC_0061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589317065937001634" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);">Ferrying out across the falls...</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpVuTIxWzyGyxH6A4tsrIeasUVKrjb_eI2AWadd8gwBzE2y8NzBm4GQ4kw_wDttavTSek33YKtRyehmmKDB4frGmQYGh5K2kZmQqklWRe7SfpXeNTD14apOhdOKEeqyXUwJjbnClj8afC/s1600/DSC_0050.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpVuTIxWzyGyxH6A4tsrIeasUVKrjb_eI2AWadd8gwBzE2y8NzBm4GQ4kw_wDttavTSek33YKtRyehmmKDB4frGmQYGh5K2kZmQqklWRe7SfpXeNTD14apOhdOKEeqyXUwJjbnClj8afC/s400/DSC_0050.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589316004527123730" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);">Reaching deep for a cross-bow stroke....</span><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNntYZZ0AHw_PRaQH0-xi05dIP-8rE1sUp4rTnO_8GaDS85O7Gsoa0DFFtWimh-aefeHNna9YX7qG_JjIBNg_0lhcXYGA0nNojjSPoQpiOmbATMv0wQ7zzgzaF2lBmMWu2FzBYsIxmasPL/s1600/DSC_0447.JPG"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 324px; display: block; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589236772336098098" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNntYZZ0AHw_PRaQH0-xi05dIP-8rE1sUp4rTnO_8GaDS85O7Gsoa0DFFtWimh-aefeHNna9YX7qG_JjIBNg_0lhcXYGA0nNojjSPoQpiOmbATMv0wQ7zzgzaF2lBmMWu2FzBYsIxmasPL/s400/DSC_0447.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);">Standing atop the podium for Canoe! Colleen Hickey, 2nd, and Jennifer Singletary, 3rd. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);">*All photos by John M. Thompson*</span><br /><div style="color: rgb(204, 102, 204);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 255);">The Nantahala Gorge is beautiful in spring. The surrounding smoky mountains seem to be emerging from a winter of sleep, with mist rising from the valleys, the redbuds’ soft blooms popping open, and the purple slate faces dripping with icy spring water. I spent the last several days of the past week training there, shivering my way through morning sessions on the fast mountain stream that is the Nantahala River, and spending my evenings with fellow paddlers, tucked away in a cabin up the gorge. At the close of the week, it was time to turn my focus away from training, and towards competing…because this past weekend was the first major race of my season: The U.S. Open. Friday evening, I scrambled along the shore of the river accompanied by my marvelous coach, Joel McCune, and analyzed the gates which had been set above the rapids, planning my lines, my strokes, my movement. That night, after the memorization and visualization of the course had been imprinted on my mind, we athletes, parents, and coaches went out to local hot-spot, Guayabitos, for some pre-race Mexican food, and then hit the hay in preparation for the early morning to follow. I arose to the unfortunate sound of a steady rain pattering away on the roof of the cabin. Paddlers are used to getting wet, don’t get me wrong, but it’s never fun to have a race when it’s 40 degrees and raining…this said, I decided to turn the weather into a positive. Conditions that could detrimentally impact some competitors were going to stimulate me. This mindset really helped me, as I made my way down the course in my first canoe run. I finished it, fairly content (although one can always improve), with an hour before my first kayak run. I checked in with Coach McCune, and then sprinted up to the Subaru, with the glorious heat and cliff bars and water bottles it contained, to while away my hour. The kayak run went well, not my best, but not bad at all. I refueled during the brief lunch break, and then geared up for second runs. My canoe run was better than anything I had laid down yet. I remembered how I had felt at Worlds last year – the incredible, raw, powerful, yet graceful sensations that flow through me when I become the instinctive paddler I’ve trained to be. Afterwards, I took my final kayak run of the day (not quite as good as my earlier run), and went back to the cabin to warm up and get (finally!) dry. That evening, the racers gathered for a banquet (a.k.a. pasta!) at the restaurant above the river, and then retired early in preparation for the next day’s race. I awoke, to my relief, to the sound of birds, but not rain. However, the mist and cold, and swollen river, reminded me of the downpour of the previous day. Speaking of the swollen river – things on the course had changed. Several gates had been switched from down-streams to up-streams and changed positions, but more significant than these changes were the changes in the way the increased volume of the water increased the velocity of the course. I walked the course again with my coach, and reworked my plan for my runs. Confident, I watched the demonstration boats, and then walked up to warm up for my canoe run. It went incredibly well, although there was a lot of time I felt I could have cut. By the end of my run, the sun was seeping into the valley, warming the humid river air. My first kayak run was perfect – but at one of the final gates, I mindlessly blew by an incredibly easy down-stream gate…earning myself a 50 second penalty, and plenty of mental self-flagellation. I went to meet with faithful Coach McCune, to review video and refuel, and he helped me to let go of some of my frustration, and focus on the final runs. My final canoe run was an enormous, wild expenditure of energy and impulse…which almost worked, with the exception of one brief, but costly, roll. My final kayak run, however, was just as impulsive and energetic, but it worked. My run time was far faster, and I only incurred one touch (a 2 second penalty). I warmed up in the sun, laughing with the pleasure of finishing a race, and being on a beautiful river with wonderful athletes, and incredible friends and family on shore. I eventually got out of my boat, and got dressed to go to the awards ceremonies – where I was given gold in Junior Women’s Kayak, Junior Women’s Canoe, and (!) Senior (that is, all ages) Women’s Canoe! What an incredible feeling. True, I’ve been snowed in up in Wisconsin for a few months – but I sure am glad to be back on the waves where I belong…and I’ll be back here in North Carolina before I know it (Three weeks!) for National Team Trials. Peace and happy paddling. </span></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-57020872628450752832011-03-22T11:19:00.001-07:002011-03-28T18:56:09.458-07:00Charlotte Season Opener<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIxWfIas7Z1P5AaH_g3TcX22AccWT4r2Oh5bHeBJFe7rAYuAtmglUgHYjG5U6_B6Xqwo0CZi4XDeQoDn-273IZBpjalVob_YCczEqMXxevs4LC7ZwxP8bmco4vfXqibQOvjn4OhjtMW3H/s1600/DSC_0336.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIxWfIas7Z1P5AaH_g3TcX22AccWT4r2Oh5bHeBJFe7rAYuAtmglUgHYjG5U6_B6Xqwo0CZi4XDeQoDn-273IZBpjalVob_YCczEqMXxevs4LC7ZwxP8bmco4vfXqibQOvjn4OhjtMW3H/s400/DSC_0336.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589314473536763842" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Pulling over the massive lower drop...</span><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jhK4W4A7wXwDwXe97BLuKsDxCLs-5GGIwHHufgdEz5j2S70GO43aQXIURXYDVErEDPVcYw_Hp06HiDZkXXn-BFhKLsmSN2Th9vARV3wAAk1HpFbejPZ8G9cHPGdAMxapg1RLU0ISPq_s/s1600/Charlo1.jpg"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; display: block; height: 261px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587457131715596370" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jhK4W4A7wXwDwXe97BLuKsDxCLs-5GGIwHHufgdEz5j2S70GO43aQXIURXYDVErEDPVcYw_Hp06HiDZkXXn-BFhKLsmSN2Th9vARV3wAAk1HpFbejPZ8G9cHPGdAMxapg1RLU0ISPq_s/s400/Charlo1.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"> Hitting a wall of water in Finals<br /></span><div style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_5NpEF26j6VYgOHkC84FfU6cZ4DEFo7KaWv0Z_CqVwwcd4Ja_mJSLDmjGBdfq8feAsSdBvSRyywCZHNYAhB7OBlOHPmmJ7fLdJ0EWUCLF2DT_vPZ4NlmzGTJptYFsZE0Dy6DGxxIEFIx/s1600/Charlo5.jpg"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; display: block; height: 299px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587457000057286530" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_5NpEF26j6VYgOHkC84FfU6cZ4DEFo7KaWv0Z_CqVwwcd4Ja_mJSLDmjGBdfq8feAsSdBvSRyywCZHNYAhB7OBlOHPmmJ7fLdJ0EWUCLF2DT_vPZ4NlmzGTJptYFsZE0Dy6DGxxIEFIx/s400/Charlo5.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"> The paddling buddies, Simon Ranagan,</span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"> Cole Moore, Peter Lutter, and Hailey (Me)<br /></span><div><a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPA7LP-94gj6aLeL3hZdu_YYemRZ27TMqX9vSLZq5P0GjocBjs8sPCvk6P2aO7veJSpr0ZHBElZXqK_qexnbdpYh7I99eDUeyCr5Z8AOZ8vIXVJzym-hTZlFWoiN0a_zMxXPI2nGQfA2M/s1600/Charlo3.jpg"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 367px; display: block; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587456475934986210" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPA7LP-94gj6aLeL3hZdu_YYemRZ27TMqX9vSLZq5P0GjocBjs8sPCvk6P2aO7veJSpr0ZHBElZXqK_qexnbdpYh7I99eDUeyCr5Z8AOZ8vIXVJzym-hTZlFWoiN0a_zMxXPI2nGQfA2M/s400/Charlo3.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"> Smiling after a satisfying run<br /></span><div><a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ui-jPvjDmv5TB4adcjMmBdNxSQjVggOFZXP8nR48z2tKS110zPM1fbGoXucnSn2YOBJSAAzPMzzgsvx3L9esu_NVRTw6tj-wRvkildGEtnQa2uAdLT5NRqadJ2ckSRe15n7jXWb9IP7B/s1600/Charlo2.jpg"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; display: block; height: 277px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587456410845513522" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ui-jPvjDmv5TB4adcjMmBdNxSQjVggOFZXP8nR48z2tKS110zPM1fbGoXucnSn2YOBJSAAzPMzzgsvx3L9esu_NVRTw6tj-wRvkildGEtnQa2uAdLT5NRqadJ2ckSRe15n7jXWb9IP7B/s400/Charlo2.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"> Race Day 1<br /></span><div><div><a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbxcJLSyw8a7uI-A6O9WERh3q4l6QH4wImlhL7ru8CUdDRlveUq8YQZ1H4QMP76jj5m4L0qrPX8eLyWcvrG-UKGvlAwZQl4ro76dDbHDfiaq4jMsVHnKzYPkVFqmYPgrVad7EySdwTsPg/s1600/Charlo4.jpg"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; display: block; height: 268px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587456250333940098" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbxcJLSyw8a7uI-A6O9WERh3q4l6QH4wImlhL7ru8CUdDRlveUq8YQZ1H4QMP76jj5m4L0qrPX8eLyWcvrG-UKGvlAwZQl4ro76dDbHDfiaq4jMsVHnKzYPkVFqmYPgrVad7EySdwTsPg/s400/Charlo4.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"> Training Day</span><br /></span><div><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 204);">Well, guess what? Today I turned seventeen. Yikes! And I’m spending this birthday, as I have spent my last four, here in sunny and warm North Carolina, how lucky is that? This past weekend was my first time on water (which wasn’t solid) in four months, so I was definitely a little rusty when I competed in the 2011 Season Opener Race, the Charlotte Open. But man was it fun! My balance was not quite what it was at the end of last season, and it took me a little while to convince myself I was no longer skiing, but once I got back into the flow of things (pun intended), I was smiling non-stop. At the end of the race, I found myself in second place for Women’s C1, and 6th place for Women’s K1. Could have been worse! Since the race, I’ve been doing some yoga (wooohooooo!), and maximizing my time on the undulating, rioting course at Charlotte. The next big adventure? This weekend, the U.S. Open in Nantahala Gorge, North Carolina. I’m very excited, and hoping that the training I’m doing this week will pay off.<br />P.S. On my way over to the U.S. Open, I’m stopping in Ashville, NC, to tour UNCA again….yay college! </span></div></div></div></div></div></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-38499925339514648752011-03-22T10:09:00.000-07:002011-03-22T11:06:08.427-07:00Canoecopia!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLZ76-6OWuzHB0jcrNR8YylcjdFEKLgw1kHYRsGluiiE2NG_qjkOwn17lGYzYoEDb7Lx3PGBN-W5sn2q7u_t6RoY67URCYHl1GolNTGm65jN-fusDuL9-uZh8BHtZB1pijLg90o2zUhf9/s1600/cANOECOPIA+2011.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 286px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586966475593273778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLZ76-6OWuzHB0jcrNR8YylcjdFEKLgw1kHYRsGluiiE2NG_qjkOwn17lGYzYoEDb7Lx3PGBN-W5sn2q7u_t6RoY67URCYHl1GolNTGm65jN-fusDuL9-uZh8BHtZB1pijLg90o2zUhf9/s400/cANOECOPIA+2011.jpg" /></a> <span style="color:#ffcccc;">Happy to be next to such awesome people! Darren Bush (Center) and Pam Boteler (Right)<br /></span><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#cc66cc;">What a weekend! Each paddling season is officially begun with the most stimulating event of spring: Rutabaga Paddlesport Shop’s famed Canoecopia. The expo was held from March 11th to March 13th at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, and drew canoe-loving crowds in the thousands. I’ve been to this expo just about every spring, and this one was spectacular as always. The enormous hall is packed full of vendors…everywhere you look, there is eye-candy for paddlers, boats, paddles, gear, clothes, tents, shoes, the whole works…it’s your basic nirvana. For me, this event is also a great opportunity to catch up with friends, sponsors, and paddling gurus. For the past two years, I have been fortunate enough to be invited to speak at Canoecopia, about my experiences competing. Year One didn’t go so hot. I had some technological difficulties, and was very freaked out. This year was much better. Public speaking still scares me more than competing in World Championships, but I was a bit better at hiding it, and thank goodness, my Power Point functioned relatively smoothly! In addition to telling the stories about Junior and Senior World Championships, I was fortunate enough to have my friend/mentor/hero, Pam Boteler there with me, and she spoke for a bit about the Women in Canoe controversy, and the struggle to be included in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. All in all, it was a fantastic weekend, and I’m already getting excited for next year’s expo!</span></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-35557177340640943602011-03-06T10:39:00.000-08:002011-03-06T11:53:03.195-08:00The Winter!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3XE95Hf_MRhug77htz_afnwfoQ2XklgUnDJnrSHxj3u1BRsTgIxGunUjtccPJAFCTAW0fENcAfn66PnYQYubZ9Su3C2t-bIa1tLPpY_zH1S1DpU-F_ZBGOHQsBnOMxLQEmPxy3A6yKqA/s1600/hodag.jpg"><span style="color:#ffcccc;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 270px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581053972909040722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3XE95Hf_MRhug77htz_afnwfoQ2XklgUnDJnrSHxj3u1BRsTgIxGunUjtccPJAFCTAW0fENcAfn66PnYQYubZ9Su3C2t-bIa1tLPpY_zH1S1DpU-F_ZBGOHQsBnOMxLQEmPxy3A6yKqA/s400/hodag.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#ffcccc;"> Ski racing in Rhinelander, WI, at the Hodag Challenge!<br /><br /></span><div><span style="color:#ffcccc;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581052903037851794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjuFQknMmJjhTzBGQ2iY38D0LWeHc2yiqxKvDaHFOWidJTGG-bfWucTY1L9fH_eVl9vrBEFjq5utkHnWW_HkCoy6Yki143JFdjmSHcUj6ChpJMc4kZBNcxng6g2UTox1AU-R7RAe_b75L/s400/LilyHaileyBlackTie.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#ffcccc;">With my skiing buddy, and one of my best friends, Lily Kraft on New Years</span></div><div><span style="color:#ffcccc;"></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50gyaykuUORdJAHQDsLJY0XSc9CF0sNd_5DQB4wiYHJK2PeEiLUw2u36zrj6d9UJe51MIHUl79EacNLoJTaT6vW5ydqHO-6qYGhWUn40FzjXX69Fda5tm6wXNqndXDn9NmezP-6hFcy_M/s1600/AutoOwl.jpg"><span style="color:#ffcccc;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581052296550959426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50gyaykuUORdJAHQDsLJY0XSc9CF0sNd_5DQB4wiYHJK2PeEiLUw2u36zrj6d9UJe51MIHUl79EacNLoJTaT6vW5ydqHO-6qYGhWUn40FzjXX69Fda5tm6wXNqndXDn9NmezP-6hFcy_M/s400/AutoOwl.jpg" /></span></a></div><div><span style="color:#ffcccc;">This was a very important event for me this winter: Saving Auto (Pronounced Otto), the </span></div><div><span style="color:#ffcccc;">Barred Owl. He had a horrible accident with a car, and is getting better at Raptor Rehab!</span></div><div><span style="color:#ffcccc;"></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLYZSsKkAOvXpH5N2QobYQ-DFKIjAPaAzZvbZJguwKuxVzEviEm7jtDfBo7Lm_QfaivHnU_VQJsiP7VfOfAwdwILtNQg01qD5ONzlRAh4-k9y6sBOE4d89MGb8XT3isFnNSs4ppITzLnP/s1600/State2020.bmp"><span style="color:#ffcccc;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 322px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581051453168299138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLYZSsKkAOvXpH5N2QobYQ-DFKIjAPaAzZvbZJguwKuxVzEviEm7jtDfBo7Lm_QfaivHnU_VQJsiP7VfOfAwdwILtNQg01qD5ONzlRAh4-k9y6sBOE4d89MGb8XT3isFnNSs4ppITzLnP/s400/State2020.bmp" /></span></a></div><div><span style="color:#ffcccc;">Racing at 2011 State Championships in Wausau, Wisconsin.</span></div><div><span style="color:#ffcccc;"></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyR2xZxhxDDVSGNsDYYzNoQgmj7P8VMD6fSaXx6LlK58aG9r-9Jl6-WSFSqIrKhr_L3CPUrupBCC5SxAGURdXsuXB6qjQrfszUODtmCEyb_v0NfrDuEfrfXdzb3TzdfST187sw2Ko55oIm/s1600/MomDadMe.jpg"><span style="color:#ffcccc;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 348px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581050508020972322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyR2xZxhxDDVSGNsDYYzNoQgmj7P8VMD6fSaXx6LlK58aG9r-9Jl6-WSFSqIrKhr_L3CPUrupBCC5SxAGURdXsuXB6qjQrfszUODtmCEyb_v0NfrDuEfrfXdzb3TzdfST187sw2Ko55oIm/s400/MomDadMe.jpg" /></span></a></div><div><span style="color:#ffcccc;">My incredible parents with me after a race - so much love!</span></div><div><span style="color:#ffcccc;"></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_K0fgY3DVPfDHYXu70SigNlCsbl_zpP_j7Mb5TrnDWY8ux3WZ0QUc3xqo-oj5LnkaUCYWRMAnk6_1oN68U6NGOaOwpT_MfTqxai1YmjE97kdLp2mL3uQfBrALEkpEGhDtLCiTpe_V2dB/s1600/P2080833.JPG"><span style="color:#ffcccc;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 321px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581049404679341490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_K0fgY3DVPfDHYXu70SigNlCsbl_zpP_j7Mb5TrnDWY8ux3WZ0QUc3xqo-oj5LnkaUCYWRMAnk6_1oN68U6NGOaOwpT_MfTqxai1YmjE97kdLp2mL3uQfBrALEkpEGhDtLCiTpe_V2dB/s400/P2080833.JPG" /></span></a></div><div><span style="color:#ffcccc;">The Tutu Trio: Ski Teammates Jessica Timmerman, Hailey Thompson, and Lily Kraft, all decked out for our last race of the season, the 25 kilometer Lakeland Loppet.</span></div><div></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#cc33cc;">To say I've been <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">remiss</span> about my posts would be an understatement. I have been absolutely pathetic. But I <em>have</em> been pretty busy with other things - let me tell you about my winter!<br />Well, after Worlds (man, that was <strong>ages</strong> ago!) the Fall came, and hit me with the full force of Wisconsin's natural beauty. With the golden leaves and crisp mornings came my junior year of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">highschool</span>, the advent of a whole slew of new classes and friends, ACT and SAT tests (my absolute favorites!), the beginning of college searches, dry-land training (essentially, running up lots of big hills) for my upcoming ski season, and weight training for this upcoming paddling season.<br />Winter took it's own sweet time arriving. For a person who lives to ski in this season, it was infuriating. But by the time soft snows started falling in December, I was absolutely thrilled to hit the trails. My ski team is rather like my family - after school, just about every day of the week, my team mates and I would head out to the ski lodge, and lay down between 8 and 20 kilometers. The beauty of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">nordic</span> skiing is that not only does it make winter bearable, it makes winter lovable. I can't even tell you how much I cringe when I hear complaints about snowy precipitation.<br />Then, on weekends, we skiers and our incredibly supportive parents would make the trek to all corners of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Northwoods</span>, to attend races with names like "The Hinder Binder" or "The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hodag</span> Challenge" or "The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Snekkevik</span>" or "The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Lakeland</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Loppet</span>"...definitely a predominantly Scandinavian sport, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">hahaha</span>.<br />Skiing has infected my family - both of my parents have taken to hopping on a set of skis in the evenings, and wandering around the woods that surround our house. My dad has even figured out a way to groom our own set of trails (His real name is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">MacGyver</span>). My mom loves nothing more than to go out to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Iola</span> (our local ski area) and spend hours skate skiing. It's <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">phenomenal</span> to have a family passion that keeps us in shape and in love with the snow.<br />My Competitive Ski season wasn't too bad either - I made it onto Varsity this season, which was pretty exciting, and our Girls Varsity took 4<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> at state! I'm hoping to get some better individual rankings next season - but that is for the future to determine.<br />Speaking of the future! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">Canoecopia</span> is this upcoming weekend! YAHOO! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">Canoecopia</span> not only means attending an awesome expo put on by Rutabaga the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">Paddlesport</span> Shop, listening to some incredible speakers, and getting to hang out with a host of cool paddlers - it means that the paddling season is about to begin!<br />This season is looking exciting already! The U.S. Open, National Team Trials, and an International Canoe Federation Camp in July in France are on the schedule for the season, and depending on whether or not I make the National Team this Year, I may or may not be adding World Championships in Slovakia to that list...holy guacamole!<br />So, if you get a chance, swing by <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">Canoecopia</span> this year. It's in Madison, Wisconsin, and the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">Alliant</span> Energy Center from March 11 to 13. I'll be giving a talk at 11:30 on Saturday at the expo, so stop by if you have the time and want to visit (although I give no assurances of the speech itself...public speaking, the fear of all teenagers!), but I'd love to meet you, and see where paddling and the outdoors has taken you in your life.<br />Peace,<br />Hailey</span></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-18088628467033819492010-09-15T18:57:00.000-07:002010-09-21T18:55:34.218-07:00The Word on Worlds<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeewcVgCXiwLAkO2l08I1zlCstVaINBLS8wvyj_M7Jb6vQjy_n-A_V1br8bKyDGrcQclOpoz4DIwthh_hU4beX5p7y4IEeJnP9QW14ILKFMLhZM4yfBbp1mOGeg6-ggnCthgJSqnIOo2f/s1600/Tacen+2010+013.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519547617731551410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeewcVgCXiwLAkO2l08I1zlCstVaINBLS8wvyj_M7Jb6vQjy_n-A_V1br8bKyDGrcQclOpoz4DIwthh_hU4beX5p7y4IEeJnP9QW14ILKFMLhZM4yfBbp1mOGeg6-ggnCthgJSqnIOo2f/s400/Tacen+2010+013.jpg" /></a> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519543130639178066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObASLrhxmMOLUZWKy552rC79gjujqu5_gak8NvU1j68hs3KIVKchqbFITdTm8PeDtttFddxEpKB5qBhA-LKV3FxSN3oPeeAtl9gZBOIlHOhN68G8Rhfy2LNoFFaBqgW53bw2P4R_HpwrN/s400/Tacen+2010+067.jpg" /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLLQKI-h4HMoWeW3bsiVuJiKbfL78VpYz46nRQ-X-9z06zRuaUjcIUfC9h6XovT_cpWD0G5PioP1al0zDrFESkRGNjJtyIV9dncqig8vcOEHWWpm_gHidteVXEY1rJy5u0mU1QYgc_VXa/s1600/Tacen+2010+220.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519541868413183410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLLQKI-h4HMoWeW3bsiVuJiKbfL78VpYz46nRQ-X-9z06zRuaUjcIUfC9h6XovT_cpWD0G5PioP1al0zDrFESkRGNjJtyIV9dncqig8vcOEHWWpm_gHidteVXEY1rJy5u0mU1QYgc_VXa/s400/Tacen+2010+220.jpg" /></a><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 239px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519540069769555554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzf_GkmBUFOc5K76yvclo-ms2tYiTaJ0xd2vi5kVjICCQvO_a_6o2l7F_yMfA5XRoE8c_teW2NzeYLTwY8HlueSa74TYjqAXoF1jyih3bjuEbFDytWacagtmjYgkH6eQzcYtKdNHoyWFc/s400/Tacen+2010+036.jpg" />As I type this, I find myself in the Ljubljana Airport, waiting to get on a plane, and consequentially, other planes, that will bring me home, to Wisconsin. Before passing through security, I was able to spend an hour or so talking with two fascinating guys over mugs of Slovenian Hot Cocoa - one of them was Slovenian/Australian, and one Norwegian…it seemed to be a reminder of all of the amazing, multi-cultured people I’ve had an opportunity to meet while being here. That said, I have to admit, I am really, really excited to get back and see my parents, my dog, and my friends. These past two weeks in Slovenia have been truly incredible. I came alone, to Europe, for the first time, which was an adventure in itself, but also found myself in some truly interesting situations leading up to the competition. Tuesday evening, I had wrapped up my last training session. I returned to the police academy with Nuria Vilarrubla (Spain) and Reka Forizs (Hungary), to put on our team uniforms for the Opening Ceremony Parade…I was really excited, because Opening Ceremonies are always a fun show, and a great opportunity to meet foreign friends. Nuria, Reka, and I were joined by Jane and Ella (New Zealand and Cook Islands), and we began walking to where the bus would take us to the ceremony. Barely 5 minutes away, I tripped on a metal stub, and came crashing onto the sidewalk with a hefty cut on my knee…not too smooth on my part. A kind Slovenian lady helped us, and gave us a ride to the meeting area. The French coaches, Pierrick, Medhi, and Jonathan met us, looked at my knee, and told me I was headed to the hospital…so, I missed out on Opening Ceremonies, but I did get to experience first-hand, a Slovenian operating room, and a couple of stitches. I was pretty bummed about the stitches, but even more concerned about how I was going to kneel in a canoe the next day to race. The course set was complicated, with lots of energetic bursts of speed required. I had studied video, and walked the course, and with the exception of the stitches (which kept me out of my boat for time periods of more than 3 minutes, so no good warm-up) I was feeling prepared. It was a cold, rainy day, but the sun came out through the rain just before my run…it was almost as good a getting a hug for luck before starting. Once I began paddling, I barely felt my knee; I was focused on the race. I laid down a clean, if not remarkably speedy run, which planted me firmly in 10th place. I wasn’t sure if I should take a second run, because I was top 20, and progressing to Semifinals anyways, but I’m not one to watch other people paddle…so two hours later, I got back in my boat, and took a second run. It was going to be flawless, but at the 14th gate, I hit a wave wrong, and was pushed down beneath two gates – sustaining two 50-second penalties. After everyone had raced, I was still in 12th from my first time, so I made it to semis. The next day, racing was cancelled. The previous day’s rain had swollen the river into a massive, roaring torrent which poured out of the side walls and onto the sidewalks. I spent the day at the riverside, wishing I could hop in a boat and play in the mammoth waves. The following two days were qualifying runs for men, and finals for women kayaks…I love cheering for my friends, but I am also much more of a competitor than a spectator, so Sunday, and Semifinals couldn’t come fast enough. The water was back to normal levels, and the course was unchanged, so I reviewed it carefully, and prepared for my run. My knee was a lot less painful after three days of rest, so I hopped in the boat early for a proper warm-up. Feeling good, I awaited my run in the start gate. The timer clicked away beside me, and I was conscious of the mass of humanity on the river bank – Slalom is pretty popular here, and there were a lot of very happy spectators. Finally, the last three seconds beeped away beside me, and I took off. My run had the right pieces, but it wasn’t as fast as I had hoped. I leapt out of my boat, and ran to the scoreboard. I ranked 3rd, initially, but there were 12 highly skilled ladies left to go. Anxiously, I watched each competitor charge down the course, hoping I could cling to top ten, and make it to Finals. Finally, the last girl made it down the course – and I rested in 10th place! I was stoked! This was my first time in the Finals of a Senior World event…and I couldn’t be happier. The next several hours before my run were tough. I vacillated between total disbelief, minor panic moments, and pure, care-free anticipation. Finally, the time for me to get in my boat rolled around. Things blurred, and then I was doing my final run. I lost a lot of time when I flipped beneath the big upper drop, but regained some of it at the bottom of the course. When I finished, I was in 1st place briefly. I was bumped to 3rd, and remained there for quite some time, but ended up finishing in 6th. I couldn’t be happier about this finish either – it’s my best result to date, when competing with women of all ages.<br />That night, the competitors gathered one last time, and whiled away our last hours dancing together, celebrating the victories, consoling the disappointments, valuing each others’ company. This morning, I woke up bright and early to catch my flight…and in about 17 hours, I’ll be home. It has been an amazing journey, and I will treasure the memories I made here for a very long time.<br />Peace,<br />Hailey</div></div></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-78998753145694684192010-09-09T11:28:00.000-07:002010-09-09T12:45:46.613-07:00Tacen, The Trashings<p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyXyt1ClnlnuMGb8E8yecpTjrCTv0hUPyHAMOM8OWhAl21qVJAbYkRVnBHRtfgt82Vcpmoi0WF7H_ZNuvN66Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p>A short film I put together of some of the best paddlers in the world, displaying some of the best wipe-outs in the world!</p>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-60876544951833323342010-09-06T00:20:00.000-07:002010-09-21T18:03:58.204-07:00Tacen, Slovenia and World Championships Training<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObl9DiLwOol4X2CgtydRTYxZ6QZeqCyLHXDi-LIL5mMA-bHDQ29xp-gtXYBNXYQ8wN-qiA6bt_gQsDeRUePii9VyrQZJ8PZ5UW1anytGT55P3y9Wm34JpPEluTE8kHqy99isnB_CLJpfU/s1600/Tacen+2010+088.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 252px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519536699903422418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObl9DiLwOol4X2CgtydRTYxZ6QZeqCyLHXDi-LIL5mMA-bHDQ29xp-gtXYBNXYQ8wN-qiA6bt_gQsDeRUePii9VyrQZJ8PZ5UW1anytGT55P3y9Wm34JpPEluTE8kHqy99isnB_CLJpfU/s400/Tacen+2010+088.jpg" /></a> Getting to town: Slovenian Style!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBGVKRdClxFqfTLPbdeHoUzrtZ-UfZuoFOBUDOdbAH4BhG_jK8wzKyjtXLLkVxYmUQzJ3itzpZxtCxKaO7OeYR3ETEVJRx1k3jSp0Xv1rsUaHsyx2RStdu7EOYF2nlEMvA6uBd7iMoLrb/s1600/Tacen+2010+064.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519535994899057810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBGVKRdClxFqfTLPbdeHoUzrtZ-UfZuoFOBUDOdbAH4BhG_jK8wzKyjtXLLkVxYmUQzJ3itzpZxtCxKaO7OeYR3ETEVJRx1k3jSp0Xv1rsUaHsyx2RStdu7EOYF2nlEMvA6uBd7iMoLrb/s400/Tacen+2010+064.jpg" /></a> Lake Bled (Above) and practicing (Below)<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHXY9E-3YjxwQdnP_6efvIIFo6QY5qgggkIhg2L6h4y9MNkhqsMe8iOWrsWrBhKFp1-6niU9T6UMgJfM0Av86wzBWNn6_asL2cdy-e0m8O395KdNq2R0zTNAXJK243hwuSj5_KbEX4CcN/s1600/Tacen+2010+033.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519534859274057778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHXY9E-3YjxwQdnP_6efvIIFo6QY5qgggkIhg2L6h4y9MNkhqsMe8iOWrsWrBhKFp1-6niU9T6UMgJfM0Av86wzBWNn6_asL2cdy-e0m8O395KdNq2R0zTNAXJK243hwuSj5_KbEX4CcN/s400/Tacen+2010+033.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Slovenia is very much like Wisconsin in the Fall. Cold and windy, bright sunlight, crisp air, laiden apple trees - the main difference for me has been that I am here, training for World Championships, rather than starting my Junior Year of High School...which has caught me by surprise! Due to some crazy politics, I found out about my attendance of World Championships two days before I left. My family took it in stride though, and I gound myself on a plane headed to Slovenia a day later!<br />I am here now, boarding in a Slovenian Police Academy (I definitely know I am safe!), with men and women from all over the globe: Australians, Hungarians, Ukranians, Spaniards, Togo-ans (?!)....basically, quite a diverse group. I have been fortunate enough to spend my days training with other talented Women on the challenging whitewater of Tacen, under the instruction of our three comical French Coaches, Medhi Deguil, Jonathan Marc, and Pierrick Goesselin. They have been wonderful, and helpful, and hilarious at the same time - I feel quite fortunate to have such great coaching!<br />We've been spending our time off wandering into Ljubljana, the capitol of Slovenia, and a beautiful, ancient city. Also, much time has been spent at the best restaurant in all of Slovenia - possibly, all of Europe - the Kaval Club. I personally adore their Black Truffle Pizza, but the other canoeists highly recommend their Ravioli :-)<br />I still have several days before the actual competition begins, so I will be training hard and trying to keep energized, while enjoying every minute of my time here!<br />See you on the river,<br />Hailey<br />P.S. I don't have photos of me paddling this time, because I came (for the first time!) solo...and it's quite tricky to take photos of yourself while you're paddling :-)</div></div></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-10816694073021921642010-08-29T13:24:00.000-07:002010-08-29T14:11:24.692-07:00Midwest Freestyle Championships<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkMbSpb_Ern3cvGKwmusTU2UtOcO243YvXCjOaZhHoh1XXzZadvjGkiLcvbvZ8A4fNGDB4gEtdPnr1-2sDYJOrK6LXy-1_SqMSfn1-ToBAhG0l4QNT-n5NLIzlo8uGcRpvzUbOoC4vge7/s1600/BRRROOOWWWNCLAW!.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510939667211008802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkMbSpb_Ern3cvGKwmusTU2UtOcO243YvXCjOaZhHoh1XXzZadvjGkiLcvbvZ8A4fNGDB4gEtdPnr1-2sDYJOrK6LXy-1_SqMSfn1-ToBAhG0l4QNT-n5NLIzlo8uGcRpvzUbOoC4vge7/s400/BRRROOOWWWNCLAW!.jpg" /></a> P.C.: Nora Whittemore, Editing: Hailey Thompson<br /><div>The Midwest Freestyle Championships were a wonderful competition held in local Wausau, Wisconsin. It was refreshing to find myself among fun-loving and lighthearted competitors. I trained and practiced in the days leading up to the camp and recieved quality coaching from Jackson Kayak's Colin Kemp. Training with the local playboating gurus was a lot of fun, and a top-notch learning experience - and there is always more to learn.</div><br /><div>Once the weekend rolled around, I was stoked and ready to compete. Over the course of the week I had learned to Space Godzilla and Backloop (two of the more difficult tricks to perform) and I was anxious to display my new skills. During Preliminary rides, I laid down some solid tricks, including multiple spins, cartwheels, and two Frontloops. These rides got me into the top five, and Semifinals the next day. </div><br /><div>The following day also hosted the famed Boater-X event: like rollerderby, only in kayaks. Competitors are released in groups of six, and they race down the river. Anything goes, you just have to be the first one to pass the finish line. I was in a lineup with five men...so basically, when the starting flag dropped, I got the heck out of there so as not to be crushed under all of them. The positive side effect of this was that I got pretty far ahead of all of them, and finished first. The rest of the heats went, and I was put into the Finals line-up. With all guys, again. So, I went with my first tactic - paddle hard, get away. It was working too, with the exception of one detail. In the middle of the race run, you have to circle a buoy, basically, to add dificulty to the race. The preliminary run, I circled it without error. In the finals, I began to circle the buoy, only to have it bob under my kayak. When it resurfaced, it was on the wrong side of my boat, meaning I would have to go back to circle it properly. As I considered doing this, I looked upstream to see all six of the other finalists hauling down the river towards me. Noting that I didn't desire being squashed by men twice my size, I decided to skip the buoy and get out of there. I still crossed the finish line far ahead of the other competitors, but was disqualified for the buoy incident - oh well :) I had so much fun that the final order didn't much matter to me.</div><br /><div>Semifinals and Finals were around 1:00. I hopped in my boat and warmed up a bit, then quietly waited for the rides to begin. When they rolled around, I laid down two very solid semifinals rides, which bumped me into third - and top 3 enter finals. In Finals, however, all of the women were getting fairly tired, and we all had mediocre rides. In the end, however, I was able to snag second place! Pretty exciting for one of my first freestyle competitions.</div><br /><div>To top it all of: at the awards ceremony, a raffle is held, the top item being a boat - and guess what?! For the first time ever, I got lucky at a raffle! I am now an owner of a brand-new kayak. Pretty stoked :)</div><br /><div>See you on the river,</div><br /><div>Hailey</div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-24103055213862472832010-08-16T12:33:00.000-07:002010-08-16T13:31:43.171-07:00Paddling Instruction<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1mtVKTSe6nmSO9wYCrI6SyHQ6DHbw_u5wUFwCzyoa0gGxSFGNu2lV85AdtyUUloDG8YUcf2-Re4yYZlRUin9onUdKyzj2YyDeQhjo4TUoK3JPNxOKCkQVyoTmZcBLtPqJl5QXwNWsh4d/s1600/DSC_0220.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506107834177105202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1mtVKTSe6nmSO9wYCrI6SyHQ6DHbw_u5wUFwCzyoa0gGxSFGNu2lV85AdtyUUloDG8YUcf2-Re4yYZlRUin9onUdKyzj2YyDeQhjo4TUoK3JPNxOKCkQVyoTmZcBLtPqJl5QXwNWsh4d/s400/DSC_0220.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgc5ksBQ9D0UvgPLJRKFKnkjm47UxTjbRam36qkB9Z2mSbvlwFcPslDJ87bf-C92EefFA9a89-b99kZaU68UVdXwdLWv9ZAi1tg88PJWSlEhzscL7pH35OILGfmofp3cIfJy6xAMXwOaG/s1600/DSC_0233.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506104339990317234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgc5ksBQ9D0UvgPLJRKFKnkjm47UxTjbRam36qkB9Z2mSbvlwFcPslDJ87bf-C92EefFA9a89-b99kZaU68UVdXwdLWv9ZAi1tg88PJWSlEhzscL7pH35OILGfmofp3cIfJy6xAMXwOaG/s400/DSC_0233.JPG" /></a> Photos: Sasha Staniski<br /> <br /><div>Since returning from my great adventure in Europe, I have had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer and work as a kayak instructor for young students. I really enjoy working with kids, especially, to teach them the basics and advanced skills involved in paddling. They are forever enthusiastic and appreciative, and nothing is more rewarding than seeing them light up when they learn to roll or ferry.<br />Soon after I got home, I volunteered for several days at the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">beginners</span> paddling camp in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Wausau</span>, Wisconsin, called the Ray McClain Camp. I had a great time, and worked with the smaller girls in the camp who were learning basic ferrying, rolling, and river <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">running</span> skills. They had a wonderful time - and so did I! On my own I have been working with several pupils - one was a 12-year-old boy from Berlin, Germany, (Willie) who was an absolute joy to work with.<br />To top it all, this past weekend I was able to go back the the summer camp that I attended when I was younger, to teach campers there whitewater skills. I had an amazing time, and was overjoyed to be back in one of my favorite places in the world, surrounded by great campers and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">counsellors</span>.<br />It's wonderful being home now, spending time in the water, and being able to spread the paddling love...<br />See you on the river!</div></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-83113638349241444232010-07-13T06:05:00.000-07:002010-07-14T18:44:40.978-07:00Junior World Championships, Foix, France<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tVJnLR498TX8xCKSsFWeFTkkBOJpL1LrVjK9a7lIyu5qRxFSZqwUcCpl3WVy_wH8hy9RFws5GrFaTf3MlGl4GveCY4MSVYybYOFSG5lkdQZkkdKxhgcVIXRY2NM-atbPPGUU4e8LDGMy/s1600/DSC_1009.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 324px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493942232313127394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tVJnLR498TX8xCKSsFWeFTkkBOJpL1LrVjK9a7lIyu5qRxFSZqwUcCpl3WVy_wH8hy9RFws5GrFaTf3MlGl4GveCY4MSVYybYOFSG5lkdQZkkdKxhgcVIXRY2NM-atbPPGUU4e8LDGMy/s400/DSC_1009.JPG" /></a> The Podium!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZcKbqCqING57168yLxW3nD5d-OWOv2lOc3XKItWNdNTNbuv8rjhZnDd9WV07XqFQtttl2EvAuwp0HKQjvM7T9BZgos2Q-WDBe7GHxG9uOHBMva6vRyhMjviXk6BZkW8Z86XgDN5-Ftba/s1600/DSC_0262.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493941074102761874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZcKbqCqING57168yLxW3nD5d-OWOv2lOc3XKItWNdNTNbuv8rjhZnDd9WV07XqFQtttl2EvAuwp0HKQjvM7T9BZgos2Q-WDBe7GHxG9uOHBMva6vRyhMjviXk6BZkW8Z86XgDN5-Ftba/s400/DSC_0262.JPG" /></a> Hiking outside of Foix: Just like 'The Sound of Music'<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPg4QrJSA4yB1RQnOkzTH8853REcNZx-6eLJIctoljD9yingmCA74Ngm5hKGhcDGwkBB-IlASJRGqvm5lPRVbU4DFoxWodPIETSZH-P-XCWJxY39wqjaYAKmlF1CcoFmD86Yjp3waYs3LK/s1600/DSC_0354.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493939164379913266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPg4QrJSA4yB1RQnOkzTH8853REcNZx-6eLJIctoljD9yingmCA74Ngm5hKGhcDGwkBB-IlASJRGqvm5lPRVbU4DFoxWodPIETSZH-P-XCWJxY39wqjaYAKmlF1CcoFmD86Yjp3waYs3LK/s400/DSC_0354.JPG" /></a> The purple boat...<br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 193px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493938925168237282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCPPJtDPu9JpaF8bONmv1qj9_Ep6YYrMR2yeULQR7slxPSyb08rkoSik1w9f9Y9XxSSEToDqs7RR4PEJhECTiSWECYYywmoCsfoX8z7-o9bpgoM2XcsAiNtWz-Vj_6pfpAPwzD7PV1Yyj/s400/DSC_0265.JPG" /> Practice....<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xUM3JjUYZW6zucw5qIzkpiFGu6r2QLnD-djs1OaFYDM9UuUTpu1aM5I8GoTnylJuJtHq3Xz06eMyUEtAK7GRk3XVI9MaCURxpKGxxJEOgFdWRXYObs1gvshdE98t_YCMPbK9bNq7mHTL/s1600/DSC_0257.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493938097210908450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xUM3JjUYZW6zucw5qIzkpiFGu6r2QLnD-djs1OaFYDM9UuUTpu1aM5I8GoTnylJuJtHq3Xz06eMyUEtAK7GRk3XVI9MaCURxpKGxxJEOgFdWRXYObs1gvshdE98t_YCMPbK9bNq7mHTL/s400/DSC_0257.JPG" /></a> Carrying up...<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPtP9GquDeS5UhXuH9_AcNtOJV_MplgP-y0_M6QEL3iRus-J3d_fHbCbX5WVidAZFu0VARZ26_WXCj72_VaEfn5FwAYb1Q-5IHeqOEg9pzhpV2n8i3S5uvHfki0-d564wRUR23REFDMtN/s1600/DSC_0241.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493937888390467234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPtP9GquDeS5UhXuH9_AcNtOJV_MplgP-y0_M6QEL3iRus-J3d_fHbCbX5WVidAZFu0VARZ26_WXCj72_VaEfn5FwAYb1Q-5IHeqOEg9pzhpV2n8i3S5uvHfki0-d564wRUR23REFDMtN/s400/DSC_0241.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>As I drive north to Prague, the vineyards, sunflower plots, and lavender fields of Southern France flash past my window. I leave Foix with something close to reluctance – my time there was wonderful. Training with the U.S. Junior Team and the international C1 Women was invigorating and challenging, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, along with being in such a beautiful place - nestled in the Midi-Pyrenees, with a glacial river, in an ancient town overshadowed by a castle. After over a month, I am ready to return home though. But before I move on – I will describe the results of Junior World Championships – the best race of my life.<br />Junior World Championships is the most prestigious event I have had the opportunity to attend, the only exception being Senior Worlds. The competitors were multiple, talented, and from all over the globe. I was fortunate enough to compete alongside the most capable C1W’s in the world, as well as to befriend them.<br />Prior to the races, the city of Foix hosted a jaw-dropping Opening Ceremonies. All of the Nations paraded through the center of the town, through cheering crowds. It was almost a surreal experience, and it was very fun to be there, with my team, and all of the foreign competitors.<br />Thursday was the Women’s Kayak and Men’s Double Canoe, so I had the day off. The following day, Friday, was Preliminary heats for Women’s Canoe, Men’s Canoe, and Men’s Kayak – I was on. I took my first run and finished devastated by a 50 second penalty. My second run wasn’t much better, although it got me into Semifinals. I finished the day disappointed – I had been anticipating a top-10 finish, and I was in 16th. I needed to clean up my act if I wanted in on Finals.<br />Semifinals rolled around. The course had changed slightly, although the main crux move was still in place – a heinous wave crossing leading into a deceptive off-set. I walked the course multiple times with mentors, and planned. Finally, I was ready. I took my run. It was clean with the exception of a touch, and I directly approached moves that the other girls looped around. I had made up the time I needed, and moved up to 5th – top-10, and Finals!<br />I approached Finals with a light heart. No matter what, I knew I was top-10. I could have a stellar run, or a poor run, and I knew I would be happy…although one always hopes to reach the podium. I realistically thought I might not make it. I recharged, and then took my finals run. I don’t know entirely what happened, but adrenaline works wonders. I dropped my time from 169 to 155. Finishing, I was happy, and past the point of caring about placement. But I miraculously clung to 1st place until the very last two paddlers, Chinese and Australian. Shocked, and overjoyed, I realized that I had a medal. Bronze!<br />The Medals Ceremony was lovely, and overwhelming. I’m still sort of shocked. It was definitely the competition of a lifetime.<br />With Gratitude,<br />Hailey<br />P.S. Special thanks to Laurri and Medhi, the French International Canoe Coaches; Tom and Trish Littman, for their wonderful homes; Klasinski Clinic and Team Schierl; Darren Bush, Lili Colby, Brian Cook, Tyler Lawlor, Jim Miller, Lynn Rowe, Jessica Lynds, and Dinver McClure, for their exceptional support; My Grandmothers, for their kindness and love; and last, but not least – my wonderful, loving Parents. You are the ones that help make this happen.</div></div></div></div></div></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-63450459760626645762010-07-05T07:48:00.000-07:002010-07-05T08:14:50.565-07:00Training in Foix, FranceTucked in the foothills of the MidiPyrenees is a small French town called Foix. The narrow cobblestone streets are lined with houses over 500 years old, that lean over you as you stroll beneath them. Then, overlooking the city is Chateau D'Foix, a castle that was initially built in the year 1000 A.D. I've spent the last week and a half in this quaint little city, training for the Junior World Championships.<br />Training has taken place on a local river which is fed by the snowmelt of the surrounding mountains. The water is big, wavy, and powerful - a drastic change from La Seu D'Urgell. I am learning to love it though, and I look forward to my last two days of training before the race.<br />The race is this weekend. I will take Preliminary runs on Friday, and Semi-Finals and Finals runs on Sunday.<br /><br />I will check in as soon as I can. For now,<br /><br />HaileyHailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-50862701579457199872010-07-05T07:34:00.000-07:002010-07-05T07:45:00.769-07:00Seu World Cup<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHKvbvn3gPKYSFZ1kEH-cr8N2qjseIj8TbNLJIh44t-gPkpMsdXtF19_yV79hRw031uQHjHKkzoazr_fEZGqcd3STnsVkR8M0V__wdWWwqqsUHeKdF3UscsRnsFbWjYOrcCOIx6KW-jVC/s1600/DSC_0027.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 291px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490433070731588562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHKvbvn3gPKYSFZ1kEH-cr8N2qjseIj8TbNLJIh44t-gPkpMsdXtF19_yV79hRw031uQHjHKkzoazr_fEZGqcd3STnsVkR8M0V__wdWWwqqsUHeKdF3UscsRnsFbWjYOrcCOIx6KW-jVC/s400/DSC_0027.JPG" /></a><br /><div>After spending a week training in the lovely Pyrenees, and living in the local school, La Salle, World Cup #3 began.</div><br /><div>Yesterday, Saturday, preliminary runs were held. The course was a tricky, off-set spotted thing, that supposedly favored right-handed C1s...despite this, I had a slow and yucky first run, and an absolutely horrendous second run (I flipped at the bottom of the course and missed four gates : / ). I was pretty bummed last night, finishing a dissapointing 18th, and barely making semis. They set the Semi-Finals and Finals course after preliminary runs. I walked it several times with other C1s, and although it looked intimidating, I was pretty determined to just go all out the next day...better to have lost trying than to have not tried at all, eh?<br />So today, I went down to the course, cheered on a couple of team mates, and then hopped in the boat to warm up pre-race. Seu is lovely, and the warm-up area is this gorgeous pool and canal with a fountain, all of the nations flags fluttering about, and the pyrenees mountains surrounding it. As I paddled around, it really occured to me how awesome this situation is - regardless of my penalty points, race results, etc. - to even be where I am, competeing against so many incredibly talented women in canoes!<br />I laid down a solid Semi-finals run. It wasn´t quite as fast as I had hoped (I guess that is an automatic athlete response :) but I only had two touches. I hurried to cheer on the other ladies, and once all was said and done, I looked at the score board to see that I had finished 11th. One spot out of finals, but I´ve got to admit, I am more than happy with that result. I was very proud of my fellow competitors, and I can´t wait to catch up to them :)<br />Tomorrow, I will head to Foix, France (a nice short drive of 2 hours - the drive from Prague to here was more like 18) for Junior Worlds where I will see how I stack up against competitors my age. I am really excited to meet new paddlers from all over the globe - that is probably one of the best parts about competing internationally - the boundless camraderie one experiences.</div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-28859639213308488612010-06-22T11:25:00.000-07:002010-06-22T11:38:54.282-07:00Prague to Seu<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHtM0BZWpL4jwKCdA_DKm9mynVGIBTijKetU0qNwp1Q6yUY3Ux1uX7kPbqF7C0lI9TjW7LHXdKv7nSytxAGFjj-JSR4XE9gcWsRDZEtLw3vH0Pij8e9XehGCpxNBrX6qf9lOe7QXcfq3u/s1600/DSC_0251.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485668494901914370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHtM0BZWpL4jwKCdA_DKm9mynVGIBTijKetU0qNwp1Q6yUY3Ux1uX7kPbqF7C0lI9TjW7LHXdKv7nSytxAGFjj-JSR4XE9gcWsRDZEtLw3vH0Pij8e9XehGCpxNBrX6qf9lOe7QXcfq3u/s400/DSC_0251.JPG" /></a> With my team mate, Caroline Queen....<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9_Lr6GKk8RLC8Dm-85Hr12wC4iptbHPJcY8qGkdaSW0OVx3HZo9ysgMm7tGKaNkQZHDAEUi8sssuf7kNAvEoDoSGO0hg4z7fIzCqlK_7mcDK41fYZ26zaXjgfWvFcbZGCigybVHTqvuw/s1600/DSC_0211.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 346px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485668136170416802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9_Lr6GKk8RLC8Dm-85Hr12wC4iptbHPJcY8qGkdaSW0OVx3HZo9ysgMm7tGKaNkQZHDAEUi8sssuf7kNAvEoDoSGO0hg4z7fIzCqlK_7mcDK41fYZ26zaXjgfWvFcbZGCigybVHTqvuw/s400/DSC_0211.JPG" /></a> Coming into the hardest gate on the course...<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8t9tBhIawiPPpT4EIV2utLdz0sPd86pP_YdPQD-Ux6kb_GYf1nDXfMr5r5vMOrjvrh9hmOYLU_ygqv8FyznJYgbLQlmred5TIH7C2YaB_XWEFZmWRJ_5WH1r7Ub5p65Aj_EyZ4BM697j/s1600/DSC_0200.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485667355650031314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8t9tBhIawiPPpT4EIV2utLdz0sPd86pP_YdPQD-Ux6kb_GYf1nDXfMr5r5vMOrjvrh9hmOYLU_ygqv8FyznJYgbLQlmred5TIH7C2YaB_XWEFZmWRJ_5WH1r7Ub5p65Aj_EyZ4BM697j/s400/DSC_0200.JPG" /></a> Prague: The Start Gate<br /><div>I’m now sitting at the café overlooking the whitewater course in La Seu D’Urgell, Spain. We had a wonderful journey from Prague, stopping overnight in Baaden Baaden, Germany and Carselle, France. The roads wound through stunning mountains studded with ancient castles carved out of the stones.<br />The Prague World Cup wasn’t my most successful race. I finished 14th in the semifinals…just missing finals. I was very disappointed in myself. It’s been difficult, but I am very happy to be racing against so many incredibly talented C1W’s. I’m still mulling things over, trying to debrief my feelings regarding the race, but I’m discovering that I can learn just as much from missing the podium as I can from standing atop it.<br />This week I will be training on the course here at La Seu. Its fun, squirrelly whitewater and I’ve missed it since last years’ World Championships. The ICF (International Canoe Federation) will be hosting a training camp for C1W’s prior to the race, so I will take part in that to prepare for this weekend’s World Cup.<br />Thanks for checking in, I’ll be updating again soon, and I’ll see you on the river! </div></div></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-73627594170238458692010-06-18T10:53:00.000-07:002010-06-18T11:23:16.610-07:00Prague World Cup Preliminary Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKoBX28xUn9GjxAzaddNMogu9_QHtxxQX0F8Xhivf9a26BaD3O1gJEVsVK7xbfZXmr8GEzJU4metlwCR2XC8WTO_kXWK1kYIrXFtQJNS38sB2etLGcbsbPhE5eNn96pD2FUsR_W8hgp_l/s1600/DSC_0137.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 188px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484180831527869074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKoBX28xUn9GjxAzaddNMogu9_QHtxxQX0F8Xhivf9a26BaD3O1gJEVsVK7xbfZXmr8GEzJU4metlwCR2XC8WTO_kXWK1kYIrXFtQJNS38sB2etLGcbsbPhE5eNn96pD2FUsR_W8hgp_l/s400/DSC_0137.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtQgXBonKfS2n1Ty_DNtXBKlR0a_-XO__4QhWiprJqn48huXUkV3zayXuhUFU4BjNRYRAJR_wBs-vXlatKhat07g71hYUmSbxxvo4KOVtbQk1zpwk5tQ1zN5E1TYcj0eT4BAGMs8rnvjF/s1600/DSC_0252.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 250px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484179790165312674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtQgXBonKfS2n1Ty_DNtXBKlR0a_-XO__4QhWiprJqn48huXUkV3zayXuhUFU4BjNRYRAJR_wBs-vXlatKhat07g71hYUmSbxxvo4KOVtbQk1zpwk5tQ1zN5E1TYcj0eT4BAGMs8rnvjF/s400/DSC_0252.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>After a week of enjoyable training on the Troja Slalom Course in Prague, CZ, the days of racing began. Today was Preliminary runs, determining the racers who will progress to Semifinals, and possibly Finals tomorrow. I did my usuall pre-race preparation - walking the course, talking it over with my fellow athletes, and getting plenty of sleep the night before. This morning I woke up, walked the course, watched pre-runs, warmed up, and then hit the course for my first run. My first run was clean, but not nearly as fast as it needed to be. I finished feeling unsatisfied and longing for the speed that I lacked. After my first run I went inside and got warm, and tried to remove my mind from the race for an hour before my second run. When the time rolled around, I warmed up and went through my race plan in my mind again. I went all out on my second run - directing gates I had spun, and throwing far more gutsy moves than on my first run. All went well until gate 11...then I drove right by a gate. I was shocked, and severely bummed out - I knew I had just blown a good run. I went back for the gate, and gave the rest of the course my all, but my run still wasn't made up in my mind or on the stopwatch. I finished the day sitting in 13th - so I'll advance to Semis, but I'll have to step up my race in order to make top 10 and advance to Finals tomorrow afternoon.<br /><br />Thanks for checking in - I'll let you know how tomorrow goes!</div></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-67672359727522285922010-06-10T10:05:00.000-07:002010-06-10T10:54:42.982-07:00United States Sports Academy: Athlete of the Month<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZL0JJQ5wc1Lxj5qdxpooTYD8BMzvPWqahWTjVJtHV9QjayBO3zZ4Q7l8uokSSkVFopUjHQzKUBhwQXxjEO3QncY4d2Ph8F1mvunVQt9RUPBL7P7BmGKtNLQZC9EsesKRko8mPFBD5Z6wb/s1600/U.S.+Sports+Academy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZL0JJQ5wc1Lxj5qdxpooTYD8BMzvPWqahWTjVJtHV9QjayBO3zZ4Q7l8uokSSkVFopUjHQzKUBhwQXxjEO3QncY4d2Ph8F1mvunVQt9RUPBL7P7BmGKtNLQZC9EsesKRko8mPFBD5Z6wb/s400/U.S.+Sports+Academy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481204685089582002" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I have received the incredible honor of being voted the U.S. Sports Academy Athlete of the Month.<br />The award is given to one man and one woman, of any age, nationality, or sport, each month. Six men and women are nominated, and then the voting process begins. I was fortunate enough to be nominated by my good friend, and fellow female canoeist, Pamela Boteler, and then was further blessed to be voted for by enough people to put my name at the top of the list. It means a great deal to me to have won this award, and I want to say thank you to all of the supportive people who gave me their vote.<br /><br />To see the results:<br />http://ussa.edu/publications/news/2010/06/07/kenyan-marathon-rookie-american-paddling-prodigy-win-academys-may-athlete-of-the-month-honors/Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-53276756497222053702010-06-08T09:08:00.000-07:002010-06-08T09:28:38.966-07:00Flatwater Practice with my Training PartnerHere is a little clip of my usual training session. I'm the first paddler...then there's a pause, and then my training partner took his run. I've got to admit, I'm jealous of his solid technique.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxB_D1KASWmiWO1BzqRVWNzHMOXDbSThHsXXC-U13modngnqNEUvykFhl3FribGGcjAzl_0dY61zrnfsZqPWw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-86344452066436583602010-06-08T08:34:00.000-07:002010-06-08T08:51:24.969-07:00The Last Days of Home<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3W4rToPNMTwiQ1jhtY7d_x2TNJzZxWOPJfqFXQJXMHMejUsYm2tINlPijx9qfWJnaRqgJ6QjFE3C39Jru0HKlQ3TQKsOaANCg55V4ofyMza33AGzt1N4VDiqpQ1gQ_JIb0CsuLbr6P_D/s1600/DSC_0081.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480430863631739986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3W4rToPNMTwiQ1jhtY7d_x2TNJzZxWOPJfqFXQJXMHMejUsYm2tINlPijx9qfWJnaRqgJ6QjFE3C39Jru0HKlQ3TQKsOaANCg55V4ofyMza33AGzt1N4VDiqpQ1gQ_JIb0CsuLbr6P_D/s400/DSC_0081.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUjr7F3XyFSJr4wcZbH503FTLnFrb6FzPpupmXHJDxea_wfHqoektS6JJqmtPlCanOq52Wy-11zmJDc6PkweQeWBpe7IcmMTczJQWfboGgugJH-g48n0T79QHUe-VD4rYMiroZ8a-Y0Wb/s1600/DSC_0069.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480430200511516066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUjr7F3XyFSJr4wcZbH503FTLnFrb6FzPpupmXHJDxea_wfHqoektS6JJqmtPlCanOq52Wy-11zmJDc6PkweQeWBpe7IcmMTczJQWfboGgugJH-g48n0T79QHUe-VD4rYMiroZ8a-Y0Wb/s400/DSC_0069.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5moS6AFppwu6rdjmxIG9W1_DxjkuFvDE1IA6dzKfmCPk46sQpCf67gEKiAhY9six2kLg9g0GGVMXxU8Gbh6Lcu674zfWsMdmelB3QBe4ZjFleXEi299AyAnAuDlQTnFzEtg5udfoLpIKO/s1600/DSC_0015.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 289px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480429481873659410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5moS6AFppwu6rdjmxIG9W1_DxjkuFvDE1IA6dzKfmCPk46sQpCf67gEKiAhY9six2kLg9g0GGVMXxU8Gbh6Lcu674zfWsMdmelB3QBe4ZjFleXEi299AyAnAuDlQTnFzEtg5udfoLpIKO/s400/DSC_0015.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>I'm getting the final preparations in before we head over to Europe - squeezing in my last training sessions, packing up, and savoring my last couple of days at home. I'll miss this wonderful pocket of Wisconsin, with the bubbling stream in my backyard, the lupines and daisies in our wildflower garden, and the luscious green woods that surround our home. I'll miss my friends, and my family, but I'm terribly excited to begin this chapter of my adventure! Wish me luck, and I'll check in again soon!</div></div></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-26817262876508722412010-06-05T19:27:00.000-07:002010-06-05T19:51:32.762-07:00Wausau Release with the Molan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yobriead-aoPAWFtoA-mZ8mEIjYBIzxoVmCgNiPQSghJq9TFFthV16YHxJuOv9lYhR4DdHqNdq_hr3RoD1FOUxTgJLFB3RTNUUQH9R27mP2buJ0nWpkBvsDKJ-OZuVaaWUL2MhKvdBe-/s1600/DSC_0121.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 290px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479487226779568594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yobriead-aoPAWFtoA-mZ8mEIjYBIzxoVmCgNiPQSghJq9TFFthV16YHxJuOv9lYhR4DdHqNdq_hr3RoD1FOUxTgJLFB3RTNUUQH9R27mP2buJ0nWpkBvsDKJ-OZuVaaWUL2MhKvdBe-/s400/DSC_0121.JPG" /></a><br /><div>I got to hop in a Pyranha Molan today! It is a lovely boat, with quick, clean, responsive lines - and I had fun! Here's a shot my dad, Michael Thompson, caught of me while I was playing...</div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-67473209681671178472010-06-04T16:37:00.000-07:002010-06-04T16:47:12.654-07:00European RacesThis summer is approaching faster than I could have imagined! I've been training constantly, finishing up my Sophomore year of High School, and getting ready to head over to Europe for the Races I will be competing in this summer - the World Cups in Prague, Czech Republic, and Seu, Spain, the Junior World Championships in Foix, France, and the World Championships in Ljubljana, Slovenia.<br />I fly out on Saturday, June 12th, and I'm incredibly excited to get to travel and compete in new places. I am competing, and keeping close to heart that not only do I want to race to the best of my abilities - I want to be a good ambassador, for my country, and for my sport.<br /><br />Thanks for checking in!<br />See you on the river,<br /><br />HaileyHailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958355364871461546.post-67767746019859262202010-05-07T14:30:00.000-07:002010-05-09T19:22:28.160-07:00U.S. National Team Trials<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgWh0nL7IoMJhFSd6QEVRtVUwLAsmxUwL6tsCO-D_8AwMI4bWcSpCbh3Rdk2aCrpTbIbiKvRpcve0djUz8XmLMys5OXcJQjupLb18_rID4DwqMnxC3EunefQu9AaQIPXEPawmce6KYt3m/s1600/DSC_0478.JPG"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; display: block; height: 268px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469416369684823186" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgWh0nL7IoMJhFSd6QEVRtVUwLAsmxUwL6tsCO-D_8AwMI4bWcSpCbh3Rdk2aCrpTbIbiKvRpcve0djUz8XmLMys5OXcJQjupLb18_rID4DwqMnxC3EunefQu9AaQIPXEPawmce6KYt3m/s400/DSC_0478.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUUNwRDmgkeDu3Hnk0nTtc_Y6pi_DOnLZGWYRNiv5E4eSTz7vUh4kd5gnFfGHoIf2qvxNIcUhE0nDA0f_veATXplrwBoT5BzmGcK2dN_pGN8xapb9F96h5mfxNykDKke_NW25Z3nYkG55/s1600/DSC_0357.JPG"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; display: block; height: 292px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469414306615771282" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUUNwRDmgkeDu3Hnk0nTtc_Y6pi_DOnLZGWYRNiv5E4eSTz7vUh4kd5gnFfGHoIf2qvxNIcUhE0nDA0f_veATXplrwBoT5BzmGcK2dN_pGN8xapb9F96h5mfxNykDKke_NW25Z3nYkG55/s400/DSC_0357.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgSpCq9bek3aaxjcb5gD_DKBJANIc-2lbkQpSbuYoZKlW_0ImF2Ve9sr16OgtbHMHNGjVpVOrDQz0lAseSFsxuWA-3IFoW55hczLIoF0BwhV-mvBSQIaNTB_bRJns4U5AIdmKCuPsgK8A/s1600/DSC_0480.JPG"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; display: block; height: 268px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469413148988556418" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgSpCq9bek3aaxjcb5gD_DKBJANIc-2lbkQpSbuYoZKlW_0ImF2Ve9sr16OgtbHMHNGjVpVOrDQz0lAseSFsxuWA-3IFoW55hczLIoF0BwhV-mvBSQIaNTB_bRJns4U5AIdmKCuPsgK8A/s400/DSC_0480.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNmrqdSqTxszstvOKlmOL-IZK7TDORsXVzKBD8I43l5vRsizjYifIoHrt6-SCMh7yArjHncXy2GeEXeT1p7FOw5xmvGmGWxFSxhk4Y_o61kOrDlahypKBHxwPnztH4WJ5wcDI18sx1Ktq/s1600/DSC_0302.JPG"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; display: block; height: 268px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469408358271286770" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNmrqdSqTxszstvOKlmOL-IZK7TDORsXVzKBD8I43l5vRsizjYifIoHrt6-SCMh7yArjHncXy2GeEXeT1p7FOw5xmvGmGWxFSxhk4Y_o61kOrDlahypKBHxwPnztH4WJ5wcDI18sx1Ktq/s400/DSC_0302.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjSlCSGSHnUs8GDBiK7-0KLxgc8gAEmKopWYsZY5g0D_DfvDNzVoxPw6Q33nbLjFHREUYtoV-EC8lYzAgasZgeTlYG9EvSo4f2zsgOFUFSKTTn3UDKGKxv82Djq3rCF9RQcK7-gTbiwy6/s1600/DSC_0398.JPG"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; display: block; height: 268px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469406678746560642" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjSlCSGSHnUs8GDBiK7-0KLxgc8gAEmKopWYsZY5g0D_DfvDNzVoxPw6Q33nbLjFHREUYtoV-EC8lYzAgasZgeTlYG9EvSo4f2zsgOFUFSKTTn3UDKGKxv82Djq3rCF9RQcK7-gTbiwy6/s400/DSC_0398.JPG" border="0" /></a> 2nd Place: Caroline Petersen, 1st Place: Hailey Thompson, 3rd Place: Mickie Reeves<br /><br /><div>For a refreshing change, the U.S.A. National Witewater Canoe Team Trials were held in my home state of Wisconsin this season - and I was spared the drive cross-country to the event! Several of my friends, fellow competitors, stayed with me and my family in Stevens Point, and the event was made better by our shared friendship and support for one another.<br />I spent the week leading up to team trials diligently training for the competition, in addition to attending my AP classes in the morning - quite a juggling act, and it made for an energy draining week! It was wonderful having trials so close to home, but I found difficulties because being at home was far more distracting than being away and solely focused on the trials. Friday, April 30th was the first day of team trials. I knew the course exceptionally well, but I could tell I wasn't as rested as I should have been. To add to my energy dilemma, I chose to paddle not only womens' canoe, but also womens' kayak. Two classes in a team trial means 4 race runs per day, rather than 2...over the course of 3 days, that rate would have been exhausting. Because of this, I felt that my runs were solidly mediocre, although my friends and family insisted that I had performed well. I finished Friday's competition in 2nd for C1W - and feeling very dejected. Saturday I woke feeling determined and motivated. I <span style="font-style: italic;">wanted</span> desperately to perform excellently, and my first canoe run was solid. I had two touches, but I was much faster, and made up the time. Because I felt so good, I elected to skip my first kayak run, and<br />conserve energy for my second canoe run. This worked astonishingly well, and I laid down another solid run n(even faster!) and then took my second kayak run as an enjoyment/cool down run. I had needed those two solid <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; cursor: pointer;" id="lw_1273268205_1" class="yshortcuts">runs</span> to move me up to first boat - and it worked. I finished Day 2 30 seconds ahead of the next female competitor.<br />Sunday, the third and final day, came bright, hot, and preposterously windy. The course was painfully long. The course worked for me however, and I put down two speedy-fast canoe runs (once again electing to skip my first kayak run). After the second C-1 run, I hung in first place and for the first time ever, I claimed first boat on the U.S. Senior and Junior National Team in womens' canoe! I also made the Junior National Team in my kayak, for the first<br />time.<br />Team Trials was an ordeal, a challenge, but also a growing experience. I felt incredibly fortunate to compete alongside such talented athletes as I was given the opportunity to. I can't wait to see where this journey shall take me!<br />See you on the river,<br /><br />Hailey</div></div></div></div></div>Hailey Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328628965249023760noreply@blogger.com0