| Will Grubb |
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Reply with quote | #1 |
Hi, I'm Will. I have been paddling for one year, but as far as i am concerned I've come a long way. Last summer i had just gotten started boating and was introduced to the Front Range Paddle Association in time for the Junior Olympics. I observed last year and realized how much i wanted to start slalom racing. I started last fall, and have pretty much been training full time since. So, last fall, when i knew that i was serious about the sport, i set some goals for myself. My number one goal was to make the Cadet Team. I had no idea what the competition would be like but i knew that i would have to train hard because this was my first year. As of last summer, Cadet Team was kind of a fantasy but throughout the year it came reality. One of the great things about training this year, was that i had the privilege of training full time with Tyler Hinton. He is a great training partner and has taught me and pushed me a lot. Another thing i am extremely grateful for is my coach Chris Wiegand. Whether it is freezing cold, or one hundred degrees, he always takes us boating, every day we show up to practice. He is totally committed and none of the athletes would be where we are today without him. I went to Durango, CO in the fall for a camp and then later in early spring went to Texas to compete. So, going into the summer, i was extremely excited however i was lacking one important thing, experience. We started off the summer with FIB ARK and that for me was a great way to start off. It was a low key race, not too much pressure, and i was just trying to get experience racing. FIB ARK was great, whether it be the river runs, amazing freestyle hole, grueling 26 mile race, or the campfire. After FIB ARK we returned to Golden for some good solid training before the Animas River Days. We worked hard, had fun and then set off for Durango, CO. The water in Durango was huge and we had a lot of fun training. One of the factors that made this race even more exciting than the rest was the 500 $ cash prize to the athlete that guessed there finishing slalom time. One of my favorite parts of the Durango trip was the amazing lemon poppy seed cake that the Samuelson's made for Keir's birthday party. They were great hosts and it was awesome staying with them. Next, we headed back to golden for about a week of training before we headed off to Wausau, Wisconsin. Wausau was a great course to train on. The white water was great, and everyone on the team was so happy the week before the race. We trained hard and had a lot of fun. Going into the race i knew that the Cadet Team would be decided but i tried not to let the pressure hit me. I spent a lot of time thinking about my line on the course, and when it came down to race day, i felt great. For the first time in my boating career, i had two solid runs. Two runs which i was happy with and didn't make any big mistakes. I came out on top and was first in the Cadet Kayaks. And although to some it might not have been a big deal, i was very pleased with my results and happy that i accomplished my goal. Looking into the future i have already set a new goal for myself, to make the Junior National Team next year. It will be tough and I am prepared to train extremely hard this year. In the fall, i will be traveling to Germany for a World Series race with my coach Chris and Junior National Team member Tyler Hinton and i am looking forward to that a lot. I understand that i am only at the beginning of my challenges as a paddler and i am fully prepared to do what ever it takes to reach my goals.
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| Christina Hinton |
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Reply with quote | #2 |
What a great summer recap and congratulations on all your accomplishments. Making the Cadet team is huge and you deserve it. I know how hard everyone with FRPA trains and it is great to see that hard work pay off. Keep up the good work!
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| Nate Lord |
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Reply with quote | #3 |
Nice job, Will! You deserve to be very proud of yourself! Keep working on achieving your goals. You will go far! |
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| Tyler Hinton |
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Reply with quote | #4 |
Hey Will I just wanted to say it has been great training with you this year and man we have had so much fun in the freezing cold colorado winter in boats. Grate Job on making cadet team and I hope to see you in France next year on The Jr. Team
KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK... And by the way we still need to start a boy band |
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