David is a former World Champion and World Cup Champion and is a five time Olympian in the sport of Whitewater Slalom Kayaking. In 2003 he was voted Canada's Male Athlete of the year.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Final Olympic Selection

The Pan American championships and final Olympic Qualifier are in the bag and it was an intense three days of racing. I was successful in earning my fifth Olympic birth but in retrospect going to selection directly from a training camp in Beijing might not have been the best idea I have ever had. The amount of travel and the intensity of training in Beijing made being race ready very difficult.

Still I was able to have solid runs and had a very consistent weekend. I was very impressed with the level of paddling displayed by the other Canadians, I did not expect that level of competition and I think it bodes well for the future of slalom in Canada. The days where I could arrive as I did this year without having done any race specific lactic work or really any speed work to speak of are long gone. The level has risen to the point where the Canadian National team trials are a formidable event that must be taken as seriously as any other major competition. This is a big step for our program.

Now it is time to buckle down and focus on getting into that ever important race shape, converting all of the technical work into a fit and fast racing mode. May will be spent working hard on strength, speed and the lactic system before heading back to Beijing at the end of the month for a technical camp. I am looking forward to sharpening the tip of the sword and seeing just how fast I can push the new model.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Pan Am Championships

After a very intense week in China on the Olympic course I find myself once again in Charlotte North Carolina for the Pan American Championships and final Olympic Qualifier. The time on the course in Beijing definitely set me up well for the difficult conditions here on the Charlotte course, the river in Beijing is a monster and everything here feels a little bit more manageable. I am looking forward to the events.

Renowned Irish film maker Eoin R Speilberg produced a short video of me from our February training camp which you can find at this link. It will give you an idea of the difficulty here on the course in Charlotte.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7z0xQST8tA