Canoe Sprint

Canadian sprint girls have got the voice

Taylor and Maria's song interpretation of 'The Suburbs' (Arcade Fire) in the launderette of Indian Harbor Beach, Florida USA.

Taylor Potts and Maria Halavrezos, two Canadian canoeists, have been training in Florida the past three weeks in preparation for the upcoming canoe/kayak racing season. Like most teammates, Taylor and Maria spend a lot of time together on and off the water – but not every waking moment is spent focused on canoeing.

While the two train together, cook together, even sleep in the same bedroom, the collaboration doesn’t end there – recently they began to upload videos to YouTube of themselves as a singing duo, with keyboards and guitar to boot.

canoe sprint kayak maria halavrezos taylor potts canada music clip cover john legend sportscene fire arcadeDjango Unchained

Before heading down south, Taylor had played around with iMovie and uploaded a couple videos with just herself, one in which she sang and played her guitar (check it out here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrshsJ-wnbQ). Maria, who has her level 10 RCM in piano, almost studied music at McGill University. She currenly enjoys singing with their choir and was looking to get back in the game. When it was time to pack for Florida, Maria asked if Taylor would be bringing her guitar to training camp and the wheels started turning. Once the girls got through their first week and had an afternoon off, they borrowed a keyboard from the Team Canada’s massage therapist Bernie Irvin and it was time to make music! Both big fans of Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django: Unchained’, the two decided to give the soundtrack’s ‘Who Did That to You’ by John Legend a go (www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeEnPo4vy4A). After a positive response through social media, it seemed like a fun idea to make their YouTube duets a weekly event.

'The Suburbs' by Arcade Fire

This week’s song interpretation is ‘The Suburbs’ by Montreal’s Arcade Fire (see video at the top). While the first video was shot in a backyard, Taylor was inspired to use a new unusual space for this week, settling on the Laundromat down the road from where the paddlers stay during camp. The space definitely provides some ‘ambient’ sounds, as well as ‘guest appearances’ by locals doing their laundry. Taylor and Maria are already scheming about their next video and can’t wait to hear your feedback!