2015 ICF World Championships Slalom
 
1
2
3
K1M
CZ J. PRSKAVEC
PL M. POLACZYK
US M. SMOLEN
K1W
CZ K. KUDEJOVA
DE R. FUNK
DE M. PFEIFER
C1M
GB D. FLORENCE
SI B. SAVSEK
GB R. WESTLEY
C1W
AU J. FOX
CZ K. HOSKOVA
ES N. VILARRUBLA
C2
DE ANTON/BENZIEN
FR PICCO/BISO
FR KLAUSS/PECHE

Canoe Slalom

Interview with slalom athlete Ashley Nee - Part II

canoe kayak slalom ashley nee interview isa deep creek 2014 bethesda sportscene usack icf

Sarah Ruhlen | Sportscene - Ashley Nee, 25 years old, began paddling slalom at the age of 10 with Valley Mill Camp. Ashley is a repeat member of the United States Junior and Senior slalom teams. Located in Bethesda, MD, Ashley lives with her dog Nepa, cat Farley, and her fiancé Ashley McEwan. Recently, Ashley attempted to paddle from her house near the Potomac to the Chesapeake Bay, over 100 miles in 24 hours. She only made it 67 miles in 23 hours, but by doing this she raised funds for her summer of racing, demonstrating her tremendous energy, drive, and commitment.

She enjoys street art, longboarding, and her dog. Ashley secured the Olympic berth in 2007 for the Beijing Olympics. Two months later while training in Beijing she had a potentially career ending shoulder injury. She continued to train with her injured shoulder for 5 months then missed the Olympic team. Since then she has made a laborious and successful comeback to slalom. A technical tiebreak left Ashley at home watching the London Olympics, but she is working harder than ever to reach her goal of competing in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. A member of the Bethesda Center of Excellence, she trains with Silvan Poberaj.

 

Below Part II of the interview. For Part I click here.

 

Last year you did a fundraiser where you paddled the Potomac to the Chesapeake Bay. How strong was the support of the community for your trip? 


For a year and a half, I had been considering the feasibility of paddling the entire tidal section of the Potomac in 24 hours, and a possible means to raise funds for my racing. My friend then randomly had the same idea.  One night I built the website for the fundraiser, and published it. At that point, I was committed even though I didn’t have a boat or a team or anything. From there FUNDaNEE started building. At the point when it was almost time to paddle I had raised around one thousand dollars, which was already double what I was hoping for. Then, it was the strangest thing, the project started to get all this attention and an amazing reception. I was driving one day when my mom called me, and told me I needed to pull over because she had some news for me. She told me that I had just gotten a donation of one thousand dollars.  After that I had to get out of the car; I was just stunned.  Over the summer it just kept coming and coming! By the time I was getting ready for worlds, it had far exceeded anything I had ever thought could happen! I had raised $13,000, and in the end the summer cost around $13,388. My community gave me the opportunity to race like the Europeans and chase my dream whole-heartedly.  The whole thing still blows my mind all the time.

canoe kayak slalom ashley nee interview isa deep creek 2014 bethesda sportscene usack icf

Where do you think slalom is headed, especially in the US?


Well, for starters, this year we have the World Championships coming to my home, Maryland! I am the only athlete on our team was born and raised a Marylander! Secondly, construction will be starting on a new whitewater course in Oklahoma City. It’s supposed to be fantastic! Third, I think we will see more athletes crossing over into the other disciplines of slalom. The Americans that are racing in two classes are doing really well. As a country we have such a strong paddling base, and that’s what will really help slalom stay afloat. Hopefully as the slalom community keeps growing and earning medals, we will gain more support, and more popularity. People here will always be paddling, so we just have to make them want to do slalom. One of the big problems is that there aren’t any manufacturers for slalom boats and equipment in America, which makes it harder to get interested in the sport.  


You’ve been paddling slalom long enough to see different paddling styles go in and out of fashion. What changes have you seen as far as technique, boat design, training methods, etc? 


Are you calling me old? I started with 4 meter boats. The switch was made to the shorter boat when I was a junior. The original attitude towards the shorter boats was negative, with most boaters saying that they were too slow. Everyone was pretty dismissive and said that they didn’t need the shorter boat. As a smaller kid, it made a huge difference for me and I really liked it. Another difference between slalom when I began and slalom today is the courses. Today’s courses are much tighter and a lot shorter than they used to be. Also, we have tried one-pole gates.

In particular, how have you seen women’s technique change, and do you think it will need to change in the future so that women can be more competitive? 


I see it change every year. In some ways, the US is almost cut off from the rest of the slalom world. We don’t see the new trends develop over the winter unless we travel. The skills, ability, and strength exhibited by women are always even more impressive than the season before!  It’s tough to move up in the international circuit because you are required to not only improve but improve faster than the other women. Women have been working and improving, and the result is that our times have been getting closer to the men’s times and sometimes almost comparable to that of the men. No longer are we “paddling like a girl,” we are just going out and kayaking. This is important for women, especially those in women’s canoe. Women’s kayaking is getting closer, and C1 women are fighting towards fiercer competition right along with them. 

canoe kayak slalom ashley nee interview isa deep creek 2014 bethesda sportscene usack icfWhat do you think of the movement to gain inclusion for Women’s Canoe Class in the 2016 Olympics? What about the failure of the ICF to include the C1W class in 2016 at Rio?


It’s a shame. It’s a hard situation, and a big change, but it’s one that has to happen. Our sport absolutely has to be gender equal in the Olympics.  It is 100% ridiculous that if I raced C2 and beat everyone else, I couldn’t attend the Olympics. Women should get their own class. We need to be included. Quotas for our sport are ridiculous for the Olympics. When only 21 women are attending and competing, it is nearly impossible to make the Olympic team. Case in point, recently a two time  reigning Olympic champion couldn’t race because she was number 2 in our country. There used to be three Olympic berths, and now we are down to the possibility of one. What will it be next time? That being said, I think the level of competition in the C1W class already is truly inspiring already.

Are there times when you feel like you’ve sacrificed things or put your life on hold for the pursuit of slalom? Do you ever put other things on hold because you must give slalom top priority?


My entire life changed when I made the commitment to train at the level I do. The pursuit cannot just be about the workout, it must be about a lifestyle. It is a 24 hour job, with travel.  For me, I think school is the hardest thing to sacrifice. I’ve taken a lot of time off to compete. This semester I only did two weeks of school, and just last week decided not to continue. My heart wasn’t in it. Kayaking is always on my mind, always gnawing at my attention. For me not to give 100% to something that deserves all my concentration isn’t fair. This year I want to see how fast I can go, and I plan give my all. Therefore, I’ve put off classes until after Rio. Right now, it doesn’t make sense for me to work for a degree I won’t get to use for awhile, although studying Kinesiology has had its benefits for racing.

What is the hardest aspect of slalom for you?


I would have to answer that developing experience and the tactics of international racing is the hardest thing. There aren’t very many large scale races here, and we just don’t get the practice with mental preparation. At a certain level everyone has pretty much the same skill level, and it comes down to mental discipline and experience.

Training seems like such a solitary thing, and there is a lot of time spent training for very little actual competition time. What keeps you on your schedule and how difficult is it on a day to day basis? 


I stay on track due to several factors. For one, my coach challenges me, along with my training group. Currently, I have the best training group I could ever imagine with my long time training partner Aaron Mann, two time Olympic medalist Fabien Lefevre, and  one of the top women in the world, Dana Mann.  Also, frankly, I know better than to lose my schedule. But more than anything, at the top of my mind is the knowledge that there are others out there training right now. There are women all over the world that are working for the same thing. Therefore, I show up and do my best.

canoe kayak slalom ashley nee interview isa deep creek 2014 bethesda sportscene usack icfDo you ever take time and just run rivers? If so, what do you like about it?


Aww yeah! I think it’s an amazing way to spend time. My main motivation in paddling is to get out so that I can experience the water and be in nature. It’s an incredible privilege to encounter the world through rivers and water.  Plus, it is the only way to see the McEwan side of the family, they are always on the river.


What could the average paddler/river runner gain from trying some slalom?


Every Sunday I teach a “Slalom for River Runners” class. I think slalom is an opportunity to practice moves in a low risk situation. By breaking aspects of paddling down for slalom, we can study water and gain finer edge  control for when it comes time to hit the rivers.

Do you think you could ever cross over into the “extreme” set of racing like the Whitewater Grand Prix or Sickline Race?


I think they are totally awesome, and I have a lot of friends that compete in that area. They are always asking me  “When are you coming to do this – or that - with us!?” Some of that stuff is straight up scary. I just got back from a two week vacation paddling in Mexico! I had been planning on competing in my first creek race while I was down there, but unfortunately I got sick the night before the race and wasn’t able to compete. One of the things I wanted to check out in Mexico was whether I could enjoy the extreme scene. I was definitely very interested and had a blast, but I think it would be hard to balance extreme racing with slalom. Maybe one day when I’ve finished my slalom career I could see myself trying it out.

Do you think engaging in multiple disciplines of the sport helps you (or any paddler) become better no matter what branch of paddling they engage in?


Time on the water is good, no matter what discipline. Each type of paddling teaches something different, but I think you just need to be aware of your mindset, and make sure it’s the right one for whatever you are doing.  After paddling a sea kayak for 23 hours straight, I was a terrible slalom paddler for about a week.


How do you prepare for a race both mentally and physically? 


The fall, winter, and beginning of spring are used to prepare for the next racing season. My coach and I try to come up with a strategic plan of how I can build momentum through the race season. This makes it so I can approach each race knowing I am in shape and what I should be focusing on during the race. Then on race day, I try to get my body ready for the race with various warm ups. It think this part helps with the mental side too. By moving around, I clear my mind and hone my focus.

canoe kayak slalom ashley nee interview isa deep creek 2014 bethesda sportscene usack icf mike dawson

How do you stay focused and collected in the start gate? What sort of mental toughness is involved there?


In the start gate, I think only about which lines I will take and the techniques I will use to connect them all. For me to be focused and ready in the start gate, visualization is key. The last 20 seconds is just pure focus; it’s an amazing feeling! Then you start and there is nothing else on your mind.
It is extremely hard to be as mentally tough as slalom demands. In the start gate you have 60 seconds to either hone your focus or let the pressure creep in. You have to set your mind to what you want and use your mental toughness to keep the doubts out. Last season, Mike Dawson [pictured left] from New Zealand taught me how to handle nerves, and it made a huge difference for me.  Thanks Mike!

Has this mental toughness and discipline helped you in the rest of your life, or inhibited you?


After racing slalom on the World Cup circuit, you can do anything in life -or at least that is how it feels. The mental toughness and discipline bleeds over into other parts of life. It helps with school and busy travel schedules; but sometimes it gets annoying.  Sometimes it seems like you always have a workout to do and never enough time to spend with friends and family.

Could you ever picture your life without paddling? What would have to happen for you to quit? What keeps you coming back for more?


Well, from 2008-2009, I did stop paddling. In fact, I moved to one of the places in the world where I would not be able to paddle whitewater, Hawai’i. I wanted to get away from it and see how the non-kayakers of the world live. It was a really fun time, and for once my life wasn’t dictated by a training schedule. But then, after two years, that discipline I had developed came back to bite me. In 2009 I realized I was bored. I am the type of person that loves to put my entirety into a project and make it the best I can.  If I am not giving my all I get bored. I won’t always be training at the level I am now, but I will always be paddling. It is my passion and I love giving 100% to it. I have been studying sports in university and one day I hope to become a coach or athletic trainer to help rehab athletes back to their potential. In the US, because we don’t have the depth of some other countries, it is critical to have our retiring racers stay around the sport and support the new athletes. As far as not quitting and always coming back for more, I am lucky. My two best friends Katrina Van Wijk [pictured below] and Geoff Calhoun are never going to let stop paddling. They never accept my slalom excuses, and always challenge me. They have caught the same paddling bug that I have. I owe a lot to them.

canoe kayak slalom ashley nee interview isa deep creek 2014 bethesda sportscene usack icf katrina van wijk

A lot of different people are going to be reading this. Across the board, what sort of things do you think connect all paddlers?

There are so many disciplines of paddling. Each one will give you a different understanding of the sport, so you really should try them all. Slalom is the discipline that has captivated me for the last 15 years. In my book, it doesn’t matter what boat you are paddling as long as you are paddling.
The Hawaiian islands have a rich history of paddling.  In Hawai’i I was trying to ignore my passion, but I was in a Hawaiian language class and we learned different ways to identify where paddlers should sit in a canoe. I was inspired by the “water men” I saw out there. These people would do any activity that involved the water, and they would do them remarkably well. Their understanding of water is almost magic. This is more and more my approach to paddling now.

Do you find the same sort of connection to water or gratification after a slalom workout that you do after running a river or paddling flatwater?


Very good question! I would say the experiences of falling off waterfalls, paddling 67miles of flatwater, or a double workout at Dickerson Whitewater Course are all very different. However, the connection with the water and the gratification are the same.  Sitting at the lip of a waterfall or preparing to begin an impossibly long paddle feels strangely similar to the feeling of being in the start gate.

What do you think the general paddling community stands to gain from slalom? What do you think slalom has to gain from the general paddling community?


The history of slalom paddlers that have gone on to do well in extreme races, freestyle, or downriver shows that slalom develops great control and efficiency. Also, the ability to visualize is a great skill for running rapids. 
The United States has an amazing and extensive paddling community. I learned through my FUNDaNEE project last year that slalom in the U.S. will only thrive if the larger paddling community supports it. Slalom paddlers in the U.S. are just paddlers who have decided to devote every hour to going faster through gates. We have the best paddling community, and because of that I want us to have the best slalom team too!

Do you think there is a need for more crossover so that all branches of paddling can appreciate and support the others?


Absolutely! If you were to ask any one of my students from my “Slalom for River Runners” class that I teach all winter, hopefully they would say they learned something new. To me paddling is paddling, and while I am dedicated to slalom right now, at some point I will reach my potential and have to find a new challenge.

Follow Ashley on Facebook and Twitter @FUNDaNEE or on www. FUNDaNEE.com to support and keep up with her next adventures.