Nick Harding | Sportscene - 2012 C1 World Cup Champion 'Ros' talks about her upbringing, her love of slalom and her campaign to get herself back to Austria to defend her Sickline title this year.

Ros races K1 and C1 slalom, downriver and extreme – an achievement that few athletes achieve. She is a crossover paddler who has had success across the board; WC1 overall World Cup Champion in 2009, 2011 and 2012, WC1 Wildwater World Champion in 2011 and WC1 U23 World Champion 2012.

“They [the classes] compliment each other. In K1 I get to experience doing things a lot faster, C1 is more about balance and technique, which are transferable to K1.”

Paddle family

Ros grew up in Old Bonalbo near Lismore in New South Wales play-paddling the Clarence River with her family.

“I did a little bit of racing from when I was 9 years old, just in club races and I was competitive about them! But I first started training when I was about 13 and went on my first Junior Development Tour to New Zealand when I was 15. Then onto Junior Worlds and U-23.”

She comes from a kayaking family, both her sisters are elite paddlers - Jacqui won a Silver medal in the women’s K1 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Kate was one of the most respected Australian athletes on the circuit.

You would think that sisters would be heated rivals, but no, not all. They both patiently coached Ros and helped her out, perhaps the source of her technique.

“Even up to last year when Kate was still competing, I wanted to beat anyone else before I beat her. If anyone beat me I always hoped it was her!”

Penrith days

Like so many Australian athletes, Ros moved to Penrith as soon as she finished school to train at the national Whitewater Centre.

Moving there was a major change in her life when she dedicated herself to the sport, yet this was not a pivotal moment where her paddling started to rapidly improve – this happened when still at High School as she trained hard every day, often twice a day.

“I've seen it happen to a lot of other people. When you first move to Penrith you are often dealing with so much other stuff like moving out of home or starting work or uni that it often takes them a year and then they start improving. It's not like you move to Penrith and instantly become a magician on the water.”

Since 2009, Ros has been travelling to Europe to compete in World Cups and World Championships.

Women's canoe

Ros's competitive focus is C1, which for the last four years she has seen as more fun for her, but it is a challenging time for the sport.

“The number of positions available for women at the Olympics is NOT ok. Well, because there's only one class for women, that makes it pretty hard. Second best in the country, that's pretty good but you still don't go to the Olympics.”

“I don't know when, but it [women's canoe] definitely will be in the Olympics, C1 at least, either that or canoeing will be kicked out of the Olympics”.

With regard to the women's Sickline she says, “if 20 or 30 or 40 women turned up then there would be changes, but they aren't turning up because there's no prize money, no television and other reasons. I think Nouria Newman said the course wasn’t exciting enough for her!”

Sponsorship campaign

Ros has set up an online campaign to raise $4000 in order that she can compete in this year's competition – she has to reach her target by 10am on the 12th May.
Sportscene's very own Director Rob got the ball rolling with a kind $250 contribution. In the last few days she has proudly reached the half-way mark.

Ros has been working two and a half jobs around paddling and training to raise what she needs; she works in her local canoe shop and for Australian Canoeing writing articles for the website plus providing IT support.

Athlete’s competition participation fees in extreme kayaking are disconcerting. Sponsorship is tough out there at present, just look at the sad circumstances surrounding the cancellation of this year's Whitewater Grand Prix.

Please do visit her sponsorship campaign. Sportscene will keep you in the know.

Thanks Ros, great chat, and good luck.

Nicolaas Harding