Celebrity-celebrity couples like for example Brad Pitt and Angela Jolie are a dime a dozen, but athlete-athlete couples are a much rarer find. We met freestyle couple James 'Pringle' Bebbington and Katya Kulkova to find out how their relationship works while on the road and on the water. 

Where did you meet, how long have you been together now and when did you get married?
We briefly met in Uganda in the Spring of 2008, then later we met in the World Cups that summer, I tried very hard to catch her attention then, but it didn't work straight away. When we were both in Uganda for the winter 2008-2009, I was working and she was there for half year, I tried even harder and didn't give up, so it worked. We've been together since then - almost 4.5 years. We got married in November 2011.

How do you collaborate when you travel, train, paddle and do competitions together?
We have the same views, interests and opinions on kayaking and lifestyle, we like the same movies, books, playspots, food, people. This really makes it easy to collaborate. We work as a team – we are training partners, personal coaches and photographers for each other. I am Katya's personal driver, but she is my personal nutritionist, hairdresser/stylist, psychologist, cameramen, doctor.

When one of us lacks motivation the other is there to push you to toughen up and get on. It's very beneficial to have a constant training partner, coach, friend because they know how you paddle at your best and worst, they can push you or give you honest opinions, ideas, support and help. It's also very useful that we can both film / take photos of each other so we can see for ourselves how we're doing.

What makes you good canoeing companions?
We're both very tough & critical on each other, so you have to really try hard to impress the other with our kayaking skills. We wouldn't lie to each other just to make the other happy. We try to bring the best out of each other, not only in kayaking.

We both love freestyle which means our goals / ideas are similar. However, we do go river running & creeking from time to time for fun because we both want it occasionally. On the river we both trust each other's judgment and skills so we feel confident, neither of us is very bothered with risking our lives for kayaking. We do it to master the skills and enjoy being in nature. There are not that many things in kayaking which you can do on your own and still enjoy and be safe. So it's good to have a friend, kayak companion and soulmate in the same person.

What do you argue most about when you travel/canoe? How do you work through disagreements?
We don't really argue. The only time we might get annoyed is when one of us supposed to be watching the other kayak and misses seeing something impressive or a 4 move combo! Or when someone misses the turn when he drives - so nothing serious. The longer we stay / travel together the less we argue but if we are apart for too long we might need some time to get in tune with each other again. We both can't hold grudges, it is easy to forgive and easy to forget the negatives - this is how we deal with disagreements.

Any other tips for surviving 24/7 together?
You need to be best friends to each other. Encourage the other to be themself rather than what you want they to be. Don't limit yourself to one passion only – an ever-changing life has so much to offer!

HE SAYS, SHE SAYS

Did you travel and canoe much before you met your partner? What changed when you met?
Pringle: “Yes I have kayaked and travelled pretty much full-time since I was 15. I would say my kayaking revolutionised as soon as I met Katya, I had the support, encouragement and stability I needed to flourish in my kayaking. Before I met Katya I was unfocused and never tried my hardest. When we met I got a lot more focused and successful.”

Katya: “Yes I did kayak and travel before, mostly in Russia, but didn't compete much. When we met I started to kayak with very skilled kayakers, travel and compete much more on many different play-spots and countries. I also learned English very quickly.”

Has your relationship evolved as a result of your travels and canoeing together?
Pringle: “Our relationship would not have happened without kayaking. It grew into a real deep friendship and love in a short time, because we share all kayaking / travelling together - which takes most of the time. We learned each other so well, that you can't fool one another and we have nothing to prove to one another.”

Katya: “Paddling definitely catalysed our relationship, I don't think we would end up together without kayaking, we would most likely never even meet (I'm from Siberia, he is from the UK). Now we have learned about each other so much through travelling, training, competing, that we would stay together even without it. We develop so many interests together outside of kayaking world, that it's not our main connection anymore, but in the beginning it was.”

What do you enjoy most about canoeing as a couple?
Pringle: “That we can do everything together. We don't need to be apart. I can't imagine leaving my wife to go off kayaking for months at a time.”

Katya: “Training for competition together. I like how it helps each of us to grow as a person. We are both not too disciplined in everyday life, so a training routine gives us structure, short term goals and focus. I also enjoy it a lot when I can help my husband to get closer to his dreams.”

What makes him/her an ideal canoeing companion?
Pringle: “She's not a pussy in life as well as in kayaking. She doesn't kayak like a girl if you know what I mean, but she looks like a girl which is important too. What caught my interest in her in the beginning was that she would just go for the biggest moves without thinking and often succeed.”

Katya: “He's not too bothered by creeking which suits me perfectly. He doesn't buy into kayak 'bullshit' culture. He is very skilled, technical and fascinating to watch when he kayaks.”

What annoys you most about your partner when you are canoeing together?
Pringle: “She's way more clever than me and speaks better English too.”

Katya: “He can never get a good picture of me kayaking.”

What have you learned about your partner as a result of travelling and canoeing together?
Pringle: “She is such a perfectionist! Some times it makes things hard, but it is very useful if we have a goal to achieve.”

Katya: "He is not as 'retarded' as I thought at first :-)

Links

• Website: www.riverzoo.com
• Facebook Pringle: www.facebook.com/JamesPringleBebbington
• Facebook Katya: www.facebook.com/pages/Ekaterina-Kulkova/347446182030030