On to Worlds for Squirt

By Elaine Campbell

Well, I didn’t make the US Freestyle Team in kayak but I did get a spot on the team for squirt boating. It doesn’t feel the same as if I made the kayak team but whateves it’s still a chance to compete at the World Championships. I paddled the best I ever have in pre-lims and threw down the hardest tricks I’ve been working on the past few years on a wave.

My goal going into Team Trials was to do helixes, pan-ams, air screws, flip turns, back pan-ams during my rides. I had success in pre-lims but I fell short in finals which is typical for my style of boating. I met my goal even if I didn’t make the team. I was pretty upset about it but I recovered and all is good in the Elaine Campbell Kayaking world.

The fact is we had an awesome trip to CO. Jeff competed in BV and at the GoPro games where he crushed himself in the Ultimate River Challenge. He learned how to SUP surf thanks to the Pau Hana Crew. We got to see a lot of people we haven’t seen for a few years and met some new ones. The bottom line is, so what I didn’t make it on the kayak team my life is just as good on the team or off the team. I’m still going to be paddling my ass off. I’ve been competing since 2008 and I’ve had great success and epic failures but that’s life and you just deal with it.

The rest of the summer I’ll be training up for squirt boating so I’m ready to go for the Jimi Cup and the World Championships on the Ottawa River in Canada. I also have some SUP races I’m doing so I have to brush up on my long distance paddling and I’m competing at the Montreal en Eau-Vive a wave competition.

Here’s some photos and a video from our trip to CO.