By Florida Town
Our Coaches, Kamini Jain, and Meghan McDonough, have agreed to remain
with the Grandragons for another season, and help prepare us for a busy
racing schedule. We are fortunate in having this calibre of coaching.
Kamini is a world class paddler, a member of Canada' s national team
for the past seven years, and a candidate for the next Olympics, She
placed 9th in K4 in the last Olympics and has medalled in numerous international
meets.
Kamini's paddling career began in Calgary, when she watched her sister
Sarah rowing.
"It looked interesting," she says, "So I thought I'd
give it a try " She did, but then she discovered kayaks and that
ended her sculling career. For the past 18 years, she's been a serious
competitor,
kayaking single, double and fours events, over distances ranging up
to 1,000m. The last seven years have been spent in Vancouver "because
of the weather" which allows her uninterrupted training.
Kamini paddles twice daily, and backs this up with further training
at the gym. Weights are an important part of her workouts.
"I've had lots of people tell me how lucky I am to be out paddling
on a sunny afternoon. It's true. But they forget about the times when
it's cold, dark, raining, I'm tired and I'd just as soon stay in bed.
"Those are the times when I just make myself get dressed and go"
Kamini's advice to paddlers is to keep their goal in mind, advice she
feels is important for individuals and for team members.
The secret to her success?
"I'm hard on myself in practice," she says, "so race
days are easier."
Our second coach, Meghan (say Mee-gan) McDonough is also a world-class
paddler. She began paddling at age 14, in Saskatoon, Sask., and soon
qualified for junior World Cup competition in both K1 and K2 events.
She came to Vancouver in 1999 to paddle, but stayed to begin a Master'
s program at UBC, with an emphasis in sport psychology. She completed
her degree this year and is now working on a PhD, dealing with sport
and motivation in adolescents.
"Unfortunately, that means my competitive paddling has been put
on hold," she says, but she still enjoys training and working out
with Kamini and other False Creek paddlers.
"Working with the Grandragons has been challenging" she admits.
"I’ve had to recognize that some have physical challenges,
and some don’t hear too well."
Meghan’s advice to Grandragons is to have personal goal and focus
on it during each practice.
"That’s the best way to get the most of out every workout."
Kamini and Meaghan will be with Grandragons throughout our competative
season.
Home
| Top