Dane Jackson (Podcast Article)

Recently Eric and I got in touch with World Champion White Water Kayaker, Dane Jackson, age 21, in order to get a little insight into his career as well as some advice for future endeavors.  

             We were thrilled with the opportunity to speak with him and when asked, what inspired him to keep going and how he pushes his limits, Dane answered,

“I just love kayaking every day, so every chance I get on the water, whether it is white water or just taking people boating for the first time, it’s never hard to remember why I’m kayaking. For me it’s all about just pushing the sport and really staying true to the fact that I would be kayaking even if I wasn’t a professional or even if I didn’t have any sponsors and I was just working and kayaking whenever I could. I would still be doing that just because it’s such an incredible sport to be a part of. So that understanding that I am not in it just for the money really allows me to enjoy each day on the water and push the sport.”

            While Eric has experience with white water kayaking, I myself have never truly explored the sport. So being able to sit down with the world champion, I was curious to get his advice for beginners. He answered,  

 “In the end it’s really a sport that anyone who loves water at all or even just loves getting outside should try. I think that the most important thing for people to remember is that they can go at any pace they want with kayaking. There is always some form of white water or something easy around that people can get on. They don’t have to worry about jumping right into some of the hardcore stuff, they can progress at their own pace, they can learn with other people. In the end people enjoy kayaking even if it is just flat water, it’s as simple as that, so any form of white water is exciting for most people defiantly when they are starting. So just take it at your own pace and just enjoy being on the water.”

            And finally, seeing as he has achieved so much in his lifetime, we wanted to know how he would encourage any individual, with any goal. How would he motivate and inspire youths and adults alike, to reach their full potential and achieve their goals. His response was,

“Just remember to have fun each day because as long as you are having fun it is easier to enjoy yourself and to think about stuff you can try and where you can go next.”

             Dane is currently training to compete in the Adidas Sickline Extreme Kayak World Championship, an event which takes place on the "Wellerbrücke” river in Austria's Oetztal Valley. This event will be taking place on the 2nd and 4th of October 2014. For further information on this event, visit www.adidas-sickline.com/en/race-info/ .