Olympic Hopes 2011 – Maddie Batters kindly shares her experience

Poland: September 2011

The exciting thing about travelling to Poland in the Olympic Hopefuls was that it was my first time going overseas to a different country, first time in a National team and also my first time competing internationally.

It was a great experience.  Watching other international competitors paddling, experiencing the culture of Poland (especially all the good foods), the crazy driving in narrow European streets and socialising with athletes from other countries was amazing. Being a full time athlete was great- just eating, sleeping and training!

A big thank you to PCK and Plastex for their generosity while we were overseas. They provided all the Victorian paddlers with K1s to use while we were over there, organising it so that the boats were there ready for us when we arrived.  It was great to have their support and we really appreciated having the boats to use.

I was given an Olympic Fighter 65, which was perfect for my size. I really liked the way the boat performed. The design of the hull meant that it tracked in a straight line well and was easy to get smooth boat run. I found that it was fast, especially once it was up and running. A highlight for my paddling results was a 3rd in the 200m time trials in my age group. This was really pleasing because I had been 5th at home before the trip. It was also exciting to make the semi final, during the international regatta in the age group above mine. I improved my paddling and learnt a lot on this trip.

Cheers, Maddie.