WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAU) – A 16-year-old Stevens Point teenager who grew up on the water will compete this weekend in Wausau for a spot on a national kayaking team.
Hailey Thompson and a handful of other paddlers trained on the whitewater slalom course on the Wisconsin River in downtown Wausau Monday. The trials are Friday through Sunday.
“I could've been born in a boat,” Thompson said. “The amount of time I've spent paddling has definitely taken up a good portion of my life.”
Thompson practices in her backyard at her home and trains for kayaking all year.
Joining Thompson in the trials this weekend will be Olympic paddlers Bret Heyl and Casey Eichfield. Heyl, a 2004 Olympian in Athens, missed making the 2008 Olympic team. Eichfield finished 11th in the 2008 Olympics as part of a two-man canoe slalom team.
Whitewater slalom canoe and kayaking is similar to downhill slalom skiing. Paddlers begin their run from a starting gate and paddle a stretch of river consisting of up to 25 gates. Paddlers are penalized for touching a gate or missing it completely. The paddler with the fastest time wins the competition.
