Teen ocean paddler Georgia Sinclair testing the waters in sprint racing
The racing was around 23km shorter than she is used to but this paddler has turned heads in her very first sprint regatta.
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At the start she was a little wobbly and worried about being able to paddle in a straight line.
By the end of it she had knocked those watching off balance with her performance.
Former Ocean surf ski racer Georgia Sinclair contested her first sprint racing regatta on the weekend and made a head-turning debut.
The teenage surf life saver finished second in a WK1 1000m event and sixth in the WK2 500m with Mackenzie Duffy from Queensland at the Canoe Sprint GP1 season opener.
“I was pretty excited. I have done a little bit of training but never raced before the weekend so it was a real experience,’’ Sinclair said.
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“I am still pretty new to the program. The whole reversing and setting up at the start was interesting.
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“I did manage to paddle in a straight line. I didn’t have the best technique but I did it.’’
Sinclair, a member of the Wanda surf life saving club, has recently joined the heavy-hitting Avoca kayak club and is working as a part-time lifeguard on the Central Coast.
She is also training with the NSWIS squad at Narrabean on the northern beaches as she forges ahead in her new sport.
“I moved to the Avoca kayak club because of the talent. There’s Fletcher and Harry Armstrong, Riley Fitzsimmons and Jemma Smith all there,’’ she said.
“I’m really enjoying it.’’
Sinclair said the fact sprint racing is an Olympic sport is one of the reasons she has opted to try her hand at it.
“Every kid has a dream of being an Olympian,’’ she said.
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Also competing at Grand Prix event was Avoca clubmate Ella Beere who finished 7th in the WK1 500m, 5th in the WK2 500m with Western Australian Yale Steinpreis and second with Steinpreis in the WK2 200m behind Olympians Alyce Wood and Alyssa Bull.
Avoca’s Fitzsimmons won the men’s K2 1000 and 200 with Jordan Wood while top junior Fletcher Armstrong won all the 18 age events - the MK1 1000, 500 and 200 and the MK2 1000, 500 and 200 with northern beaches paddler Jarrah Sheppard.
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