MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Spring 2019

SPRING 2019 ML BLUE 31 Finesse versus force. Brain versus brawn. Adventure sports can highlight the physiological differences between men and women. They can also emphasize other less tangible differences. Whitewater is a unique element in this sense. Fluid, dynamic and powerful, it’s always changing yet predictable to those who spend enough time in it. Some paddlers muscle their way through whitewater. Others— like the following three women—use a blend of precision and grace to navigate rapids around Ontario. From a plastic creek boat or a carbon canoe to a stand-up paddleboard, the vessel and paddle may vary, but these women all share a common strength: harnessing the force of whitewater to race, play and enjoy whitewater. The Competitor: Lois Betteridge Lois wasn’t quite born in a canoe, but with ex-Blackfeather canoe guides as parents, she spent many hours, days and weeks in one. An introduction to whitewater via family canoe trips led her to seek out other opportunities for play in l’eau vive which she found close to home, in a channel of the Ottawa River. Lois got in a carbon slalom canoe during a summer camp with the Ottawa River Runners Club and never looked back. She has represented Canada on the international level in both the Under 23 category and Senior level canoe slalom—a type of competitive kayaking which involves navigating a whitewater course through upstream and downstream gates. Training and racing keeps her on the road for most of the year. When Ontario’s rivers freeze, she heads to Australia, Europe or the southern US. “I really like the training aspect of canoe slalom,” she says. “Pushing yourself to be better, stronger, faster so that when you get to the start line of a race there’s the confidence that you can achieve what you set out to do.” That confidence has led the 21-year-old to national titles and semi-finals in the canoe slalom World Cup circuit. Now, her sights are set on the Olympics. “The Tokyo Olympic games are extra special for competitive women canoeists, marking the first year women’s canoeing will be a part of the Olympic program,” she says. “It’s been a long fight by generations before me and I’m super grateful that I have the opportunity to compete for the chance to go to the Olympics.” Despite being highly competitive, fun is why she started whitewater canoeing, and fun is why she continues to paddle. “Reading whitewater, making a plan and then the excitement lining up before a rapid is pure joy,” she says. “The water is always stronger and will win if you try to fight it. But the feeling of using the power of the water to do what you want is pretty cool. There’s always that something that makes me feel so happy to be there, enjoying moments of complete control in a situation that is completely out of your control.”