Kayaking
By Rachelle Sangret

Kayaking has taught me what I need to

know in life,

when you sit in a boat for the first time

you need confidence,

when you look down at the water and

don’t have the best balance you need to

take chances,

You may not have the agility yet,

but practice makes perfect,

hard work pays off in the long term,

your technique will improve, just stay positive,

you will race, and you may not win

but you know you tried,

Your teammates will cheer you on,

and you will succeed,

soon enough you might be the best in town,

maybe even one day, you will be standing on

the podium with a gold medal around your neck,

you will then realize that not all work is fun,

but all the work your coach made you do

is what made you the winner,

but one thing I know,

Kayaking has taught me what I need

to know in life and hard work pays off.

Jason Rusu: Jason is a past member of the Men's National Kayak Team. We're proud to have Jason as part of coaching team as he continues to give back to the sport of canoe/kayak. Jason currently works with the masters paddlers at the Club.

Jason's bio includes the following highlights:
1985 - Canada Summer Games, Team Saskatchewan
1987 - Western Canada Summer Games, Gold K1 500m
1989 - Saskatchewan's first paddler to be named to the National Team
1992 - 2nd K2 1000m International Regatta in Austria
1992 - Barcelona Olympics 16th K2 1000m
1992 - National Championships, Gold Junior Men K4
2002- World Championships, Seville Spain, 16th K4 1000m

Jason moved to Calgary in 1997 with his wife Laurie and joined the Club as it's head coach before moving on to another career and beginning his comeback bid to the National Team program. Jason's dedication to training and his passion for the sport has allowed the Club's developing paddlers to benefit from him as a great role model.