Georgian grad paddles her way to Paralympics

Get ready to cheer on a Georgian student who is among the athletes competing at the Paralympic Games, which kick off tomorrow in Tokyo, Japan.

Andrea Nelson, 30, a Therapeutic Recreation student based at Georgian’s Orillia Campus, is competing in the 200-metre kayak competition.

It’s the first time Andrea will be competing at the Paralympics after learning to kayak four years ago.

“Everyone should tune in and watch the Paralympics because there are some really amazing athletes, and a lot of sports or ways of doing sports that people have not seen before,” she said.

“It’s definitely worth a watch.”

We spoke to Andrea about her love of sports and the Paralympics before she left for Tokyo last week.

How did you get into kayaking?

This will be my fourth summer kayaking.

I met the coach who was starting a Paralympic program in Ontario, so I went to try it out.

There was a lot of funding for it, so I didn’t have to put money into getting my own boat and gear right away. That meant I could do it for a summer or two fairly cheaply with a lot of support.

It wasn’t my original goal to make it to the Paralympics, I just really liked being active and was looking for sports to do. I didn’t know where it was going to take me.

The goal of the program was to give people options: go super high performance or just recreational. I tried competing and just fell into it.

What drew you to Georgian’s Therapeutic Recreation program?

I’d like to work in Paralympic sports and that graduate certificate seemed like a good qualification to get.

I’m not sure what I want to do exactly for a career, but I’d like to introduce people to sports and maybe work with children.

What will the Paralympics competition be like?

It’s sprint kayaking, so I’ll be doing a 200-metre sprint on the water.

It’s not rowing, it’s kayaking, but it’s probably similar to how most people envision rowing.

You have your lane, and the competitors are all lined up and start at the same time, and the first one across the finish line wins.

Are you a competitive person?

Yeah. (laughs) I think you have to be. Everyone’s nervous before a race but it’s exciting.

What are you most excited about for the Paralympics?

I’m definitely looking forward to the experience. The Paralympics is a pretty big event, so just that in and of itself is really great.

Because of COVID-19 safety protocols, we can’t go watch other sports, we won’t really be meeting lots of other people… There are very strict rules, so just going to the event itself is what I’m excited about.

Why do you like kayaking?

I like being outside, and I’ve always liked being on the water. Those were the main things I was looking for in sports.

How do you train for the Paralympics?

I kayak – a lot.

It’s similar to training for any sport. You do it a lot and work on technique, fitness and strength, and just try to get faster and faster.

My home club is Balmy Beach Canoe Club, which is on Lake Ontario in Toronto. That’s where I mostly paddle out of.

I’ve also gone to training camps with the national team in Montreal. In the winter we usual go to Florida but because of COVID-19 we were out in B.C. training as well.

There are three parathletes who made the team for canoe and kayaking. Along with myself, one of them is from Ottawa and the other is from Quebec. We train together at all the camps.

We’re training with anyone on the national team, too – able-bodied and parathletes, not just those going to the Paralympics, because everyone is still training for other world competitions and events.

What’s your advice for people interested in the Paralympics or getting into sports?

Everyone should tune in and watch the Paralympics because there are some really amazing athletes, and a lot of sports or ways of doing sports that people have not seen before. It’s definitely worth a watch.

Every year it’s slowly been getting more coverage, trying to match the same coverage that the Olympics get.

If people are interested in any sport, go for it. You can always change your mind, but if you don’t try then you’ll never know.