Scott and Brett

As the Olympic Whitewater Trials gets ready to start tomorrow here in Charlotte, much of the athlete media coverage has focused upon men’s kayak frontrunners, Scott Parsons and Brett Heyl. Both were my Olympic teammates during my final Olympic Games four years ago in Athens and I came to know them both in a different light on and off the water.

The test of friendship and competition is the featured element of recent stories on NPR and in the Washington Post. But for me, a fascinating part of their pursuits is how vastly different two competitors can structure such different athletic quests for our one Olympic spot and come out so close in the end. It’s the essence of marching to the beat of your own drum yet kindly acknowledging that your beat might not work for everyone else.

Scott brings an introverted, grounded, and powerful resolve to his paddling. Brett is an extrovert who draws incredible energy from engaging people of all kinds into the sport of kayaking. One’s source of energy wouldn’t work well for the other and vice versa. Ultimately, it’s not so much which way is the right way but believing in your own way to achieve excellence in kayaking at this level. There’s no problem there – all systems are ready to go.

Spending time with both Scott and Brett this week during on-river practice sessions, I can only simplify their racing and values like this – their representations of themselves and outreach to each other have not only been first-class but their pursuits have honored kayaking and the Olympic Movement at their respective cores in a way that anyone would be proud.