An Our Lady of the Bay student and sprint kayaker is heading to Bulgaria as part of Team Canada for the Junior World Championships this week, and will be competing in Hungary for the Olympic Hopes Regatta in September.
Seventeen-year-old Collingwood student Maea Knights will be heading overseas on Friday, to compete among the best of the best.
“It’s like a dream come true,” Knights said. “Two years ago, Olympic Hopes was my dream goal in paddling and now having reached that, it’s surreal. It makes you realize that some goals, even if they seem too big, are actually achievable.”
The Canoe Sprint Olympic Hopes Regatta will take place Sept. 19 to 22 in Szeged, Hungary, featuring 24 of Canada’s top U16 and U17 paddlers in the iconic event that showcases the next generation of Olympic talent.
“Getting to compete for Canada feels like such an honour and a celebration for all the work that has been put in,” she said.
Sprint kayaking is an Olympic sport sometimes referred to as canoe kayak or sprint canoe. Kayakers compete on flat water in distances such as 200, 500 and 1,000 metres.
Knights has a diverse sports background, competing at the OFSSA level for cross-country running in grades 10 and 11, Nordic skiing and swimming in Grade 11. She also plays flag football and is a mountain biker.
A competitive swimmer since the age of six with the Collingwood Clippers, Knights says her parents put her in a variety of sports from a young age including basketball and hockey, but she found a love of individual sports.
“My friend Sunny invited me to try out sprint kayaking and I loved it instantly,” recalls Knights. “Since it was so close to my house it was perfect that I could just ride my bike to practice.”
Knights qualified for the junior worlds through a national team trial in June. She’s one of three under-17 athletes selected for Olympic Hopes.
These days, she trains at Burloak Canoe Club in Oakville, after doing her initial training through the Collingwood Paddling Club.
“There are fantastic coaches and athletes here that all helped get me where I am today, but I felt like it was time to move to a bigger club to be surrounded by older, more experienced athletes and have experience in crew boats,” said Knights.
Knights’ future aspirations include attending university. She hopes, one day, to earn a spot on the national sprint kayak team.
“I’m not sure what I want to study but my goal is to stay in kayaking as long as I can. I want to continue racing because of the joy and feeling it gives me,” she said, adding the friends she’s made along the way are a big draw for her. Knights said she’s grateful for all the people who have supported her along the way, including her family, friends, teachers, coaches and fellow paddlers.
“The people I've met through paddling are like family to me and it wouldn't be the same without them. I love getting to train and race in a crew boat or against some amazing people,” said Knights. “I’m so very proud to be representing Collingwood.”
