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USC kayak trio sweeps on to world stage
Two staff and a student from the University of the Sunshine Coast will leave for Europe in May to kayak for Australia in international events leading up to Olympic selections.
Only weeks into her first year of USC study, Alyce Burnett has had to defer her Sport and Exercise Science degree to spend three months competing on the world stage – all before she turns 18 in August.
The Maroochy surf life saving competitor has secured a spot on the 2010 Australian Open Kayak team, as well as the Junior team.
“It’s rare for a 17-year-old to make a senior team and it really shows, as I’m the youngest member by about four years,” said the former Immanuel Lutheran College student.
Alyce, who is also in the Queensland High Performance Squad for ski paddling, said her goal was to make the Olympics at age 19, just like her surf coach Clint Robinson did.
USC Sports Officer Rachel Dickinson and Christie Pickup, an exercise physiologist who mentors students at the University’s gymnasium, have been selected in the Australian Emerging Team which leaves on 10 May.
All three are in the National Talent Identification Squad for sprint kayaking which is based on the Sunshine Coast and does regular testing at USC.
Their selections follow the squad’s performance in the 2010 National Kayaking Championships in Sydney in March.
Ms Dickinson, a 26-year-old former softballer and runner from Canberra who started paddling on the Coast two years ago, said it was “a bit overwhelming”.
“We’ll be representing Australia in different divisions such as K2 and K4, training in Italy and racing at the World Cup in Germany,” she said.
The three women train together more than 25 hours a week, spending mornings and nights on the Maroochy River or at Kawana Fitness.
Ms Pickup, a former Australian Junior paddler who has returned to the sport at age 23, said they all had the Olympics in their sights.
“We’re pretty excited because next year is the Olympics qualifying year and this trip will be an uninterrupted opportunity to judge the competition,” she said.
Ms Dickinson said, “It would be great to be in the pool in London 2012 and every race from now is an opportunity for us to stand out.”
In the meantime, the women are desperately fundraising for the trip in between their jobs and training.
Alyce, who’s been in Maroochy Surf club since age six, only started kayaking in 2008 after attending a trial day at the USC gym.
“The Squad said my body shape was suitable for kayaking and selected 20 juniors to see how we liked it,” she recalled. “It’s worked out!
“When I got a spot on the Open team, no one expected it. I like kayaking because it provides the technical side of surf ski paddling and it’s based on pure ability rather than a degree of chance due to the waves.”
– Julie Gatehouse