Reno
boy, 14, tries to defend kayaking title in his backyard
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Jason Craig will have a bit of a home-field advantage when
he attempts to defend his junior freestyle kayaking title Saturday at the fifth
annual Reno River Festival. The Truckee River is in the 14-year-old’s backyard.
“My life is based around kayaking,” said Craig, who lives with his
mom and dad in a condo a block from the kayaking park on the river in downtown
Reno.
This weekend he’ll be competing against kayakers from across the
world.
“The kid is just amazing,” festival coordinator Jim Litchfield
said. “He’s just such an advanced kayaker for his age.”
Craig is sponsored by Jackson Kayaks, which is a lead kayak maker
in the United States. Everything in his life right now is propelling the
teenager toward an outstanding kayaking career.
His parents, Lindsay and Karen, saw the potential in their son and
moved to the condo, closer to the river so he could practice whenever he
wanted.
From his home, he walks about 200 feet to “Hole No. 5,” a 40-foot
wide spot in the river where competition will take place this weekend.
“Sometimes I think I might miss out on some of the things other
kids do, but I get to travel all over the country and meet really cool people,”
he told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
“You can’t ask for anything more than that.”
Craig travels around the country during the summer to events.
Other events take place during the year, which is also during school. To combat
the schedule conflict, he is enrolled in online classes through the Washoe
School District.
Last week, he was in Canada visiting a high school solely for
kayakers. He says he will attend a high school that allows him to travel the
world, for competitions and training.
One of the countries he’d like to take his boat to is Chile.
“We’re committed to him,” Karen Craig said. “We want to see him
succeed and we’re doing a lot to give him that chance.”
This past Sunday, Craig was at the water park polishing moves he
plans to use in competition. He negotiated his boat so that it’s facing
upstream, perched on a rapid.
He used his body and his paddle to position himself for tricks.
Then, he put the paddle on his right side, dug the tip of the kayak into the
stream and completed a flip underwater.
“That’s the
McNasty,” he said. “I do a Phonics Monkey and Tricky Woos. Those are some of
the tricks I’ll do for competition.”