Front Cover: Matthew Short’s Shortwave heads south during the 2009 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Photo by Howard Wright/IMAGE Professional Photography.
Twelve-year-old Dean Mitchell from Currumbin Creek Canoe Club, Qld, is lakeside to ogle at the arrival of his idol, Beijing Olympic Kayak Gold Medallist Ken Wallace who has just flown in with his entourage from Sydney for the 2010 Queensland Canoeing Championships held at Lake Kawana, Sunshine Coast on January 9-10.
For the past six months at every training session, Dean has been checking at Burleigh Beach Surf Life Saving Club, where he is also a ‘nipper’, to see if Wallace was on duty as a lifeguard so he could get his autograph. But to no avail. At the lake the crowd is milling around. There’s not many sports you can get this up front and personal with your hero. Finally the moment arrives. The youngster edges towards his ‘Superman’ with pen in hand. Wallace spots him, signs … and then says, “Hi!”. A brief exchange allows an elated Dean to tell him of his dream to follow in his wake to the Olympics. He’s over the moon.
But wait … there’s more.
It’s the final of the K1 2500m where, in staggered starts, 30 paddlers are racing. First underway are the u14s, then u16, u18, u23 and Open Men’s.
Young Deano is paddling with the under-14s on the same course as K1 Kenny … that’s the special thing about distance kayak events.
Fast forward to the end of a gruelling race and Deano’s struggling. But what’s this? A great roar goes up from the crowd. They’re all shouting. “Look out Deano, Kenny’s coming! He’s right behind you!”
He’s got just enough energy for one more frantic burst. Paddle windmilling in the water … spray bursting behind him … 20m, 10m, 5m. Fast approaching Wallace suddenly senses what’s happening and at the last moment eases off … just a smidgin.
Deano ‘wins’ by a whisker and raises his paddle in joy. He’s beaten his hero across the line in the biggest boat race of his young career.
Go Deano!
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At the lake the crowd is milling around. There’s not many sports you can get this up front and personal with your hero. Finally the moment arrives. The youngster edges towards his ‘Superman’ with pen in hand. Wallace spots him, signs … and then says, “Hi!”. A brief exchange allows an elated Dean to tell him of his dream to follow in his wake to the Olympics. He’s over the moon.
