51�Թ���

Nevin Harrison/ Canoe ((Sot)) “I like the freedom of being on the water. I think a lot of other sports are kind of limiting. You have to stay in a gym or stay on a track.” Olympic Canoeist Nevin Harrison has had that freedom since she started competitive canoeing at age 12. Harrison holds the title as US National Campion. Now the Seattle native has one more title, Olympian. ((sot)) “I get goose bumps every time I think about it. As a kid I dreamed of being an Olympian. And finally having that title, is crazy, it’s a dream come true.” Harrison has worked hard to become an Olympian. Training out on the North Georgia waters 3 times a day. And as one of the youngest Olympians, she is looking to shine a spotlight on her sport of canoeing. “I think people don’t understand how challenging it is. You see the skinny boats and you think , oh it’s rowing. But in fact, it’s a lot harder to stay up than rowing” For starters, competitors can only paddle on one side of a canoe. Meaning there is a lot more muscle control to the sport. Harrison finely tuned those muscles and was ready to go to Tokyo last year, when she got word the games were being postponed due to COVID ((Sot)) “It was devastating at first. I think all of us. All athletes competing were lost. And didn’t really know what to do. You prep so much for a certain date and when it gets pushed back a whole year, it’s kind of hard to figure out.” And figure it out she did. Harrison used the COVID quarantine to create a bubble with other canoeing friends. She worked even harder to improve her already impressive time. ((Sot)) “I had more time. I had more ability to prepare, where I felt more comfortable. And I think I am way, way faster way more ready than I was a year ago.” Now Harrison looks at the COVID postponement as a blessing in disguise… giving her time to focus on the things that matter most. ((Sot)) “It’s definitely shaped the kind of per