Canoe racing: Lisa Carrington is inspiring a new generation of small-town heroes

Newly appointed Dame Lisa Carrington opens up to NZ Herald Focus' Cheree Kinnear on a hectic 2021, reconnecting with family after Tokyo plus what's ahead for her as she commits for another Olympic cycle. Video / Andrew Warner / Photosport

It's not long after 6:30am, but already there is an excited chatter in the air. A group of youngsters have assembled for their morning paddle, but this isn't just any ordinary training session at the Eastern Bay Canoe Racing club, based on the Whakatāne River.

That's because Lisa Carrington is in town, and the Ōhope local will be out on the water with them.

"You can tell when she is coming because they get all really excited," club head coach Gary Waller tells the Herald on Sunday. "Even the boys – though they won't admit it. And the girls, definitely; all over her like a rash."

Carrington was accorded the country's highest honour last week, made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to canoe racing.

She has carved out an unbelievable career, with her Olympic achievements in London, Rio and especially Tokyo, along with a truckload of world championship titles.

But Carrington's influence goes far beyond medals and podium finishes.

The 32-year-old has helped to revitalise her sport over the last decade, and if you want to truly understand the impact, it's best to call at her hometown club.

Lisa Carrington is one of Aotearoa's most inspiring athletes. Photo / Photosport

Eastern Bay is one of the country's newer canoe clubs, set up in 2011 by Pat Carrington (father of Lisa) and Tony Lovett (father of 2016 Olympian Jaimee Lovett).

"They decided that we needed one here because they spent most of their time driving the girls backwards and forwards to Tauranga," says Waller.

"So they got one going here."

Waller's son Tim was one of the first members, before Gary started coaching there.

From humble beginnings, the club has around 50 active members, including 27 juniors. And there's promise on the horizon, with seven young paddlers recently joining a national camp, within the Canoe Racing New Zealand pathway programs.

"Things are developing nicely," says Waller. "We've had kids selected to do worlds in marathons, worlds in ocean ski racing and worlds in sprint kayaking. The next generation is looking strong and the kids are enjoying it."

The club has been built on the efforts of numerous passionate volunteers, like Waller, who devotes up to 35 hours a week, training kayakers of all levels.

But he admits that Carrington has been a massive catalyst in driving kids towards the sport.

"It's been amazing," says Waller. "If we didn't have people like Lisa we wouldn't be in such a strong position. The sport has grown so much over the last 10 years, especially with girls. For us, there are so many more girls than boys trying to do it.

"They are all watching her on TV and they've got Facebook chats, they were all chatting on there about how she's getting on at the Olympics. I'd say it's brought a lot of kids to the sport throughout the whole country.

"And it's a big bonus for us, a local small town girl does it, all the others start believing that they can do it."

With the golden glow that has surrounded kayaking in recent years, it's easy to forget the dramas around the turn of the last decade. There were high profile fractures at the top of the sport and a generation of accomplished male paddlers, spearheaded by Ben Fouhy, was coming to an end.

It was around that time that Carrington emerged on the scene, later becoming the first New Zealand female to win a world championship title in 2011.

That was just the start and Carrington, along with the likes of Tokyo K2 500m gold medallist and world champion Caitlin Regal, have helped inspire a new generation into kayaks, as well as enhance annual government funding, which has grown from $800,000 in 2010 to $2.58 million for 2022.

Lisa Carrington (L) and Caitlin Regal. Photo / Photosport

There's also strong potential on the male side, especially with the promising K2 1000m pairing of Max Brown and Kurtis Imrie who finished fifth in Tokyo, ahead of several vastly more experienced crews.

Waller says Carrington, despite all her success, has never changed, nor forgotten her roots.

"She always finds time to come home and makes time for the kids," says Waller. "Over the three or four years as the kids have got older and got faster they are staying just off her pace so it actually gives her something to train with.

"And it gives them someone to look up to and listen to some of the things that she's learned over the years. It's just a really good environment.

"Kids love being around her and I think she loves being around the kids."

Carrington has also recently joined the committee, becoming a board member at her home club.

"It's really good of her to make the time and a massive boost for us," says Waller. "Especially with the high performance insights she'll be able to pass on."

Carrington returned to training on December 27, after a week's break over Christmas. She's been thrilled to watch the rise of her local club, which attracts athletes from Whakatāne, Ōhope, Edgecumbe and Ōpōtiki.

Lisa Carrington's connection to the Eastern Bay Canoe Racing club goes back a long way. Photo / Getty

"When I first started there was no club here," says Carrington. "I've been a member since it started but it wasn't here when I last lived here.

"It's a nice little club and it's growing and they do what they can with the limited resources that they have. So it's really good.

"There's a whole bunch of young kids and a few older kids that are potentially heading into the next phase of their life. That's pretty exciting, to see how they go."