Haley Daniels - Team Canada Canoe Slalom
“I started canoeing on Lake Invermere in British Columbia. Growing up, all the families around us had motorboats so they would go wakeboarding and waterskiing but our family was a little different. We didn’t have a motor boat so we would paddle across the lake in canoes and kayaks. I think that's what sparked my love of the water. Initially, I didn't like that I couldn't water ski and wakeboard, but over time I really grew to love canoeing and kayaking and the feeling of being one with the water. I think that really sparked my love for the sport.”
“In any sport there are setbacks. When I was younger, the setbacks were about paddling in glacially fed water which was freezing. Those initial obstacles were really elements against the environment, but as I progressed and made the Canadian national team it became so much bigger than just me and the obstacles I was facing. It became about facing the obstacles of an entire community and our gender.”
“I initially started kayaking then switched to canoeing because there was an opportunity it would become an olympic sport. I was able to go to the world cups and the world championships but there was no opportunity for us to go to the olympics. With this challenge, I banded together with a group of women across the world as we looked for ways to achieve gender equality in our sport. This was in 2009 and at that point there were three categories available for men in the olympics, and only one category for women which was women’s kayak.”
“As we waited for the decision on inclusion in the 2020 games, we just kept training hard and advocating in any way possible. If you look at any of the greatest causes in the world it took sweat equity from people that believed in something. I didn’t even know I was passionate about gender equality until I was a part of this. I feel strongly that just because I’m a girl, does not mean I should have a less opportunity than my male counterparts.”
“With our successful advocacy, Tokyo will be the first time that we will be gender equal in the Olympics. I fell in love with canoeing for the rush and the thrill of being outdoors, but now I look at it a bit differently. I love that through our passion for gender equality we have been able to leave this legacy for future women canoeists to come. Even if I don’t make it to the olympics, I know that I was a part of a much bigger collective and that’s something I’ll always remember and cherish.”
“When we found out that COVID-19 would delay the Tokyo games for a year, I didn’t let it upset me. We’ve been working towards this for over ten years, so waiting one more year in the grand scheme of things is actually not that big of a deal. In the meantime, I’m still full steam ahead, working towards the goal I’ve always had of competing in the olympics and hoping to be a part of that pioneering legacy.”
“For anyone hoping to achieve something great inside or outside sports, I’d say you have to have a fire burning. If you’ve lost sight of your dream, it’s difficult to motivate yourself to do the things that are uncomfortable but necessary. It’s all about knowing who you are, and why you’re doing what you’re doing. Have that north star in mind and stop at nothing to reach it.”
