Persistence and chiropractic move top female sprint canoeist Pam Boteler
By Randy Southerland
Pam Boteler is an amateur in a world where corporate sponsors have made the concept seem almost quaint.
It’s true that she’s America’s best woman athlete in the fledgling sport of sprint canoe. The tall, highly photogenic blonde has eight gold medals from the U.S. Canoe/Kayak Sprint National Championships in July to prove it. But the problem is that American women’s canoeing is a sport still in its infancy. When it comes to superstar women competitors they’re in sports like gymnastics and track and field. There are no sponsors and no TV coverage. Worst of all, women who might be interested in pursuing the sport are often discouraged by parents and coaches. You see, it’s not yet an Olympic event—men’s canoe is, and has been for decades—but the women’s version doesn’t cause young girls to idolize competitors and dream of the day when they can compete themselves.
Boteler intends to change all that. That’s why she traded in her double-bladed kayak paddle for the single blade used in canoeing
“It’s my mission to get more women into canoe,” says the 34-year-old resident of Alexandria, Va.
One of the reasons she wants to encourage more women to take up the sport is, in part, to build competition. Just this year the U.S. joined Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina in featuring female canoeing events as part of their national championships.
There are still few women competing in canoe. So few, in fact, that Boteler’s primary focus wasn’t even on the U.S. Nationals where she did so well. Canada boasts the strongest competitors, and she’s traveled there to race against women who have been working at the sport for decades. In her home country, she usually pits herself against men.
“It’s a hindrance in some ways, but I can still train with the men,” she explains. “There’s not as much pressure if you’re racing against a guy. There’s a lot more pressure if you’re racing against a woman, because now the score counts.”
The men she has encountered in her races have been largely supportive, even when she beats them.
“In the beginning I think it made a lot of people uncomfortable,” says Boteler of her entry into the sport two years ago. “There was some resistance, but I actually had a lot of people coming up to me and say it’s great what you’re doing.”
Preparing for the sport requires some rigorous training, as well as learning to deal with some occupational hazards not found in kayaking. In sprint canoe the competitor kneels in a two-foot wide boat and paddles only on the right side. Hours of repetitive training and competition resulted in severe imbalances and low back pain. When a succession of orthopedic doctors and physical therapists couldn’t help, she finally heeded the advice of a friend and sought out Dr. Doug Stranko, a local chiropractor.
“She
wasn’t even sure that she would continue with canoeing at that point because
she was in a lot of pain, and that was basically not only limiting her performance
on the water, but also her workouts,” he recalls. Stranko developed a program that included regular weekly chiropractic care with targeted stretching exercises designed to loosen up her lats and right side muscles. He also worked on relieving IT band tightness that had rendered her unable to run or do squats and other forms of weight training. Through trigger point work and active release technique coupled with a strength-training program directed at core conditioning produced a high level of physical fitness.
A year and half later, Boteler is now at the top of her form. In fact, she says that she entered this season in the best shape she has ever been in. It has allowed her to turn in her best performances against both the clock and other women here in the U.S. The real test will come later this year in the Pan American Championships in Curitiba, Brazil.
The biggest hurdle to gaining acceptance for her sport, however, lies outside the U.S., where European men dominate the International Canoe Federation.
Boteler joined other women at the ICF’s annual congress in Seville, Spain, to lobby for acceptance of women’s canoe as a demonstration event at next year’s World Championships. The U.S. association is helping push for the inclusion of women, but resistance has come from odd quarters.
Boteler recalls that one member brought up the old—and long since discredited notion—that allowing women to participate in the sport could harm their bodies and reproductive system.
“It’s really kind of comical because it’s the same type of argument made against women in marathon, women in rowing and women in many other physically demanding sports,” she remarks.
While male chauvinism sometimes rears its head, the biggest obstacle for Boteler and other aspiring women canoeists is the fact that there just aren’t many people interested in their sport. After all, there’s no real money or sponsorships to be won or lost. It’s not on the Olympic schedule, although that could change if, say, Beijing decides to make it a demonstration sport when it hosts the summer games in 2008.
Boteler pays her own way, which means working a full-time job and trying to find time to pitch for sponsorships. A recent photo layout in the now-defunct Sports Illustrated Women introduced her to a national audience, and she will soon be featured in other publications, such as the magazine of the NFL’s Washington Redskins.
Still, she doesn’t regret a moment she’s spent, either on the water or traveling to educate others about the virtues of her chosen sport. She’s convinced that it’s no fun following a path that’s already paved.
“It’s possible to create your own path and create your own opportunities.”