PUEBLO, Colo.—It’s often said that if you build it, they will come.
Lauren Burress has already arrived in the world of competitive kayaking, and now she’s brought her considerable game to Pueblo.
The 12-year-old Burress, fresh off her victory in the Nationals Junior Women’s Freestyle competition held in June at the FIBArk festival in Salida, has made the Arkansas River her home. Burress and her parents, Kathleen and Nathan, moved here strictly because of the Pueblo Whitewater Park.
“I thought it was a good opportunity for me to live here, to practice and better my ability,” Burress said. “There’s tons of different holes and waves, so you can practice different moves in different ways.”
And Burress has all the moves. In her fifth year of serious kayaking, she has shot through the sport to where, thanks to her win at the nationals, she qualified to represent the U.S. in junior women’s freestyle on the World Cup Tour in Europe this month.
This is the second time Burress’ parents have moved to better facilitate their daughter’s kayaking. Originally from Evansville, Ind., they relocated to Cleveland, Tenn., two years ago to be closer to the Ocoee River, a reliable source of whitewater.
In Indiana, the Burress family had to drive up to six hours every weekend to find rapids. With drought conditions looming for the near future in Tennessee, the family spent this summer in Colorado to scout out another potential new home.
“We moved to Pueblo just because of the whitewater park and we knew we could probably get jobs here,” Kathleen Burress said. “We don’t have a lot but whatever we have, we give to her. She’s always been just real special in everything she’s done.”
Nathan Burress picked up kayaking when Lauren was 8 years old, and she wanted to get in the water, too. She has since progressed to the point she is recognized as one of the best young freestyle kayakers in the nation.
When she was 11, Burress was one of 20 kids on Cartoon Network’s “Props” feature, which showcases children who excel in any number of activities. Through fan voting, six finalists are currently being selected.
“I don’t care if I’m a finalist, it was just really fun to be on TV,” Burress said. “I’ve been on the news before but that’s like, a major TV network. That was definitely really cool.”
Burress has won a slew of titles, but the most impressive have come the last two years. She won the 2007 Junior Olympics freestyle competition in Golden and at FIBArk, her family didn’t even realize a trip to Europe was on the line until after she won the slalom and freestyle.
“After I won, they asked if I was going to World Cup and I was like, ‘Wow!'” Burress said. “Since then, it’s pretty much all I’ve thought about all day, every day; to go to Europe, my routine for the competition, what I’m going to place—everything.”
The World Cup Tour runs Aug. 11 through Sept. 1 and takes place in Prague, Czech Republic; Augsburg, Germany; and the mountains of Switzerland. Burress has raised $1,000 of the $2,600 required to make the trip and is seeking donations to help fund the balance.
Bob Walker, owner of The Edge Ski, Paddle & Pack, was one of the driving forces in the Pueblo Whitewater Park becoming a reality. One realization of his dream was the park opening in 2005 and another is a family moving to Pueblo because of it.
“I’m tickled to death. In the big picture, it is exactly what I wanted to see happening,” Walker said. “I’ve talked to other people—not as popular as Lauren—who have done the exact same thing. They moved here because of the whitewater park.”
Walker said another advocate for the park has been four-time world freestyle champion and Olympian Eric Jackson, who conducted a clinic here last summer. Jackson Kayaks is one of 10 companies that sponsor Burress, usually providing equipment, not cash.
Jackson is usually at the same events as Burress, and he has been a big help in her quick ascent in the sport.
“If you paddle with him and ask him anything, he’ll help you out,” Burress said. “But I’ve pretty much learned everything I know from everybody I know. Anybody I’ve paddled with has helped me.”
Jackson said he is spearheading an effort to make freestyle kayaking an Olympic sport. Currently, slalom is the only medal event for kayaking in the Olympic Games.
Freestyle is an observed sport for Beijing and Burress hopes it will be a medal event for the 2012 games in London. She will be 16 then.
“What I really want to do is just work my way up through World Cup and to the Olympics,” Burress said. “If I place first (at worlds), it would be a dream come true. Hopefully, I can work hard enough and train hard enough to get there.”
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