Tyler Westfall Update 2021 Canoe Slalom World Cup
Prague, Czech Republic, Canoe Slalom World Cup 2021
After the completion of the team trials race in Charlotte, NC, I was seated 2nd overall behind our 2016 Olympic Boat, Michal Smolen. This meant that in Prague I needed, at minimum, a result in the top 20 banking on Michal not making the top 20 spot. I never like having to rely on things which I can’t control but in the end that’s how much of life works. We do everything in our power and keep our fingers crossed that the rest will work itself out. Unfortunately, things out of our control can at times keep us from even being able to participate in the things we can control…
I flew to Prague about a month and change in advance to get as much time on the course as I could, so as to give myself the upper hand on familiarity with the water and possible gate combinations. The first 3 days of paddling were amazing, the connection with the boat was sharp as ever, my stroke timing and sensation on the water was powerful and controlled, and I was getting to train with some of my friends who are locals at the course there and who were giving me great insight as to how to use the water and what moves to practice. But after the third day I woke up and as I went to lift myself out of bed I felt a sharp pain in my forearm.
Now, I’m accustomed to the aches and pains of being an athlete and the joint pain that comes with a sport as dynamic as slalom, but this was different. The pain was not at a joint, it was about 6” north of my thumb in the middle of my forearm. I choked it up to maybe having bruised it at some point without noticing and went on with my day. But when I tried to paddle the pain was surprisingly brutal, and then the area started to swell. I went home , iced it, rested the rest of the day and decided to try again the next only for the pain to be worse, so much so that I couldn’t barely flip an egg for breakfast. I tried paddling again that day with little success, and had started the search for a physical therapist. To spare you from the details of all of the treatments we tried and the process of it all I’ll just say that after a couple weeks of treatment the only thing we found that helped was rest. I had tendinitis and anyone who has struggled with that would probably agree they’d rather have a broken bone (which heals a LOT faster).
It was very difficult at first but we decided the best chance I had at being able to participate at the World Cup would be to rest the arm fully, and complete exercises on the cycle ergometer or running to stay fit. In order to stay mentally in the game and continue learning I would go to the course for a few hours a day and watch other paddlers train, take notes on what worked well and what others' common mistakes were. I would memorize other paddlers courses and close my eyes and visualize them. Or jog down the course and go through the movements while looking at the gates (one of the most entertaining things to watch as a bystander I’m sure). It was the strangest feeling because although I was not in the boat, I was feeling mentally very strong. I had no question about how a move should be done, how the combination would feel, where the most important places to hold back or push were. It was all clear as day and it ate away at me that I couldn’t jump in the water and do it.
Eventually the race was only a week and a half away and we decided that I should paddle through the pain for 3 sessions before taking a few days to let the swelling come down before the race. The session on the first day was not perfect, and was certainly painful, but I could tell that the sensation was there. The next two days got better and better and I was feeling snappy even though I was holding back my power to save my arm for the race. Having studied sports science I knew that a common psychological phenomenon in sport is self handicapping, or in other words intentionally giving yourself a reason not to perform at your best. For example maybe a runner doesn’t get to bed as early as he should the day before a race and after a disappointing finish can blame it on not having slept well instead of having to accept defeat.
Despite having a real handicap and not a self inflicted one, I was wary that this concept of accepting a lower performance because of a circumstance could cause me to actually perform worse. So, I instead took the mentality of not having anything to lose. I had put in 110% for the last few years and there is no way I was going to stop doing that just before the race. With nothing to lose, no expectations on me because of the injury, no bad trainings on the water to taint my view of a perfect run, just my visualizations and enough paddling to feel comfortable on the course. I had to let go, and do what I could in my control and let the cards fall where they may. First run I had a rough start of the race, it was the first time I had pushed all out in a while and the timing on the gates was a little off. I brushed it off and settled in for run 2. Taking the feelings from the first run, I recalibrated my visualizations. 2nd run came, the start timer went off and I layed down what ended up being a respectable run, not enough, but respectable, I had incurred 4 seconds in penalties which kept me out of semifinals and thus ended my chance to take a top 20 finish. I was disappointed without a doubt, but also proud of what I had accomplished, not necessarily at that race but in my preparations over the last years, and in my motivation not failing me when all I could do was watch. Because to be honest, it didn’t feel like I was the one to make the choice to continue pushing in whatever capacity I could, it felt like that was the only option and not one ounce of me questioned that or fought back against it. Michal went on to place 7th overall in Prague which gave him an automatic ticket to Tokyo, even if myself or my teammate Joshua had won the World Cup we wouldn’t have been able to take the spot from Michal because of the way the point system works out. So Michal ended up doing exactly what he needed to, without leaving anything up to chance or the luck or unluck of another athlete… the purest form of winning. Although it wasn’t me to do it, it was amazing to witness him lay it down exactly when it counted. There is a real magic around those moments where years of training culminate in a mere 90 seconds of perfection, not to say that he couldn’t have done better but as far as qualifying the spot, he did it perfectly.
Rest assured my time in Prague was certainly not a loss, I got to reconnect with many friends who, because of COVID, I had not seen in nearly 2 years, I got to eat delicious food and drink great Pilsner, and have the feeling of sitting on the start block of an international race again. I also believe that any opportunity to make a dream of yours come true whether or not achieved is an amazing moment. It’s close enough you can taste it, and failure to reach it is only one step closer to eventually realizing it. I’m far from finished chasing my dream, my body just needs some time to prepare itself for the next phase of training that will take me to that level.
Thank you to everyone who got me to this point, to York Ag, my family, and friends who have supported me unconditionally, those who shared wise words throughout this experience, and to everyone who believed I could do it despite the disadvantage; you weren’t wrong, it’s just gonna take a little more time.
Tyler
CANOE SLALOM WORLD CUP 2021
Tyler was preparing to compete at the 2021 World Cup in Prague, Czech Republic. Watch how Tyler was training hard for the top competition in the Canoe Slalom world.
CANOE SLALOM UPDATE - MAY 9, 2021
Tyler sends us an update a few weeks before the 2021 World Cup in Prague, Czech Republic. Watch his video update!
POST PRAGUE
UPDATE - MARCH 2022
Tyler shares with us his most recent Canoe Slalom stories since the World Cup that took place in Prague mid-2021.