It is safe to say Moira Shire’s Nikita Carroll knows a thing or two about kayaking.
The local, who lives in Yarrawonga and studies in Cobram, is about to compete in the Paddle NSW Marathon State Championships in Canberra later this week.
For Nikita, the event will be the outcome of a journey that began when she was 12.
The now-17-year-old said she wanted to try kayaking because it was different.
“It was a different sport that was outside of your stereotypical sort of football-netball groups that I hadn’t been a part of,” she said.
“So it was something that I thought I could just jump in and give it a shot.”
Though kayaking is often seen as a fairly easy leisure activity, which, for many, is a rite of passage on school camps, Nikita said competitive kayaking was a whole different ball game, with the kayak itself being more difficult to control.
Nikita explained that this was because the K-type boats Nikita competes in, as opposed to the leisure kayaks, are built for speed and, therefore, are much thinner and lighter, which makes balancing harder.
Nikita transferred from the leisure kayaks to the K-type kayaks within six months of starting the sport and hasn’t looked back.
Though kayaking can be done in the ocean, rivers and lakes are Nikita’s domain, and marathon kayaking is her passion.
But marathon kayaking isn’t easy. Nikita said collisions happened due to there being up to 20 competitors and no individual lanes.
Also, compared to “normal” races, there was no warning when the starting gun goes off.
“They’ll just line up like 20 paddlers just in a big line and go ‘yeah, that line is good enough to start,’” she said.
“So it's really nerve-racking because there’s no set timer for ready, set, go.”
Competing in the Paddle NSW Marathon State Championships isn’t the only event that the local will have on her list of accomplishments.
"I’ve been to Nationals last year in 2023. I’ll go again this year. I’ve done Victorian State Marathons,” she said.
Along with the big state and national races, Nikita has also competed in smaller regional races.
Asked how often she practices, Nikita said she was out on the water four times a week.
Though getting to state level was no small feat, for Nikita it’s just a stepping stone to her ultimate goal.
“I'm looking to go to Worlds,” she said.
“Fingers crossed I get to Worlds this year. I'm in a relatively good position... (and) I definitely would like to get to international level at some point.”
As for anyone thinking about starting kayaking, Nikita said they shouldn’t hesitate to give it a go.
“If you think about doing kayaking, just get into it,” she said.
“Have a look at the clubs around the area. It’s easier to do kayaking in a club. But you’re certainly able to go out and learn by yourself."