Top canoeist Haley Daniels is bringing art and sport together in pursuit of her Olympic dreams.
This will be a particularly big year for the athlete — in 2017 it was announced that the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will include women’s canoe events for the first time in Olympic history, something that women canoeists worldwide have long been advocating for. Amateur athletes such as Daniels, though she’s earned the title as Canada’s top women’s canoe slalom paddler, need to raise close to $50,000 a year for a season of sport.
This year, she’s chosen to host a painted paddle auction, featuring sixteen paddles that have been custom painted by local artists.
“I think that artists and athletes have a lot in common,” said Daniels, while watching her brother sketch the outline of a deer on a paddle at his kitchen table.
“We have to have patience for our craft, you have to be very good at it to survive and you have to be passionate to strive through everything you have to get through as an artist and an athlete. So bringing sport and artistry together just made sense.”
Source: Calgary Herald.