Ben Kvanli has taken his act on the road — or river, to be accurate.

The local San Marcos kayaker and former Olympian set off for Athens on May 22, meeting up with C-2 teammate and longtime friend Shaun Smith for the first of three stops in Europe that comprise the World Cup. Currently, Kvanli is in Munich and will also race at the Olympic course in Barcelona.

“It's inspirational and a lot of fun. These courses they've built are beautiful,” Kvanli said. “Athens will be new to me. I was in school (at Texas State) in 2003 when it was open, but I've competed on the others.”

Kvanli, who works at the local Power Olympic Outdoor Center off Interstate 35, recently competed in the National Team Trials, held this year in Southbend, Ind. Kvanli and Smith, as C-2 tandem canoe competitors, finished first in two of the three days of racing to qualify for the World Cup.

“This is kind of a new team,” Kvanli said. “Shaun and I don't have any international competition, but he's a better partner than I've ever had.”

Kvanli and wife Michelle Clements had recently been raising money to fund his trip to Europe, which cost an estimated $3,000.

“We do a lot of programs here, and all proceeds go to supporting athletes in training,” Clements said. “This year we knew about (the World Cup) ahead of time, so we tried to get something together.”

The USA Canoe and Kayak committee cut funding for C-2 racing following Kvanli's failure to compete in the World Cup last year, something Kvanli hopes will resolve itself with his participation this summer.

“USACK tries to do as much as they can, but they're going to fund their highest-ranking boats,” Clements said. “Last year, they saw that they didn't send a C-2, so they didn't pay for one.”

Clements, who also runs the OOC, said funding is usually split in half between the committee and the team itself — in this case Red River Racing, which Kvanli and others race under in various events.

“When they travel, they of course are under USA. That trumps anything else,” Clements said. “But Red River is what we race under for nationals, as well as with our junior Olympians.”

The team has also been helped by photographer Patrick Brown and graphic designer David Mouring, who are friends of Kvanli. Brown has traveled with Kvanly and Clements to Mexico on occasion, while Mouring has made efforts to land corporate sponsors.

“They've made it their mission to get me over there,” Kvanli said. “Between them and my wife, I feel like I'm on the wings of eagles. I want to do this for myself ,but for them as well.”

Kvanli hopes this year's World Cup marks the beginning of the road back to the Summer Olympics, where he raced men's kayak during the 1996 games in Atlanta.

“It's funny because in '96, I was the second-youngest kayaker, but now I'd probably be one of the oldest,” Kvanli said. “But the fact is, in this sport, the water is more powerful than you; it equalizes everyone. If you know the water, you can be the best, regardless of body type or anything else.”

Both he and Clements, who missed qualifying for this year's World Cup by one place, have their sights set on the 2008 games in Beijing.

“Back then, my family was surprised I was going. My mom had only seen one race before that, and the next thing you know she's watching me from the Olympics,” Kvanli said. “I was about 20 years old at the time and living alone in the mountains, but now I'm just glad to share my experience with the family and community.”

The Texas State graduate moved to C-2 following a changing of the guard within the division.

“(Kvanli and Smith) trained individually in slalom racing at first, and they had a lot of the same trainers,” Clements said. “Then some C-2 teams retired, so they thought, ‘why not.'”

Smith can, in part, lay claim to his partner's interest and success in the sport. It was his dad who, years ago, first introduced a young Kvanli to canoeing.

“Shaun's father knew someone from Scotland, and we all paddled the Comal River in New Braunfels,” Kvanli said. “A week later, I bought a boat, and I've been unstoppable since.”

 

Local athlete kayaks through Europe in World Cups
By Chris Boehm
Sports Editor