In seven years of getting soaked and battling rough waters in his kayak, sophomore Brad Ludden has traveled twice to Chile, once to New Zealand and most recently to Ottawa, Canada, to compete against the best kayakers from around the globe. Now, the sport may take Ludden away from FHS — although he’s only a sophomore — to train in far-away New Zealand. Ludden’s coach runs a kayaking school in New Zealand, where Ludden may spend most of his second semester. This is the life of the of the number three junior kayaker in the world. Last July, Ludden was picked with three others as members of the U.S. Junior National Team, one of two members from the Western Region. Ludden and fellow teammates traveled to Ottawa, Canada, in August to face the best kayakers from 21 countries around the world. Despite the tough competition, Ludden’s strong finish earned him not only the number three ranking in the world, but a first place finish in the freestyle competition. “It was a lot of fun,” said Ludden of the competition. “I actually hung out with Germans most of the time.” Ludden’s parents, who are longtime kayakers, got him and his sister, Courtney, into kayaking when Brad was 11. Since then, he’s spent countless hours in the water improving his skills. “As far as coaching him, we can’t do anything now because he’s so much better than we are,” said Ludden’s mom, Jinny. “We just try to encourage him as much as possible.” Although Ludden’s parents didn’t make the trip to Ottawa, they hope to see their son in the World Championships in two years, when the event will be held in New Zealand or South Africa. Ludden is impressed with the many places he gets to explore that he’d never get a chance to see otherwise. Two years ago, he spent time at a kayaking academy in New Zealand. During his time there, he had the opportunity to be helicoptered into a river that was inaccessible by other means of travel. “The Perth River was totally remote,” said Ludden. “Kayaking was the only way out.” Besides kayaking some of the most amazing waters on earth, in New Zealand Ludden spent five hours in the classroom each day with tutors. In addition to his trip down under, Ludden has also spent time in Chile training with his coach. “It was definitely my first big trip,” said Ludden of his earliest Chile trip. “It was a good cultural experience.” Ludden would like to study independently while training, and at the same time gain sponsorship. “It’s a unique sport,” said Ludden. “It’s always an upward scale and there’s always new things to learn.” |
