Tasmanian paddler Fergus Page-Brown is as happy to go with the flow with regards to his international prospects as he is on his state’s numerous cascading rivers.
Reflecting on a blossoming career as he prepares to contest his last world championships as a junior, the 17-year-old sets himself solid targets but remains determined not to lose the passion which initially attracted him to the sport.
“In the future, I’ll take it as it comes and see where I go,” he said. “I’d like to keep pushing for spots on the under-23 team next year, then go from there.”
Before then, Page-Brown hopes to make a statement at the ICF Junior Canoe Slalom World Championships in Krakow.
“I’m really excited, it’s going to be great. It’s my last year of juniors so I’m hoping to be quite competitive. I’ve had a couple of years of taking in the whole experience but now I’d like to push a bit more towards a higher ranking.
“I would love to make a final in either kayak or canoe. It would be great to be up there in the top 10 paddlers racing for a medal.”
The long road to Poland, which will also take in Italy and Slovakia, began when Page-Brown and his brother joined a program at Hobart’s Derwent Canoe Club.
“My parents had paddled a bit and wanted to get back into it,” he said.
“I just loved the raw nature and adrenaline rush of going down whitewater.”
Having already graced last year’s junior world championships in France, Page-Brown has also competed in canoe world cup events, collected gold medals at Oceana juniors and at April’s national championships in Penrith won junior C1 and K1 titles with top-10 finishes in both open events.
State coach Louis Hannon said the Hobart talent has reaped the rewards of exploring his state’s excellent paddling locations.
“Fergus is very good at finding nice lines and picking his strokes and is quite comfortable on bigger water such as Bradys Lake,” Hannon said.
“Coming from Tasmania, paddlers have a big whitewater background from where they run rivers, so his strength is in reading the water.”
Page-Brown is already a veteran of such Tasmanian whitewater locations as Bradys Lake and Butlers Gorge in the Central Highlands plus the Cataract Gorge and the Wilmot, Derwent and Forth rivers and frequently shares his high-adrenalin experiences on YouTube.
“Something I really love about the sport is the places it takes me. You get to see some really cool places throughout Tasmania and get to go to these awesome places overseas. It’s just always having fun.”
Along with Kate Eckhardt, Hamish Dalziel, Freya Boocock and Claire Clements, Page-Brown is a Tasmanian Institute of Sport paddling scholarship holder and grateful for the support he has received.
“I’ve had so much help from the TIS in the last few years,” he said. “Having gym access and a strength and conditioning program has been awesome as well as (them) funding my racing and the events that I go to.”
Article by Rob Shaw.