Local paddler, Greg Foster, has his eyes firmly set on the International Canoe Federation (ICF) world championships June 14-19, 2027 in Sort, Spain.
Sitting Gull River side at the Minden Whitewater Preserve recently, Foster told The Highlander it had been a challenging year, despite qualifying for worlds.
Between work and family commitments, he said he had not been able to train as much as he would have liked this past year.
He added that water levels at the preserve have not been ideal.
“Most of the time, it’s too high.”
He said ‘too high’ is fine for river running, but not for practicing in places such as Earl’s Hole on the river. He’d prefer a notch and a half less on the water gauge.
He’s also struggled with injury. He had a couple of falls while skiing at Sir Sam’s Ski/Ride in the winter, resulting in shoulder injuries. He said he felt the after effects competing in Montreal in July, which impacted his kayaking. He failed to qualify in those disciplines.
“I’m not 18 anymore. It’s caught up to me a little bit. My body’s taking a little bit longer to recover than I would have liked. I just bear through the pain; did what I could do.”
Canadian athletes are selected to compete at ICF events – including worldclass competitions in Sort, a renowned whitewater destination – through the national team trials and ranking races hosted by Canoe Kayak Canada.
Foster has made the 2027 Freestyle National Team in OC1. It will be his second worlds after competing in the 2025 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships – in OC1 and C1 – in Plattling, Germany. He placed eighth and 16th respectively.
He’s starting to save up money and is always grateful of sponsorship. Foster said there isn’t a lot of funding for Ontario, or Canadian, athletes. He said his American peers get a lot of their expenses paid, such as flights, accommodation, and equipment.
That said, he added, “I’d like to thank Dave Gillespie, director of the whitewater preserve, for the encouragement over the years, as well as all the family support.”
With 10 months to go before Sort – and limited training in the Canadian fall, winter, and spring, Foster is trying to spend as much time on the river as possible. He is focusing on more bow control. He also recently moved to a new home where he can get some flat-water paddling in.
“Even though it’s not the river, it’s still helpful. Using the same muscles and developing that muscle memory.”
He is planning to spend at least a couple of weeks in Sort, arriving early enough to familiarize himself with the course. Last time around, he flew in the day before and was on the river the next day.
“I want to be on the feature for a couple of hours a day at least; just to get the feel for it. Then I have at least enough experience on the feature to be competitive. And I know that this feature is going to be a little bit more user-friendly because of water levels, and flattening.”
He said in Germany, water levels “were up and down and all over the map because of how they generate power over there.” It’s still a way off, but Foster said, “I am excited. I’m trying to keep my head in the game and not really get overconfident.”
