Macy Kang: "Canoeing has shaped my life in so many ways"

Canoeing still lags behind rowing in terms of visibility but Macy, in her final year of study at Rushcliffe School, is determined to pioneer change and ensure paddling becomes a sport for the masses. 

“It’s such a different sport to the mainstream,” said Macy. “It’s hard to explain what it’s like without doing it yourself, but just the enjoyment of it, the friends that you make from it and the experiences that you get – getting to race abroad and everything – I love it so much. It’s unique and people don’t know it – you know what football is even if you don’t play football, but for a paddler, people will mistake it for rowing. No, it’s canoeing and it’s completely different! It’s a completely different sport, with obviously moving water and gates."

“It is irritating when people just say I’m a rower – it’s just so different! Because it’s quite a low-profile sport, people don’t know much about it unless they’re involved in the sport. The sport has shaped my life in so many ways – I think it’s just seeing yourself improve, and the investment that you put in get better results, is what drives me to keep training and keep going.” 

Macy trains at Holme Pierrepont Country Park and first started canoeing when she was spotted by a Talent Identification Programme at Rushcliffe School when she was in Year Eight. 

She soon made the transition onto the Super Regional Squad, before then getting called up to the England National Talent Squad (ENTS) as well as scooping gold at the British Championships at Under-14s level. 

Macy remains in the ENTS setup and diligently juggles her training with studying, currently undertaking A-Levels in Biology, Psychology and PE as she eyes up a place at the University of Nottingham. 

It’s a fine balancing act but Macy says combining interests in the classroom with those in the water is the perfect blend for success. 

“Biology, Psychology and PE all relate quite well to paddling,” she added. “I’ve definitely learned to be more disciplined and get my work done when I have the time. I have to be quite strict with myself and get stuff done as soon as I get given something so it doesn’t build up. It keeps me busy, so I don’t mind it. I quite like having schoolwork and paddling as two separate things, with different goals that I can work towards. I definitely want to keep my education going as well as paddling at the same time.” 

Macy, who looks up to heroes such as Mallory Franklin and Jessica Fox, is one of 10 athletes being financially supported by both SportsAid and Gateley - a leading legal and professional services group - as part of an innovative new partnership. 

The support provides both financial assistance and personal development opportunities for young athletes as Macy now targets selection for the Junior Great Britain set-up when trials come around in May. 

That can be a pathway to World Championships success and Macy, who has invested the initial injection of money on a cutting-edge new boat, says the impact of the partnership can catapult her to glory. 

“This year my goal is to make the Junior GB team and that’s why I get up in the mornings, and what motivates me to keep training,” she said. “Hopefully if I do make the team then I’ll get a result in the top 10 at the World Championships. That would be the ideal goal and would help me to progress forwards to the level higher than ENTS, which is the UK Programme." 

“It’s nice to know that people are supporting you, especially in sports like mine where the funding is not as great as in the higher-profile sport. Stuff like getting a new boat is really helpful as they’re quite expensive. It’s nice to know the support is going to help me progress and move up towards my goals. I’m thankful for that.” 

Gateley is a legal and professional services group working with forward thinkers and new talent, in both business and in sport. They are proudly partnering with SportsAid to give additional support to promising young athletes across the country in a variety of sports.