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Hidden Talents:
Kayak Champion Now Navigates Campus Waters

Heather Warner '01 is an experienced kayaker who's even competed on the Junior Olympics level.

First-year student Heather Warner came to MHC from Lambertville, New Jersey, with her kayak--and can be found out on Lower Lake keeping her skills in shape as long as there is open water. Warner participated in the 1995 Junior Olympics in Wausau, Wisconsin, where her team placed third overall, and has been kayaking for five years.

"For years I did gymnastics and was Pennsylvania state champion for all-around, but as I got older and was spending more time on schoolwork, I felt I was missing too much gymnastics to stay in it." Her father and younger brother were avid kayakers so, finding herself between sports, she gave kayaking a try and stuck with it. Warner's brother also competes in kayaking events and the Junior Olympics.

"Before coming to college I spent the summer as an intern in North Carolina, working at an outdoor center that runs a kayaking program in conjunction with a racing club. I taught young children and trained extensively with Olympians and other kayakers," says Warner. "I also helped coach Junior Olympic athletes in the southeastern U.S." Warner expects to return to North Carolina next summer, where she hopes to be a paid staff member at the outdoor center and train in her spare time.

Since coming to the College, Warner has entered two races in New England and won both in her category. She's tried out some of the local water, including the Deerfield River and Zoar Gap in the upper Pioneer Valley. But for now, with a heavy academic schedule, she's content to do weight training, aerobics, and running to keep fit, and paddle on campus when time and weather allow. "I find that exercise is a good outlet for emotional tension, and going out on the pond helps clear my mind, in addition to its training benefits," she says.

Although Mount Holyoke does not have a kayaking club, Warner chose the College because she attended a very small high school and felt comfortable with MHC's close and homey atmosphere. Currently undecided on a major, Warner loves the outdoors and kids and is concentrating this semester on foreign languages, dance, and physics.