Kayak Session Magazine — Fall 2017

INTERVIEW

Not having fun or enjoying training for your sport can mean doing things for

the wrong reasons. One day when this parent was coaching us, my training

partner was kicking too low. After asking him several times to change, I got angry.

I prepared to kick him so fast and strong in the next exchange that he would

KO, but I missed, and ended up injuring myself. That was it. At age thirteen, as

the second place national champion, injured muscles, including my right psoas,

meant that I was done with competitive Taekwondo. It took me 13 years to get rid

of the pain from a constantly moving L4-L5 and a pinched femoral nerve.

KS: Do you still miss Taekwondo, or has kayaking been able to fill that gap

for you?

LPR: Taekwondo defined who I was, and when I stopped, I lost a little bit of my

sense of self. Kayaking helped me to rediscover that and get back to who I really

was. It took time for that to happen, and I don’t want kayaking to ever be all that

defines me. It is one of the reasons I want to be a well-rounded paddler who does

all styles and types of paddling, not just freestyle or creeking. Although kayaking

fills in need for fear and the fulfillment of accomplishment, there is nothing quite

like fighting. The best example is watching a fight on T.V., which I try to avoid. It

gives me goosebumps. The nerves in my legs get an adrenaline rush, and my

whole body is jealous of those in the ring. I miss the feeling of pushing my body to

its maximum limits that I would get from fighting. It’s hard to describe the pain you

get from training and competing. If you win gold in Taekwondo, you might not

be able to practice for a week because of the bruises or broken bones, but that

beaten-up feeling was also part of winning. If I feel that kayaking, it is because I

beatered, and did not stay upright, haha.

KS: You have mentioned that you went through a pretty rough patch in your

past, using drugs, partying a lot. Are you comfortable talking about it?

LPR: After I injured myself and wasn’t able to compete in Taekwondo anymore,

a really dark period started for me. Around that time, my parent’s union started

collapsing, and the next few years were the end of my childhood world, the end

of the dream my parents had for our life as a family. My mom eventually left with

my younger brother and sister, while I stayed with my dad. The war between my

parents got so intense that at one point I didn’t see my mom, Oli or Laetitia

for three months. Life was full of lawyers, lies, and fights over who was going to

have custody. My mom painted me as the imitation of my dad, swearing that

I would end up alone. I became my dad’s confidante. Shit was pretty heavy

and haywire for being 15 years old, and partying became an outlet for the

rage, frustration and fear.

Like a lot of people I’ve done drugs. In part, probably because the drug culture

where I come from was a duality. It was black or white. Either you were an

innocent, or you were a drug addict. There was no gray zone, which is pretty

sad. I started smoking weed when I was 12, which is too young in my opinion

now, but my best friend and neighbor was four years older and rebellious, so

I got on that program. Weed is now more accepted socially, but during my

teenage years in Dolbeau, at least in the school system and even at home,

weed was seen as the gateway to big stuff like acid, cocaine, and the end of

your life... or the beginning of it.

You know, I come from a good family; my dad is an optometrist and my mom

worked in the business with him. We grew up in a really healthy environment

near a big river in the forest, but when all that breaks to pieces, nobody is ready.

Madness can take over, and you end up facing life and experimenting with

what’s in front of you. Even with a good base, strong family roots and athletic

knowledge, I somehow ended up with cocaine in front of me. I was heartbroken,

had lost all sense of living, and definitely went too far.

To put it in perspective, Dolbeau has some part to play in this equation. It has

become known in the kayak scene as a big-water kayaking destination, but it’s

truly a party animal environment, on and off the water. And what does the party

animal need to keep the party going from Wednesday to Saturday? You get the

idea. I wish more people in Dolbeau were kayaking rather than partying.

KS: That is a pretty heavy load to deal with as a teenager. How did you

manage to extricate yourself?

LPR: Even at my most intoxicated, I’ve never lost sense of who I truly am. At 17, I

had to get out of town. I had fought with some of my best friends; my dad had

a new girlfriend, and was dealing with some new projects. I left, even though he

wanted me to stay. I had to face the truth, and my Mom and siblings were living in

Chicoutimi. College seemed all right and I liked the style of the town. So, I decided

to take a step back and make huge changes. I realized I was at rock bottom, and

had to work to relearn the magic touch I had had prior. The Chicoutimi chapter

came to life. I made friends in class, joined the college volleyball team and met a

few girls, but one girl was out of the ordinary.

“FOR ME,

KAYAKING EQUALS

MAXIMUM

FREEDOM OF

CREATIVITY.”

West Coast

roadtrip goods.

Outlet Falls.

Photo: Pat

LaChatte

Productions

Post paddling

activities

with the QC

brothers...spin

kicking cans!!!