Myriam was the best friend of my kayaking buddy Francois. Her happiness was
beyond me. We started dating in college, and we are still together. I knew she
was who I wanted to build my life with. Myriam has been a huge part of who I
am today. We have endured hard times, but her optimism towards our goals has
helped me to reorient my values and charge hard towards living a good life
with joy. She accepts my past, and knows my strengths and weaknesses. I want
to continue to work at my paddling, and she is working towards an incredible
career in Health and Safety. We help each other attain what we need to
achieve our goals.
KS: Stakeout still takes place in a lot of big wave, big party towns. How do
you deal with your past given the scene in kayaking today?
LPR: Returning to Dolbeau was a “face your demons” type of deal. It is where
most of the best big river waves of the world are – ten are on the Mistassibi alone
- but it was also home to the screaming past I left behind. Reconnecting with
the old friends was a must-do, as now I’m often in town. I’m grateful, as a dream
of mine had been to reach out to them again. Some, I could feel, felt forgotten
or abandoned. I’m very stoked that my childhood friend Tijay began kayaking
and is now on a chase your dream mission. Kayaking gave me the taste for
something else. You can’t be lazy. You are always on your toes. Every beatdown
is a rebirth when you push through it. Since I moved to Chicoutimi, I have had
some “rechutes” and down periods, but nowadays I don’t really drink, and it’s as
if drugs don’t exist for me anymore. I can easily decline and I’m stoked on the
party without it. Especially now that I have kids, the hangover isn’t really worth it!
I would definitely tell the younger crowd that growing up too fast is not healthy
and trying to do so could end up slowing you down.
KS: You must have had a pretty strong relationship with your dad to choose
to stay with him so young. Has he been an inspiration for you in raising your
own kids?
LPR: My dad was my first inspiration because he was doctor working to help
people. When we were young, my dad was the funniest person I knew. He would
come in the kitchen some mornings with the video camera recording and ask us
the weirdest questions. His stoke was full on, and he is still the most hard-working
person on planet Earth. For years, he did the workload of three doctors. He was
born in a poor family in Abitibi, QC. He and his twelve siblings are all hard labor
professionals like nurses, engineers, dentists, etc. They went through crazy family
drama, and three died young, but the family mantra is: when in pain, work hard.
Always keep the head up, be proud and go for it, whatever it is. But like any hero,
my dad made mistakes. It is something I had to come to terms with on my own,
and figure out how to be my own style of parent.
KS: You seem to be taking an incredibly creative approach to
parenting. This past winter you and the family took off on a six-month
tour of the US and Mexico. What was it like? How did it go?
LPR: The trip was so amazing. It was stressful at times, but we made it pretty
smooth. The plan was to take off on paternity leave with two kids under
five and a three-month old baby, in a box camper with SUPs and kayaks.
We left in November 2016 and drove from Canada to Mexico on the east
coast. We came back up via the west coast in time for the 2017 Stakeout
season. Myriam was the most keen about Mexico. Without telling me, she
booked a small villa in Yucatan with her parents for a Christmas reunion,
so we had to go, haha. Mexico is a great country, and I’m beyond stoked
to have traveled through so many different regions with great whitewater.KS: What did you learn in that trip? Has anything changed for you as
a result?
LPR: The trip taught me to believe in my family’s ability to achieve great
projects together. The kids grew smart and confident from the experience,
and I can’t thank life enough to have such a badass family. I’m stoked!KS: How do you cope with being both a parent and an extreme
athlete?
LPR: At first it was rough on me because everyone was telling me how I
would have to stop kayaking the way I do when I had kids. This kind of
mentality never really resonated with how I see myself in this world. With
or without a family, I aim to play hard and be safe. At some point in your
kayaking career you will face life threatening situations, and having kids
doesn’t change the fact that you want to be alive at the end. Why can’t
a dad push himself? Do you stop being who you are because you change
diapers? If so, you may end up being sad and full of regrets for a long time.
How your kids influence your boating is a personal choice.KS: Are there moments when it is time to push it hard and take risks,
when you think maybe it’s not worth it?”
LPR: When I think about the kids on the river, it is normally when I am in a
bad situation, not when I am deciding whether or not to run a rapid. The
kids and Myriam don’t know how to scout a rapid. Even if Myriam can see
when it’s stout, she would never object to my decision because she trusts
my judgment. I think most rapids are worth a try because even a bad line
can make you a better paddler, but if my skill set isn’t there yet, I walk. I
think it is a good evaluative approach. I am always trying to find creative
ways to get down a river. Obviously, safety first, but this may vary from crew
to crew, rapid to rapid, day to day.Low water
Molly
Wave. One
challenge
of a greener
wave is using
a tow rope
to surf on.