Steve Jorens earned a ticket to the Athens Olympics this past May as he qualified the men's K-2 500 with partner Richard Dober Jr. The pair joined forces in 2002 and made a big leap last year by qualifying for the world championships where they advanced to the semifinals.
Then this spring they qualified the boat for Canada with a win at the Pan American Olympic qualifier. They sealed the berth with another victory at the national team trials in Montreal.
This past winter they trained and lived together in Florida.
"It was really nice to put all your energies into the sport and not have to worry about anything else," said Jorens. "The more time you spend in the boat, the faster you get."
Jorens started paddling at age 16 after seeing an advertisement in a newspaper for the Richmond Hill Canoe Club. His younger sister Carly is a national team paddling prospect.
