As a pro boater Darren often has to fill in profile reports, below are his answers to the questions that TEVA sent him for Athlete profiles. He just cannot wait to get to grips with the new line of shoes that arrive just before he goes to Nepal. The Himalayas are a great testing ground.
SPORT:Kayaking.
Do you have any rituals or superstitions with your sport? What are they? I dont have any rituals with my sport, but I make sure that I am always in the right mental state to perform.
What do you have love most about your sport? The freedom that kayaking offers.
What part of being on Team Teva do you like the most? I get to use the best footwear day to day to enhance my performance.
How old were you when you first started your sport? 12
If you could go anywhere in the world tomorrow for your sport, where would it be? Asia, I spend a great deal of time in Asia and would love to live in Kathmandu the Himalayan rivers are dream locations.
When’s the last time you got absolutely worked in your sport? Ive have a few close calls and I remember damaging my rib a few years ago...I also got a major pin under a tree this last season.
How do you get psyched up to compete? What gives you the best adrenaline rush? I dont compete but I get the best rushes from the horizon line of a big rapid, running into the unknown. I dont like the word psyched. I prefer to be in complete focus and control.
What’s your take on the progression of your sport? I love the fact that people are looking to the past to design things for the future. Kayaking is growing and this is opening many doors for many people.
If you could do your sport with anyone in the world, who would it be? Walt Blackader or Mike Jones kayakers who were lost on the river.
What’s the first thing you do after a session? I take on fluids and a nice meal, curry yum yum.
What’s your favorite video section for your sport? The early kayaking videos always rock my world.
What’s the sketchiest move you’ve done, or place you’ve done your sport? Ive made some hellish moves in Pakistan but I think the sketchiest move was running from some Maoists on on the eve of a terror regime.
What’s your training regime? Do you have any training or competition tricks? I eat well, drink flluids and get out in a boat as much as I can. I use protein suppliment to complete my diet.
LIFE:
Who is your hero? Anyone who pushes the envelope, from Woody Guthrie to the Buddhist monks of Burma. I admire those that follow the dreams of the heart.
What’s your guilty pleasure? Bad Sitcoms
Do you have any nicknames? DAZ, Sasquatch
What’s a little known fact about you? Im lsdyexic
What’s your biggest pet peeve? People kayaking in low low rivers. Worst habit? Taking the p***.
What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome? The bank balance.
What are you afraid of? I am afraid the most of loosing the feeling of freedom. I am afraid of loosing my free will.
Describe an embarrassing moment? It was back in 2004 we were walking up to a 1st descent river in Nepal, no one had been paddling hear before. I reached over to get some stuff out of my boat and lost all control of by bowel...
Where have you been in the world? India, Pakistan, Tibet, Morocco, Europe, Alaska, Canada, Tunisia, USA, Thailand and Norway.
What bones have you broken, stitches you’ve gotten, and battle wounds have you earned? Ribs have taken a beating, back is screwed, feet ache and bleed, fingers broken, stitches on my face from a boomerang...
What’s your personal website? http://www.purelandexpeditions.com/
INTERESTS:
Music lyrics to live by, and why: Gram Parson just check out the music or any Jimmy Buffett and hey you've gotta love Rev Hammer " With a breakfast at Dils Dinner and a camera and Swallows Falls, the Slate Caverns of Blaenau Ffestiniog..." these are my play ground.
What’s the ring tone on your cell phone right now? factory standard.
What’s your obsession, and what else do you spend money on, other than your sport? I spend a lot on fuel, and PURE LAND EXPEDITIONS is my obsession.
What CD is in your car right now? no CD player, radio 2 my friends.
What organizations or outdoors conservation groups have you worked with? I work with kids in the care system and support refugees from Tibet. Pure Land Expeditions is also eco aware and funds the growth of trees in a private woodland to off set our carbon footprint.
