Insight from Oscar Chalupsky

Are these victories feeling even sweeter as you enter your mid-forties a time when most people slow down athletically yet you are still hanging with and beating the “young guns?” Yes I must say they are but then again I always go in expecting to win.  This may seem a little arrogant for my age but I truly believe I still have it in me to win at the highest level.  I do sometimes have a sense that I’m not as fast as the young guns at least on flat water pieces.  Barton also reminds me of this when I take him on in the flats in a K1.  But I have a big match temperament and know how to win and that can count for a lot.

How has your training routine altered/adapted over the years?  Do you find yourself needing to focus more on certain areas? I have always incorporated many different sports into my training and overall fitness regiment and I have always tried to excel in all of them.  This is as true today as in my 20’s.  One of my new favorite cross training activities is mountain biking.  I used to do a lot of triathlons and played water polo at an international level.  I still play water polo but at a provincial level.  I also play golf now which I didn’t do in my so called prime. I think I am more sophisticated in my training approach incorporating new technology such as heart rate monitors and the Garmin GPS.

Do you think the evolution of the sport and its technology has helped keep you at the forefront? (i.e. Garmin training devices new ski designs sports drinks etc.). I nearly went into that question above as I think that has helped considerably. The gadgets are more than just toys and give me more than just a psychological boost.  My times keep on improving with these new training aides when technically I should be slowing down.  I can work out precisely and efficiently.  I love the way I can look back on my Motionbase info from past training and races. I know that my paddling equipment and especially the boats have helped me a lot but they have been helping everybody as well.  I drink Cytomax during my training and races and I know this has also helped in my recovery from big training sessions.

You’re thought of as a master of big seas and have an incredible feel for the ocean.  Was this something that came naturally to you or developed through a lot of time and practice? I think it is both.  I believe a competent and committed paddler can learn the skill of paddling downwind.  Look at Bevan Mason who didn’t live next to the beach and did not grow up doing surf life saving.  He has come on in leaps and bounds. To give you an example: when I did my 1^st down with him in January 2007 I could beat him downwind without even paddling.  I was actually faster than him paddling once every 1 minute.  Bevan is now a world class downwind paddler. This shows that you can put in the time and pick up the skills to be a good downwind paddler.  I have been in the sea since I was 4 years old and was one of the best surf ski paddlers in the world at age 14. I guess I could say I have some natural talent nurtured by lots of practice time on the sea.   Take Bevan’s experience he did every session I did for 4 months and he improved to a very good level. You have to put in the time.  It will take him another year or 2 to get to be the best

What do you think of the young “up-and comers” you’re seeing out on the sea today? Well the only guy that showed promise and was actually young was Clint Pretorius 22. He is now loosing the plot and as such is not doing that well anymore. Young is relative; if you call 29 young then the most talented are Hank Mcgregor Tim Jacobs Matt Bowman and Dawid Mocke.  They are all 29 and very talented downwind.  They are also fast flat water paddlers. I think they all have huge potential but in big oceans they still have a bit to learn. They will be a threat to me in the next 2 to 3 years depending on how they train and push themselves to the next level.

Where do you envision the sport of surf ski heading?  What can to be done improve the races on the circuit and develop more throughout the world? I think the world circuit is going well but it isn’t 100% cemented.  We need a formal governing body to really push things forward and make it take off.  The popularity of the sport has been impressive over the last few years.  It is becoming popular even in cold climates as it is far safer than sea kayaking.  If you don’t get your roll down you can die in a sea kayak.  With a surf ski you can hop back on and keep paddling.  I also think we must change the name. Surf ski is the wrong term and will not take off globally. It must be called Ocean Kayak Racing or something along those lines.  What is a surf ski in all the languages around the world? When somebody buys a kayak he will never Google surf ski as it is not related at all. Ocean Kayaking is very much related and it is something they can understand having just bought a kayak. It is like calling Mountain biking “trail surfing”. Do you think the sport of mountain biking would have taken off if the sport was called “Trail Surfing?”  When you Google surf skis you get 10 000 related articles and sites and 50% of those are for surfing and skiing!!!!!!! If you Google kayaking you get 6 million sites and articles.