The bellowing of “keep work” might not resonate with every single athlete – but to paddlers Evan Volpini, Cole Macey, Lucas Gilpin and Mateo Volpini, it means the world.

Now almost two decades into the Canadian segment of her lifelong journey of coaching sprint kayakers and canoeists, Helen Savin, a former member of the national team staff in Kazakhstan has developed a wonderful grasp on the English language – even if the occasional “Helen-ism” finds its way into her sporting lexicon.

“Helen is the only reason we are going to nationals,” stated 17 year old Evan Volpini, the senior of the quartet and the only post-secondary student of the group, tackling the math program at Waterloo University beginning next month.

“On the water, she’s tough,” added Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School senior Lucas Gilpin. “She wants you to push yourself as hard as you can. Off the water, you can really talk to her – she always makes sure you are having fun and want to stay committed to the sport.”

“She is aggressive with you, but it’s more about encouragement – there is constant motivation,” summarized Cole Macey.

Of course, if you talk with the coach, she will deflect the accolades back to the athletes who are right in the middle of competing at the 2021 Canadian Sprint Canoe Kayak Championships in Ottawa.

The past 18 months of the pandemic have been difficult, but they have certainly not been fruitless for this crew of devoted athletes. “In the winter, we all trained alone,” said Volpini. “We have a weight room in our basement, so I ended up doing a lot of weights, doing runs outside and using a paddling machine at the house.”

“Since I trained pretty hard in the winter, I was already feeling kind of ready. I felt pretty good, going out on the water.”

Qualifying in each of the 200m, 500m and 1000m distances, Volpini can easily recite the one critical component that will garner his entire attention at the start line of each and every race.

“For me, it’s mostly about blocking everyone out and focusing on yourself, just trying to go for a time in your head,” he said. “If you gauge off the other paddlers, it can really affect your race – maybe heading off with someone who starts super fast. It’s hard not to notice the other racers, especially in the first half of the race – but you’ve got to block them out.”

His competition completely wrapped up this week, Volpini had his best showing in the 1000m event, finishing third in both his preliminary heat and the semi-finals and qualifying for the “A” final.

He would add appearances in the “B” final in the 200m and the 500m, placing fifth in the latter, just back of athletes from Oakville, Lac-Beauport and Pointe Claire (Quebec), as well as Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

In terms of off-season preparation, Lucas Gilpin was forced to take a different tack.

“I don’t have weights to train on (at home), so I kept up with my running and my cardio,” said the 16 year-old paddler. “There wasn’t a huge change in my paddling, but I’ve definitely sped up. I can tell based how I am able to keep up with everybody at practice.”

Though the pandemic has taken a toll on plenty of young athletes, Gilpin pointed to the global phenomena as a source of motivation. “I’m definitely more dedicated than I was before,” he said. “I was pretty dedicated prior to this, but I think now I’m really committed to the sport.”

“I’m really excited for the winter because I’ll actually have the chance to train with weights, which should help me improve a lot.”

Gilpin finished 6th in a heat of nine competitors Friday in the K-1 1000m, with his 200m heat set for early Sunday morning.

A multi sport athlete prior to picking up competitive sprint kayak two summers ago, Cole Macey is still tinkering with the physical requirements that will help him excel on the water. “I don’t think I was ever super strong, maybe a little above average, but with doing cross country or soccer or hockey, I’ve always had good stamina and endurance,” he said.

“It’s a mixture of things that helps make me a good paddler.”

Competing in all three distances in the nation’s capital this week, Macey is at his most confident when the race distance is at its most compact. “I like the 200m because I have a good start,” he explained. “It’s about the placement of the paddle – some people are not prepared right off the start.”

“If you are strong and get a good rhythm, right off the bat, it helps. And your legs push the boat. It’s easier to pick up a higher stroke rate if the boat is already moving versus a dead start.”

Macey captured his first heat in the 1000m, clocking in with an impressive time of 4:27.95, but could not match that a couple of hours later in the semis. He still has the 500m (Saturday) and 200m (Sunday) to round out his schedule in the U16 division.

Topping off the Sudbury contingent is Mateo Volpini, a couple of years younger and somewhat less experienced than his older brother. “I had already come to the Canoe Kids camp when I was younger; I knew about the sprint team, but the fact that Evan was already on the team definitely influenced me to join.”

Competing in the U16 division as well, but in what would amount to his “minor” (first year) of the two year bracket, Volpini is understandably pleased with the past few months that he sees as a foundation for 2022.

“When you are in the younger age group, you tend to go for times more than placement,” he noted. “The next year, you go for placement. This summer, I was fully expecting not to do amazingly, but then getting second and third in my first regatta, I was super stoked. I wasn’t expecting to do as well as I had.”

Apparently, just like the others, he had followed the mantra of “keep work” – just as they should.