Robyn Kime may well be one of the ultimate female all-rounders that South Africa has ever seen, and she is only 22 years old. She finished her career at Epworth High School for Girls in 2007, as not only their sportswoman of the year, but also their Dux.
Since then, she had won three editions of The Unlimited Dusi Canoe Marathon, two with Abbey Ulansky (Miedema) in a double canoe, and one in a single. To do this, you would assume she is a professional sportswoman, and that that is all she does, but no – she is currently doing her masters in Civil Engineering at Stellenbosch University. We caught up with this wonder woman at home in Jonkershoek in the Western Cape.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born and grew up in Pietermaritzburg, where my father worked in forestry and my mother taught swimming lessons. My brother, Lance, is just a year and a half younger than me, so we grew up together and have always been close.
As a family, we were very active and often went on mountain bike rides and hikes. We spent many weekends and holidays in the Drakensberg, on the Wild Coast and exploring other exciting places.
I went to high school at Epworth, where I was exposed to adventure sports and started canoeing.
Where is home for you now?
I am currently living with my boyfriend of three years, Mike Owen, on a farm cottage near Jonkershoek just outside Stellenbosch.
Do you have any pets?
We technically don’t have any pets of our own, but Humphrey and Coco – the two dogs who live on the farm – hang out at our cottage whenever we are home and take us for a walk around the farm every morning.
You are currently studying for you MSc in Civil Engineering. Why Civil Engineering and what comes next?
At school I was good at Maths and Science, so Engineering seemed a good choice of degree and Civil just sounded like the best option. I’d like to do some travelling as soon as I can after I’ve finished my masters, and after that settle into a nice job.
What makes you paddle?
I love being on rivers. The rapids are exciting and the places we paddle through are often beautiful. More recently I also paddle for the racing and competition aspect, and to try make a little money out of it.
How has paddling helped you define yourself as a person?
Paddling is probably what defines me for most people, but for me it is just something that I love to do. It has definitely taught me many important lessons and has played a big role in shaping my life so far, but it’s just one aspect of my life.
How do you mentally prepare yourself for a highly competitive multi-day race?
I firstly make sure that I’m fully prepared logistically, so everything is organised and I don’t stress about silly things going wrong. Then I go over the route in my mind; make sure I know where I have to go and how to shoot each rapids. And then I just relax and try to not think about the race too much.
How do you motivate yourself in a race if things are not going smoothly?
In river races things don’t generally go smoothly all of the time so after a hiccup all you can do is sort it out as best you can and then keep going. If everything always went smoothly it would be boring.
Which is your favourite race?
I love all the races for different reasons – and one of the things I love most about paddling is the variety between the different races so it’s difficult to pick a favourite. The Dusi is special for me because it’s a big thing in PMB and has an amazing atmosphere surrounding it. I also really enjoy the extra dynamic that the long portages introduce.
You have won the last three Dusi’s in a row, in both K1 and K2. How are you training to ensure that you are ahead of the pack again this year?
I haven’t started training yet but will just do the same thing I’ve been doing for the past few years.
Who do you think will be the biggest threat to making it four Dusi’s in a row?
I’m not sure who will be racing yet so it’s too early to say. Maybe Abby Adie?
Who is your greatest paddling inspiration?
Abbey Ulansky (Miedema) – she taught me everything I needed to know to win a Dusi.
Why should people paddle?
If you like adventures and a bit of a challenge then paddling is an awesome sport. It takes a little while to initially get your balance but once you’ve got the basics it’s a lot of fun and you improve so quickly. The Dusi is a great adventure and challenge and I’d recommend it to everyone to do at least once in their lifetime.
How can people follow your racing progress?
I’m not very good at tweeting and blogging but I’m slowly working on it. I’m on twitter @robynkime/ @TeamBest4 and I have a blog address (robynkime.blogspot.com) but haven’t got very far with it yet.