Henry Hyde
A member of the U.S. National Kayak Team, 12-year old Henry Hyde of Littleton, Colo., has already won two National Championships, and he has broken into the top-ten rankings overall age classes.
Like Sage, Henry has his eyes on the 2016 Olympic Games. On the way, he will continue competing in all disciplines of whitewater, including creeking, freestyle and river running.
“I take it really seriously,” Henry said. “Being in a kayak is fun and I just like being in the water. I love the water and when I got into kayaking, I knew it was my sport.”
That was a long time ago, as Henry started paddling at age 3. He paddled his first river water at 4.
Henry shrugged concerns about competing against adults twice his size and age. “It doesn’t really intimidate me. It’s more of a motivator and makes me want to try harder to beat them,” he said.
Henry will compete in the kayak freestyle, steep creek championship, and down-river sprint events at the GoPro Mountain Games in June. He also plans to act as an “8-Baller” in the 8-ball kayak sprint.
“My goals are to not get killed in the 8-ball comp and have fun in all the events and do the best I can,” he said.
—Follow our full coverage of the 2013 GoPro Games via the ‘Live at the Games’ channel, presented by Gerber. See you in Vail!
