Red, white, and blue with a little green, too.
Emboldened by months of intense training, Walker Edens ’25 and Grey Edens ’25 gave it their all Saturday in the kayaking hotspot of Columbus, Georgia. Walker qualified for the K1 junior men’s national team by placing third at the USA Freestyle Canoe/Kayak World Championships Team Trials. Grey will be the U.S. team’s first alternate by virtue of his fourth-place showing.
“I’m really happy with the result,” Walker said by phone Monday.
“I know I could have done better, and I think I will do better at the world championships in October. We’ve worked really hard for this for months. We’ve been locked-in and really gotten 10 times better (recently).”
Columbus has become a home away from home for Walker and Grey, especially when the weather turns warmer. That’s when many weekends will consist of the Edens brothers loading up their boats for a road trip, so they can practice tricks in the whitewater of the Chattahoochee River.
The Edens brothers are from Charlotte. When the siblings are unable to access whitewater, they often practice their technique on the still water of Christ School Lake.
The World Championships in freestyle kayaking have been held every odd year since 2007. This year’s competition will include athletes from nearly 20 countries and take place in October, again in Columbus.
Walker said the communal aspect of the sport is what makes it so appealing. He was introduced to kayaking as a young boy and has only been serious about the sport for about six years.
“It’s very competitive, but everyone also sees each other as friends,” Walker said. “Everyone cheers everyone else on and that makes it a really close-knit community.”