Just 21 years old, Carrie is a San Diego native and has been actively involved in sports since she was just a baby.  She actually began swimming when she was only three months old!  She was also involved in soccer, dance and diving, and competed in gymnastics for 11 years.  When she was in junior high, she joined the San Diego Junior Lifeguard Program and was introduced to kayaking.  She started training with the San Diego Canoe and Kayak Team and realized that she had found her niche. 

Carrie first came to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in 1998 and started training seriously.  It required great dedication, as she went to various camps throughout the U.S., dividing training time between the Olympic Training Center, in Lake Placid and in Chula Vista. 

Sacrificing traditional education to travel and train, Carrie took classes at a high school in Lake Placid, had independent studies, and also attended classes in San Diego.  She graduated from La Jolla High School in 2002.

In 2003, Carrie battled a series of injuries and illnesses, suffering from pneumonia, elbow surgery, and was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.  As a result, she missed the World Championships, the Pan American Games and nearly three months of training.

Even that didn’t get her down.  When her body was ready, she came right back to the training center, put her boat on the water, and got back to business.

She lived and trained in Chula Vista all of 2004, fully devoting herself to the sport and the pursuit of making the 2004 Olympic Team.  It paid off.  She shocked the entire kayak field at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in winning the women’s K-1 500 and earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team.  She and her teammates also won the K-4 500m, and qualified their boat to the Olympics.

Like all athletes, Carrie dreamed of competing in the Olympic Games.  To actually be there for herself, knowing that she earned it, was completely surreal:

“I think there were two specific moments of the Olympics where I was completely stunned,” she recalled.

 “I remember when we walked into to the stadium for Opening Ceremonies, all of the American athletes walking in, hearing the chant ‘USA, USA’, the flags flying, the noise, the pride…it was such an amazing feeling, one I will never, ever forget.”

“The second moment was when I was out on the water, in my boat, getting ready for the start of the K-1 race.  I can’t even describe what it felt like to look around me, see the other girls getting ready, hear the coaches shouting final words of encouragement.  I can still feel the anxiety and emotion when I think about it!”

Carrie took 10th place in both the K-1 500 and in the K-4 500 in Athens.  Her teammates in the K-4 boat were: Kathy Colin, Lauren Spalding and Marie Mijalis.

“Now that I’ve been to the Olympics and have experienced it for myself, I can understand what it is all about.  It makes me want it that much more.  I’ve seen the best and can appreciate what it takes to compete and succeed at the elite level.”

Following the Olympic Games, Carrie came back to San Diego and did what she always does:  work.  She went to school, trained, and traveled. Unsurprisingly, Carrie’s 2005 season was not only very busy, it was also very successful.

At the first big competition of the year, the U.S. Team Trials, Carrie cleaned house, winning the K-1 500m, the K-2 500m and the K-4 500m.  She was first in the K-1 500m and the K-1 1000m at the Pan American Championships and ended the year with an 8th place finish in the K-1 500m at the 2005 Canoe/Kayak World Championships.

Today, Carrie is back on the grounds of the Olympic Training Center, once again focused on the five Olympic rings and making the 2008 Team.  She is under the guidance of National Sprint Kayak Coach Nathan Luce.

“I’m so excited about Nathan being our coach,” she said.  “He has such a refreshing outlook on all aspects of our training and racing strategies.  I think he’s
going to be absolutely wonderful for this program.”

Coach Luce echoed the same praise for Carrie. “She has all the tools that it takes to be an elite-level athlete,” he explained.  “Carrie dedicates herself 100% to the prescribed training program and does not neglect any components of the plan.  Couple that with great mental toughness, and I think she will be producing world class results for years to come.”

In addition to training, Carrie attends the University of California-San Diego and hopes to graduate in 2007 with a biochemistry degree.  Her other hobbies include reading, making scrapbooks, and painting.

A busy girl with a bright future, Carrie makes each day count.  And as the calendar days go by, she gets closer and closer to reaching her dream…the Olympic podium.