go with the flow but crash when you need to, be beautiful on the surface but have depths far below

I can’t think of a better way to kick off the new year by reflecting on the year that has passed. I remember at the end of 2022 my friends and family told me that 2023 was going to be my year… I remember appreciating their encouragement and support, but ultimately my support crew was not wrong. 2023 was one of the most incredible years of my life and I am extremely grateful for every day that I was able to breathe, feel the wind in my hair, and truly live this past year.

January 2023

I packed my things and moved to California to live on Morgan Hoesterey’s sailboat to train full time with the Performance Paddling crew. You can read more about my training experience here. I learned so much more about myself as an athlete and as a person during my time in California. I learned that I can live such a happier and healthier life with so much less. I only needed a sail over my head, a jet boil to cook my food, a good community to paddle with, and a paddle in my hands to be content. I truly don’t believe I will ever be able to find the words to describe how grateful I am for Morgan, Anthony, and the PPSUP group for welcoming me with opening arms last winter and for supporting me in every way possible. California will forever and always be another home away from home.

Training in the pool with Waterlogged Adventures

February 2023

When my papere passed away in early February my mom called me with the news, and told me that the funeral was less than a week away. For a moment I was devastated… losing a family member, as well as facing the realization that my off-season training in California was about to get cut short. When I had told Anthony that I was leaving early, he pulled me aside after practice and we chatted about finding a sponsor to help me come back to California. The next day Performance Paddling came together and sponsored me a flight back to California so that I could continue my off-season training with the group. I’ll always get emotional thinking about just how much everyone in the group cared for me enough to allow me to come back and train and essentially support my athletic development. I didn’t just gain a group of awesome people to train with but I gained a family. I’ll never be able to repay the paddlers who make up Performance Paddling or express my endless amount of thankfulness.

Trying In-n-Out burger for the first time!

March 2023

I spent my third and final month of off-season training in California paddling with PPSUP, SUP surfing with my friend Andy, doing breath-work training with Morgan, and getting ready for Tahiti in April. I didn’t know what was going to happen in Tahiti other than that we were going to paddle with Morgans friend Stefan that lived there. Little did I know… I was about to participate in an event that was going to change the rest of my life.

The PPSUP Crew

April 2023

The month of April felt like a marathon. Morgan and I arrived in Tahiti April 4th and stayed for exactly one week. During that week we stayed with Puatea Ellis and her incredible family Angelo and Mataiva. We surfed a reef break close to her home on the first day, then got ready to compete in the HUH Ultra Waterman Tahiti Tour over the weekend on the island of Huahine. You can watch my recap of the event here. I have never done anything that insane athletically in my whole life! It was the most intense competition I have ever participated in, and yet I finished in second place! Tahiti taught me that I am a strong athlete and I can finish anything I set my mind to. I also learned that with anything in life it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish, and making sure to finish the task with a smile on your face.

HUH Ultra Waterman Tahiti Tour 2023

After Tahiti I packed my things and flew to Seattle, then Vancouver, and drove to Tofino to compete in the Rip Curl CSA Surf Nationals event to grab a spot for Team Canada in SUP Surf. My tiredness from all of my travels was starting to catch up to me, and when the day of the event came I didn’t have a lot of energy to give into my SUP Surf performance. I finished in fourth place in my opening heat and feeling so down on myself and my horrible result. I flew back to Ontario reflecting on how to improve my surfing and looking forward to Carolina Cup that was only two weeks away!

Hanging out with my girl Amber in Tofino on finals day!

After only one week of rest at home, my friends and I drove down to North Carolina to compete in the Carolina Cup graveyard race! I had a much better race than last year surfing into Masons Inlet with ease, and having a solid draft train with Soryn and Alex. I finished 11th overall, and 10th in my age category and was proud of this result.

Crossing the finish line at the Carolina Cup 13.2 mile race

May 2023

I made sure to make May a quiet month. I needed to take some time to reflect on my off-season training, travelling, and competitions. I spent a lot of time with my family and spent a lot of time journaling to get ready for the upcoming racing season since I knew I was going to be busy for most of the summer.

Spending time with the fam jam :)

June 2023

I raced in Caledon and Montreal and won both of my opening races of the season! I felt like summer was off to a great start! I was also working hard serving at Bridgewater Brewery and teaching flat water intro to surf lessons with Surf the Greats. I felt balanced with my work, training, and athlete life as I had jobs that allowed me to take my mind off of the intensity of paddling.

Winning the first race of the season in Caledon Ontario

July 2023

I raced in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Oakville, and Kincardine and won all of those races as well. I was on a high winning the Eastern Canadian SUP Championships, and being at the top of the leader board for the Ontario SUP Series over halfway through the summer. I felt as though I was seeing the rewards of my off-season training paying off.

First place at the Eastern Canadian SUP Championships Mid July 2023

August 2023

Life was becoming intense thinking about our Team Canada Nationals event in Collingwood in the middle of the month. I really wanted to do well and was becoming hyper focused on it… a little bit too much. A week before the event I had a conversation with my parents about staying humble, focused, and grounded. Specifically my mom reminded me to enjoy the process and not get too carried away with my competitiveness. I needed that conversation to realize the intensity of my behaviour leading up to nationals. Through this realization I was able to become relaxed again, and go into nationals with a clear mind and heart.

Shifting my mental state led me to becoming a NATIONAL CHAMPION! I ended up winning all three disciplines the tech, sprints, and distance races over the course of that weekend. I drove home after the last day of competition crying in my car because I couldn’t believe the results that I had just achieved and was processing that all of my hard work was paying off.

Trophies from nationals :)

At the end of the month, I was able to take a quick trip to the east coast to visit my friend Alex Rietveld. I also got to meet Alex Chandler the founder of an event called Life Rolls On (in which I was supposed to help volunteer but the event got cancelled due to unsafe conditions) and run a paddling clinic with the Trident SUP Atlantic group. I had a blast connecting with the east coast paddlers! To finish off the trip I got to run with the Flip the Switch crew, and sit on Coach Doug’s boat.

Teaching a paddle clinic with the Trident SUP Atlantic crew

September 2023

I spent a lot of time in the province of Quebec this month racing in Châteauguay, surfing Vague à Guy and partnering up with Sebastien Ouellet to run a couple of downwind clinics on the l'Île-d'Orléans. I had so much fun travelling within my own country, but was starting to feel tired. I realized that I needed to start paying attention to some health concerns I was experiencing. I ended up winning a 3 month membership with The Balanced Woman program in which I met some incredible women who have not only been an amazing support group, but have become inspiring forces for me to learn from. These women have taught me how to mediate, be confident in myself, and essentially be a stronger, healthier woman going into 2024.

Teaching a downwind clinic in St Laurent in Quebec

October 2023

I focused a lot on my health and well being during the month of October. I slowed down my travelling schedule and ramped up my training to get ready for worlds in Thailand which was now only a month away. I made one quick trip to California to participate in the Dana Point Harbour Hoot event. I wanted to surprise Anthony by showing up to support knowing how much the event meant to him and his community. So on the Friday evening before the event… I rolled up to Friday night practice in an inflatable shark costume surprising AV! This was probably the funniest moment I had all year.

Racing in the harbour hoot sprint race

November 2023

I was dialled in, and ready to go for the ICF World Championships in Thailand! I had worked hard with my coach Larry Cain, and made sure that my body, my mind, my equipment, and everything else was ready to go. This was my third world championships I’ve been able to participate in and it was by far my best performance to date. I finished 14th overall in the 15km open ocean distance race, made it to the quarter finals in the sprint races, and got disqualified in my tech race. With many highs and many lows, I took away a lot of valuable lessons that I cannot wait to apply to the world championships next year in Sarasota in Florida.

Racing in the tech race at the ICF World Championships in Pattaya Thailand November 2023

December 2023

I took two weeks off to recover after Thailand to stay active but also rest after a super busy year. I got to participate in a few fun fitness classes at my local gym, surf with my friends on the Great Lakes, and also start thinking about the races I want to compete in for 2024. I also got to fly down to Florida quickly to see the premier of the paddling documentary Through Blue. I highly recommend for everyone to watch this film as it is such an incredible story about a remarkable community. Besides that, December was a restful, peaceful month at home. I was also able to plan my next off season training schedule! I’ll be heading to Florida for the month of January and then I’m headed to Tahiti from February to April 2024! Im super stoked for whats to come in the new year for all things paddling, living, and learning!

Overall 2023 was the year that I truly started to understand my value as a person and not just an athlete. I met so many amazing people all around the world that demonstrated what pure kindness and generosity looks like. These people gave up their beds so that I had somewhere to sleep. These people let me live on their sailboat so that I had somewhere to train. These people picked me up and drove me to the airport at 3:30am. These people used their air miles for me so that I could travel back home. Their willingness to help me with my athletic career only inspired me to not only perform my best in races, but to also be a better person off of the water. Through my endeavours and struggles, I gained perspective, passion, and purpose. I learned many things this year that I not only hope to carry with me throughout the rest of my life, but also continue to share with those around me. I only wish you all nothing but the best for 2024 no matter what the year may bring. I hope that you find joy, inspiration, and opportunities that bring you a life full of happiness for the year to come!

Much love :)

Maddi xoxo