Brady Reardon
One of the biggest challenges for Brady Reardon became one of his biggest thrills when he reached the men’s K-4 1,000-metre final at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with Rhys Hill, Christopher Pellini, and Angus Mortimer. For Reardon it marked not only a milestone for his crew but for the Reardon family as well.
His father Jim was in Beijing to witness the exploit. Jim Reardon paddled in a K-4 event for Canada at the 1972 Olympics in Munich and also coached Olympic medallist Larry Cain. The young Reardon says he’s been paddling ever since he could balance a boat and while he played several other sports such as rugby and lacrosse, kayak always topped the list.
Qualifying for that Olympic team wasn’t easy for Reardon and it exemplified his perseverance. While he was gunning for an Olympic spot in the K-2 with Hill, they fell short. Then the pair needed to battle hard to get the two available spots in the K-4, then qualify the boat for the Games to assure a trip to Beijing.
After competing in the K-4 at last year’s world championships in Halifax, Reardon has established himself as a solid young veteran for the crewboat events. This year his big challenge is helping qualify his K-4 crew with Hill, Chris Mehak and Connor Taras for
the worlds.
‘’Everyone has to be paddling the same way for the boat to hit and glide,’’ said Reardon. ‘’The arms and the legs have to be in synch. So getting that chemistry is the big challenge. But everyday it gets more and more comfortable.’’
Reardon is listed on the Burlington Tourism’s website on the Famous Burlingtonians page, a list that includes actors Jim Carrey and Ryan Gosling and CFL greats Neil Lumsden and Russ Jackson. He needs to complete three courses to earn his degree
in health studies at McMaster University in Hamilton.
Reardon has competed at all three Mazda CanoeKayak Knockout events. “It’s a great way to end the season and a lot of fun to face some of the best in the world.”
Contact Lorraine Lafreniere at CKC to add your name to the growing list llafreniere@canoekayak.ca
