Article #1

Magazine Article - Report

First Descent - Justine Curgenven

Rating: ****

First Descent is an interesting article that makes you feel what the author is feeling and shares details of slalom canoeing as a female.

The magazine article “First Descent” talks about the lives of female slalom canoeists and the beginning of women participating in the World Championships. Carolyn Peterson was a very talented slalom canoeist who trained with the men and was ready to compete in the 2000 Slalom World Cup with her partner Mark Poindexter. Her dreams were crushed when she discovered that only men were allowed to compete in the Cup. Yet, it turns out that this wasn’t the end of her dreams because in 2010, there was finally a women’s section in the World Championships! This was a huge step because female slalom canoeists could finally compete in the sport that they love.

I really enjoyed this article because it discusses how females were not treated equally in sports only 14 years ago, which surprised me. I also found it inspiring because the hard work of a few female slalom canoeists allowed many talented female athletes to be able to compete in this sport at a World level. This article inspired me because it proves that if you put your heart into something, with hard work you’ll be able to achieve it.

Curgenven, Justine. “First Descent.” Rapid Spring 2010: 13. Print.