Pablo was born on March 2, 1982 in Washington D.C. to parents Jeffrey
McCandless (US Citizen) and Veronica McCandless Elton (Chilean). At
the age of 9 months he moved with his family to Santiago, Chile and
lived there for the next 8 years. the family lived in the hills of
Conchali and Pablo attended Colegio St. George. He moved back to the
Washington DC area when he was 9 years old. Pablo was able to visit
Chile every few years remaining close to his many cousins, aunts, and
uncles.
Pablo lived in the Maryland suburbs in Cabin John, near the
Potomac River where there is an active kayaking community. When he was
15, he got his first kayak and almost immediately discovered a new
passion. He learned to paddle with local legend, Tom McCune, and was
able to travel with his mentor to many remote rivers in the US,
Canada, and Mexico. He mastered increasingly difficult rivers and his
enthusiasm grew and matured. The National Team of the US trained near
his home and Pablo began to enter local slalom races when he was 16.
He joined the local kayak club, BCE (The Bethesda Center of
Excellence) and began to train with Oliver Fix, the German gold medal
winner in Atlanta, and Cathy Hearn, another US Olympian in women's
kayak. Pablo continued to improve and won the 6th slot on the US Team
in 2003. After graduating from Walt Whitman High School, Pablo decided
to go the Western Carolina University in Cullowhe, North Carolina so
that he could continue his training with the Nantahala Kayak Club and
coach Rafal Smolen.
Around that same time, the international kayak authorities and
coaches approached Pablo with the idea of competing for Chile as a way
of expanding and promoting the sport in South America. With the
encouragement of his mother, he approached the Chilean kayak
federation and they agreed to include him in their program. In 2004,
Pablo went to meet the Chileans and to train in Pucon during the US
winter months with the goal of representing Chile in the world cup
races in Europe in the summer and to try and qualify a place for Chile
in the Athens Olympics for that year. Pablo raced in Olympic Qualifier
in Athens and was 26th, the top 25 qualified. He was the only South
American to reach the semi finals. He had excellent results in the
world cup races finishing 34th and 39th in the world in his first
international races. He accomplished all this while being a full time
student, and running his own business, a gift shop in a town near the
university. He traveled on his own, with no coach or support staff and
with no financial help except plane fare from the International Kayak
Federation for the World Championships . He sometimes received help
with transportation and lodging from other teams and friends. He paid
all his own expenses with his own work and help from his parents.
Most of the teams that he competed against had complete financial
support and a staff of coaches and other assistants.
Pablo continued to train, work and study for another year. He
again competed in World Cup races in the summer and continued to
improve but the stress of trying to run to workouts on the river and
at the gym while studying and managing a business combined with the
travel and racing during summer vacation, was beginning to take its
toll. There was a new world class man made whitewater venue about to
be completed in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was to be similar to the
Olympic venue in Beijing and the only course like it in the US. He
decided to take a 2 year leave from the university and make a
dedicated effort again to qualify for the 2008 Olympics. He moved to
Charlotte and got a job at the new venue even before it opened. He
began an intensive plan of training combined with work to support
himself and the results were evident after a short time. His times
improved and he began to have some brilliant runs at races, but
struggled with consistency and penalties. The Chilean Federation still
could not provide any funding but was able to invite Pablo to spend a
month at the elite athletic training facility (CAR)in Santiago in
January of 2007 and to organize a trip for the team to Brazil. Pablo
traveled with other members of the Chilean Kayak team to the world
championships in Brazil and a month later to the South American
Championships again in Brazil. In both races, Pablo mixed very fast
runs with runs ruined by penalty touches and was beaten by small
margins by his main competitors, the Brazilians.
Returning to Charlotte, Pablo realized that if he was to beat the
Brazilians, his main competition, he would have to train full time,
like all the other top competitors. There was one position for South
America for his class, K1 men, and it would be determined at the
Pan-Am Championships which were to be held in April of 08 in Charlotte
at his home course. His parents decided to help with his finances for
this final run for the Olympics and Pablo quit his job in January of
08. Fortunately, his coach finally had moved to Charlotte and for the
first time in his life he had the opportunity to train full time with
his coach and pursue a rigorous program with time to rest between
workouts. Pablo used his credit card to buy a new kayak and paddle and
to travel to a series of races in the US leading up to the Pan-Am
Championships. His results were each time faster and he began to
overcome his lack of consistency. The Brazilians also were dedicating
all their resources to winning the race. They were a team of three,
and they came to Charlotte twice leading up to the big race, each time
for a month, with a top coach and a complete staff and seemingly
unlimited funds.
Race day was approaching and the pressure was palpable. Pablo
helped all the visiting athletes from other Latin American countries.
He picked them up at the airport and helped recruit local families who
provided food and lodging. (the Brazilians had their own hotel) He
acquired boats and equipment for those who arrived without them and
lent his car to those that lacked transportation. But as race day
approached, he tried to be stay quiet at home in preparation for the
most important race of his career. That day finally arrived and Pablo
delivered in front of a cheering crowd of supporters. On day one, a
qualifier,he finished 6th overall racing against all the top Canadian
and US competitors and with the closest Brazilian in 9th place. The
next day at the finals, the top Brazilian, Selbach, had an excellent
first run putting the pressure on Pablo. Pablo answered with a faster
run and beat Selbach by .3 seconds. In the afternoon on the second
and final run, Selbach again delivered a clean and fast run with all
the pressure again on Pablo. The tension was unbearable and Pablo
again responded with a spectacular run finishing 8th overall ahead of
Selbach who finished 9th. This meant Pablo was the fasted South
American and secured a trip to Beijing.
After a few days of rest, Pablo is back to training and preparing
for the Olympics. He was invited by the International Kayak Federation
to attend a two week training session in June in Beijing and from
there he will travel directly to Europe to compete in three world cup
races before returning to Charlotte for two weeks before returning to
Beijing to train again leading up to the kayak races which will be
held on August 11-14. He is working with the Chilean Olympic Committee
and the Chilean Canoe Federation to help him achieve the best results
possible in Europe and China. In the future he is already planning
another four year program, and the goal of breaking into the top ten
in the world. He also hopes to help build up the slalom program in
Chile and attract new athletes to the sport.
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Pablo nacio el 2 de Marzo, 1982 en Washington D.C. Sus padres son
Jeffrey McCandless, Estado Unidense y Veronica Elton, Chilena. Cuando
Pablo cumplio 9 meses la familia se radico en Santiago, Chile y vivio
ahi los proximos 8 anos al pie de los cerros en Conchali. En estos
anos formativos establecio vinculos muy fuertes con su familia Chilena
que son parte de su raiz. A los 9 anos la familia volvio a USA.
Pablo vivio en Maryland, ubicado a las afueras de Washington DC,
cerca del rio Potomac, adonde hay una comunidad activa de kayaking. A
los 15 anos se compro su primer kayak y casi inmediatamente descubrio
una nueva pasion. Aprendio a remar con Tom McCune, considerado una
leyenda en la comunidad de los kayakers y pudo viajar con su mentor a
muchos rios remotos en USA, Canada, y Mexico. Logro explorar y dominar
rios cada vez mas dificiles y su entusiasmo crecio y maduro. El Equipo
Nacional de USA, que admite solo seis kayakers a la vez, entrenaba
cerca de su casa y Pablo comenzo a competir en carreras locales de
slalom. Se hizo miembro del club de kayak local y comenzo a entrenar
con Oliver Fix, el Aleman que se gano la medalla de oro en Atlanta y
con Kathy Hearn, otra kayakista mujer que fue a las Olimpiadas por
USA. Pablo siguio mejorando y en 2003 logro ganar un cupo en el equipo
nacional de USA. Durante este tiempo, las autoridades internacionales
de kayak y los mismos entrenadores Americanos le sugirieron a Pablo la
idea de competir por Chile como una forma de expandir y promover el
deporte en Sud America. Con el entusiasmo de su madre, se dirigio a la
Federacion Chilena de Kayak y concordaron de incluirlo en su programa.
En 2001 Pablo se graduo del colegio y decidio matricularse en la
Universidad de Western Carolina, porque habia un grupo de alto nivel
entrenando en el Club de Kayak en Nantahala con el entrenador Polaco
Rafal Smolen. Las metas eran representar a Chile en las Copas
Mundiales en Europa en el verano y seguir los estudios durante el ano.
En el año 2004, Pablo se tomo un semestre off y fue a conocer a los
Chilenos y a entrenar en Pucon durante los meses de invierno en USA.
Decidio hacer un esfuerzo y tratar de cualificar un lugar para Chile
en las Olimpiadas en Atenas. En Abril de ese ano, Pablo corrio en
Atenas y salio No. 25, los primeros 24 clasificaron. Fue el unico Sud
Americano que llego a las semi finales. Aunque fue frustrante sirvio
como motivacion. Tuvo excelentes resultados en las copas mundiales
terminando No. 34 y 39 en el mundo en sus primeras carreras
internacionales. Para financiar los viajes Pablo abrio un negocio de
regalos cerca de la universidad, "Pablo's Bazaar" y siguio con sus
estudios. En el verano de 2005 se fue denuevo a Europa a competir en
las Copas Mundiales, pero el estress de tratar de hacerlo todo comenzo
a pesarle. El organizaba todos sus viajes, viajaba solo y sin
entrenador. A veces lo ayudaban con transporte y alojamiento otros
equipos de otros paises y amigos. Habia mucha solidaridad con el
Chileno y su kayak al hombro.
En el año 2006 dos sucesos empujaron a Pablo a tomar una decisión
importante. Primero, empezaron a construir The National Whitewater
Center en Charlotte, N.C. Con una inversión de 36 millones de dolares
iba a ser un parque de aguas blancas a nivel mundial muy parecido al
que se utilizará en los Juegos Olimpicos y el unico en los Estados
Unidos. http://www.usnwc.org/ Al mismo tiempo la fecha de las
Olimpiadas se acercaba. Decidio dejar de estudiar por 2 años, mudarse
a Charlotte, y hacer un esfuerzo concentrado para clasificar a Beijing
en 2008. Pablo consiguio trabajo en el nuevo parque y comenzo con un
plan intensivo de entrenamiento. Poco a poco sus tiempos mejoraron y
comenzo a tener unas carreras brillantes, pero peleaba con su
consistencia. Chile le ofreció quedarse un mes entrenando en CAR,
lugar destinado para atletas. Este lugar no tenía acceso a aguas
blancas, entrenaba en un lago para resistencia, pero fue una
experiencia linda de conocimiento de los atletas Chilenos. Tambien le
organizaron dos viajes a Brasil con otros miembros del Equipo Chileno
de Slalom Kayak al Campeonato Mundial y Sud Americano. En ambos
campeonatos, Pablo tuvo muy buenos resultados, pero fue derrotado por
los Brasileros, por un margen mínimo. Sin embargo, este viaje le ayudo
mucho para establecer lazos amistosos con el equipo Chileno, lo que
mas fuerza le dió a sus ganas de incentivar este deporte en Chile.
Al volver a Charlotte, Pablo decidió que si iba a derrotar a los
Brasileros tenía que entrenar tiempo completo, como la mayoria de los
mejores competidores. Habia solo un cupo para su clase K1 hombre para
Sud America y se iba a determinar en el campeonato PanAmericano en
Charlotte en Abril 2008. Sus padres decidieron ayudarlo con sus
finanzas para este ultimo esfuerzo hacia las Olimpiadas y Pablo
renunció a su trabajo en Enero del 2008. Afortunadamente, su
entrenador se fue a vivir a Charlotte y por primera vez tuvo la
oportunidad de entrenar tiempo completo y de seguir un programa
riguroso. Se compro un kayak nuevo con ayuda de auspiciadores locales
y comenzó a participar en una serie de competencias dentro de USA en
preparación para el Campeonato PanAm. Los resultados eran cada vez mas
rapidos y mas consistentes. Los Brasileros tambien estaban dedicando
todos sus recursos para ganar. Eran un equipo de tres y fueron dos
veces a Charlotte a quedarse por un mes cada vez, con entrenador,
asistentes y financiamiento completo.
El día del campeonato se acercaba. Los paises participantes eran
Canada, USA y 8 paises Latino Americanos. En juego estaban los puestos
en Beijing. Para la clase K1 hombre, había un cupo para Canada, uno
para USA y uno para Latino America. El país ganador Latino Americano
ocuparia ese cupo. Los mas competitivos eran Brasil y Chile. Pablo se
dedicó a ayudar a los atletas Latino Americanos que iban llegando. Los
recogia en el aereopuerto, les conseguia hogares en el pueblo para que
los alojaran y los alimentaran, les conseguia kayaks y equipo para los
que les faltaba y prestaba su auto para los que necesitaban
transporte. La competencia se dividio en dos dias con dos carreras
cada dia. En el primer dia los dos paises avanzaron a la final con
Pablo en lugar numero 6 y el Brasilero numero 9. Al dia siguiente, en
las finales, el Brasilero, Selbach, tuvo una carrera excelente, pero,
a la vez, Pablo respondio con una carrera mejor con .3 segundos de
diferencia. En la tarde, en la ultima carrera, Selbach nuevamente
tuvo una carrera aun mejor que en la manana. Pablo respondio con una
carrera espectacular sobrepasando a Selbach por 4 segundos y
asegurando el puesto para Chile en los Juegos Olimpicos. Con esto,
Pablo entro en la historia de Canotaje de Chile como el primero en
clasificar para las Olimpiadas. Al salir del agua recibio un llamado
de Pucon. Eran sus amigos de Slalom Kayak que estaban siguiendo la
carrera simultaneamente en una computadora y estaban brindando por el.
Despues de unos dias de descanso, Pablo esta nuevamente entrenando y
preparandose para Beijing. Fue invitado por la Federacion
Internacional de Kayak para participar en dos semanas de training en
Junio en Beijing y de ahi se va directamente a Europa a competir en
tres Copas Mundiales antes de volver a Charlotte por dos semanas.
Luego de vuelta a Beijing a entrenar hasta la competencia que ocurre
en Agosto 11-14. Esta trabajando con la Comitiva Olimpica y la
Federacion de Canotaje Chilena para ver como lo pueden ayudar para
conseguir los mejores resultados posibles en Europa y China. Su sueno
es promover y desarrollar el Slalom Kayak en Chile y seguir entrenando
y compitiendo a nivel mundial con miras a las proximas Olimpiadas. |
