In the International Canoe Federation’s latest series of big interviews with paddlers during the off-season, we spoke to Great Britain’s multiple Canoe Freestyle world champion Ottillie Robinson-Shaw to find out how she uses her time away from competition.
Once a shy girl who struggled with her nerves, Ottilie Robinson-Shaw is now flourishing on the biggest stage in her sport and telling kids all about her inspiring story.
When the British Canoe Freestyle kayaker was young, just the thought of speaking in front of a room full of people left her feeling overwhelmed with stress.
It was a daunting prospect, but Robinson-Shaw has tackled those fears and is now an accomplished public speaker.
When Robinson-Shaw is not on the water, in the gym or on her mountain bike, she is touring England’s primary and secondary schools talking to children and inspiring the next generation of freestylers.
“I was so shy when I was little that there was no way that I would have ever stood on stage in front of school kids and spoke about myself,” said Robinson-Shaw.
“The first speech I gave at a school was terrifying but now it’s like a normal day.
“I don’t think twice about talking about my journey in front of a large group of people.
“I am really excited about the fact that I can see personal growth through it.
“I talk about my love for kayaking and the importance of doing sport and eating healthy. I have been doing it for three and a half years now.
“It’s a nice little job and it’s quite rewarding as well.”
At the age of just 23, Robinson-Shaw has established herself as a force to be reckoned with in Canoe Freestyle.
After starring as a junior, Robinson-Shaw has continued to take the freestyle world by storm in the seniors, winning multiple titles.
Robinson-Shaw captured a hat-trick of gold medals at the 2022 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships.
She added more medals to her cabinet a year later, including defending her canoe decked crown, only to suffer a serious shoulder injury.
It was a devastating blow for Robinson-Shaw who was left with questions over whether she would ever be able to compete again.
“I don’t think I have ever been so stressed in all my life,” said Robinson-Shaw.
“I know there are bigger issues in the world but for me the fear of losing my sport was making me feel quite sick.
“I think I was just so scared that I wouldn’t kayak again but it was really good for me to just be ripped away from my favourite sport for a little bit because it made me appreciate why I love kayaking.
“I didn’t really care about the medals and the titles at that point, I just realised that life sucks without kayaking and doing my favourite thing with the people I love.
“So then once I came back to competing, it made it a bit easier to realise that I am doing this because I really love the sport and whether I win or lose it doesn’t really matter, I have already achieved a ton.”
Despite enduring a long spell away from the water, Robinson-Shaw made a remarkable return to competition last year, claiming titles at the two ICF Canoe Freestyle World Cups in Plattling, Germany and the European Canoe Association Canoe Freestyle European Championships in Graz, Austria.
Robinson-Shaw said her lengthy injury layoff had changed her perspective when approaching this off-season as she looks to get on her mountain bike rather than get into her kayak.
“I am taking a bit of inspiration from my winter away from kayaking last year,” said Robinson-Shaw.
“I didn’t kayak for months on end and then I came back and I dominated the majority of the competition.
“I think that time away from the sport and giving my body a break allowed me to mentally reset.
“It was really valuable so this winter I am not going to spend as much time on the water.
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“When I was a kid, I would train just as hard in the winter as the summer and I now think that’s a recipe for disaster. Now I hope that if I train less in the winter I can have a longer and more fulfilling career.
“At this time of year, working is my priority and then my gym work but I also think it is important to do other sports.
“So I love to mountain biking and at the moment I am creek boating more.
“I am still very active but just in different ways which is important.”
As well as doing public speaking, Robinson-Shaw runs Riders Youth Freestyle along with Dennis Newton and Mike Shaw.
The coaching programme aims to help produce top whitewater kayakers within a fun inclusive learning environment.
Preparations for the new season will also ramp up for Robinson-Shaw over the coming months as she bids for world glory in Plattling.
The German town will stage the ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships from June 16 to 21.
Robinson-Shaw is hoping to head to Plattling to gain as much knowledge as possible of the venue before the major event.
“During the winter months, my plan is to stay at home,” said Robinson-Shaw.
“I like that as I can train in Nottingham and I can also work from home.
“Once it warms up, I’ll head out to Germany and I’ll start to learn the feature there more thoroughly ahead of the World Championships.
“I think I am in a good place going into the World Championships but when you are at the top of the sport people are always going to try to go for you, so you have got to keep going and progressing.
“For me, it’s not just going to be about getting gold medals.
I get the most enjoyment from really pushing the sport so I want to land massive competition rides and hopefully I can break some more records.”
Whatever happens in Plattling, Robinson-Shaw will continue to be an inspiration for other shy kids looking to follow her pathway to the world stage.
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