Mounds View teen paddles at int'l kayak competition in Romania

Sprint kayaker Ina Poecher is chasing a dream, but probably not the one most athletes chase.

"Some people dream Olympics, I dream of Worlds," said Poecher, whose dreams will become reality Thursday.

The Mounds View High School senior is one of just five girls under age 18 selected from around the country to represent Team USA in the Junior Worlds Sprint Kayak Championships in Pitetsi, Romania.

Poescher, 17, will race in the 500- and 1000-meter K-4 (4-person) sprint kayak races.

Her journey to this moment began four summers ago when a 13-year-old Poecher was visiting relatives in Germany and went for a paddle on a sprint kayak. She was hooked.

She bought her first boat with the help of her dad, Arndt Poecher, a German native and avid sprint kayaker, and started training. From the start, she says it has always been a family affair.

"My dad helps coach, and most afternoons, my brother joins me during my training which is nice since kayaking can be such an individual sport."

Unlike recreational kayaks, sprint kayaks are about 17 feet long, a foot wide and, "a lot faster," according to Poecher.

"You're using your entire body, not just your arms — common misconception — and you're sprinting, going as fast as you can," she said.

In Europe, the sport is well known and participation is high, but in the United States, competitive paddle sports haven't grabbed the attention of many athletes and sports fans.

That didn't deter Poecher. She joined Twin Cities Paddlesports, a club started by her father along with her coach Marsh Jones. She has competed in three national championships, earning bronze medals at the International Copa de Las Americas in Mexico, and the Junior Olympics in Hungary last year.

But her early success in the sport hasn't come easy. Poecher says it has taken a lot of work to achieve her goals; early wake up calls at 5:15 every morning, workouts three times a day, and a part-time job as a waitress at a pizza shop to help pay for her kayaking expenses. She also joined the Nordic ski team at school and even started lifting weights with the football team.

"When I walked into the weight room for the first time freshman year, I was shaking," says Poecher. "These huge football guys were all in there pounding out their weights.

Now, she walks through the doors of the weight room with an earned respect, greeted with her new nickname, "Worlds."

Poecher's trainer, Marsh Jones, said coaching her is unlike coaching other kids.

"She's incredibly focused. I say what I want done, and she'll do her best to do it. Mapped out plans for the year, month, or next competition, she stays on plan," he said.

Whether she is in Germany or Georgia, Jones said Poecher still sends him daily updates on her training. He said he can't ask for much more than that.

"Everything is out there. She's on the water. She's thinking about paddling, she's not thinking about boys or parties or work or whatever else might be going on," said Marsh. "She's focused on paddling."

Poecher acknowledges that it's getting harder to juggle her ever-growing social life.

"My friends think I'm crazy," she said, "but I have to go to bed at nine otherwise I'm crabby in the morning and that messes up my workouts and in turn, the goals I want to achieve."

When Poecher returns from Romania, she will begin her senior year of high school, and after that she plans to attend college. She isn't sure where she wants to go to school yet, but she does have one prerequisite:

"The college I'll end up going to will have water."