Hi, I am Sebastian Kauffman, a competitive sprint kayaker. For 5 years I have been paddling for the River Town Racers sprint kayak team in my little hometown of Petaluma, CA, where I live with my family of 6- my mom, dad, brother, sister, and our ferocious 7lb dog Buttercup. I’m 16 years old and entering my Junior year at Petaluma High School. I strive to maintain academic excellence and am in all honors classes. I believe that hard work and discipline I strive for are the keys to success. I work out before and after school - on the water, at the track, and in the gym.

Many people surround me with love, coaching, and financial support, which made my first international competition last September in Hungary possible. What an incredible opportunity to compete against top athletes in my age group from around the world. It was amazing and inspiring, and very much a wake-up call to the level of training needed to obtain the results I want - qualifying for and competing at the Sprint Kayak World Championships and the Olympics. Over the past year, I increased my weekly training load, often doing double daily workouts, and took advantage of every team boat camp offered during school breaks. I have dedicated my time, focus, and energy to level up my training and increase my national and international competitiveness.

The national competition is fierce and came to a head at the Olympic Hopes Trials in Seattle in early June. I placed second in both the K1 200m and 1000m events, and along with paddling partner Soren, placed first in the K2 500m. I qualified for Team USA with these results and am now training hard to compete well in Czechia this September. I will depart Petaluma on Monday, September 8, and my first race will be on Thursday, September 18. Live race coverage will be available, so stay tuned for the link!

Training, travel, and accommodations are costly, and I invite support from anyone able to invest in my journey. Your words of encouragement mean the world to me and provide daily inspiration.

I deeply appreciate support in all forms and would love for you to follow my journey on Instagram @seb_kauffman or Sebastian Kauffman on Facebook.

For more info on our hometown club, visit @https://www.facebook.com/RiverTownRacers on Facebook, @rtrsprintkayaking on Instagram, or our website rivertownracers.org.

See you on the water,

Sebastian Kauffman