Local veterans take national stage at Live Like Maria kayaking event

BRYSON CITY — For two longtime Swain County residents and military veterans, kayaking is more than a recreational pursuit. It is a sport that has continued to challenge them, connect them to their community and take them onto an international stage.Lauren Byrd and Daniel Dutton competed in the Masters division during the Live Like Maria Freestyle Classic, U.S. Freestyle Nationals and U.S. Team Trials held Oct. 2-4 at the Nantahala Outdoor Center.Both local paddlers finished on the podium, with Byrd earning silver in the U.S. Women's Masters division and Dutton taking silver in the U.S. Men's Masters division. Both also earned places on the U.S. Freestyle Kayak Team and will travel to Spain to compete at the 2027 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships.The event brought freestyle kayakers from across the country to the Nantahala River. Hosted by NOC in partnership with the American Canoe Association's USA Freestyle Organization, the competition included national championship and team-trial events in multiple age and boat classes.For Byrd, the weekend represented the culmination of months of work rather than simply a place on the podium."This weekend meant so much more to me than a podium or a number beside my name. I've spent this summer training, learning, falling, getting back up and adding new tricks, pushing through frustration and believing that maybe I was capable of more than I thought," Byrd said.Freestyle kayaking differs from traditional whitewater racing. Rather than racing downstream, paddlers use a designated section of whitewater to perform a series of maneuvers, including spins, flips and other tricks, earning points based on their performances.The Nantahala River has long been an important training and competition destination for whitewater paddlers, making the local connection especially meaningful for Byrd and Dutton.The event also carries a personal connection to the Nantahala paddling community. The Live Like Maria Classic honors Maria Noakes, a longtime Southeast paddler and member of the Nantahala community whose life and love of kayaking continue to be remembered through the event.The competition has become both a celebration of Noakes' legacy and an opportunity for paddlers to test themselves against competitors from across the country.For Byrd and Dutton, this year's event added another chapter to their own long relationship with the Nantahala and the sport.Their selection to the U.S. Freestyle Kayak Team will take them beyond the Nantahala Gorge next year, when they travel to Spain for the 2027 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships.The opportunity comes at a time when whitewater kayaking continues to gain international attention. While freestyle kayaking is not an Olympic discipline, kayak cross made its Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Games and will return at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.For two Swain County veterans who have continued to train, compete and push themselves on the water, the journey now extends from the Nantahala River to the international stage.

Local veterans take national stage at Live Like Maria kayaking event

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