In 2002 at the age of 19 I completed my first Texas Water Safari. I now have 7 finishes, 5 of which were class wins. In 2004 I became the youngest female to finish solo (until 2009). I also set and currently hold the women’s solo record of 49 hours and 27 minutes. In 2005 my team of three women finished 1st in our class and 8th over all. We set and currently hold the highest finish out of all the boats (including those with 6 men in one canoes) for a female team. Red Den Production followed my team in 2006 creating a documentary called “Defying the River”. In 2007 our team set the new and current women’s team time record with a finishing time of 44 hours and 50 minutes. I am very excited about discovering what 2011 Texas Water Safari will hold for me and my team.
On a more personal note I am happily married with two adorable little boys.
My name is Sandy Yonley. I have been paddling either recreationally or competitively for the majority of my life. I was raised on the banks of the San Marcos River and also spent a good portion of time in Big Bend on the Rio Grande River with my parents as part of their river guiding business. I raced in the Texas Water Safari for the first time in 1996 at the age of 15 with both my parents (Tom and Paula Goynes) in a three man canoe -- it took us over 80 hours and we were 25th place overall (at the time I was the youngest female finisher). I have now finished 9 Safari's. My best overall finish was in 2005 when Holly, Mary Tipton, and I finished 8th place overall and 1st place Women's.
I have been married for almost 8 years and have two children; Eden is 3 years old and Drew is 1. I have been on hiatus from paddling for the past 4 years and am very excited to be getting back into the sport competivitely. So far I've gotten 1st place women's in the 4 races I've done this fall. I do both canoeing and kayak races (usually USCA C-2 or olympic style K1). Lately I've been trying to learn how to race in a surfski in the ocean with the goal of racing in the US Surfski Championships next year.
It looks like I'm going to be the primary sternman (person who steers the boat) for the Texas Sweethearts. I'm very excited about this team -- a five person women's team has never been done before. I am also really hopeful that we'll beat a few boys in the process -- maybe they'll be calling us the "Texas Heartbreakers" by the finish line.
Jamie
I have been married for almost 8 years and have two children; Eden is 3 years old and Drew is 1. I have been on hiatus from paddling for the past 4 years and am very excited to be getting back into the sport competivitely. So far I've gotten 1st place women's in the 4 races I've done this fall. I do both canoeing and kayak races (usually USCA C-2 or olympic style K1). Lately I've been trying to learn how to race in a surfski in the ocean with the goal of racing in the US Surfski Championships next year.
It looks like I'm going to be the primary sternman (person who steers the boat) for the Texas Sweethearts. I'm very excited about this team -- a five person women's team has never been done before. I am also really hopeful that we'll beat a few boys in the process -- maybe they'll be calling us the "Texas Heartbreakers" by the finish line.
My name is Jamie Norman. I have been canoeing for 10 years and racing competitively for 8 years. In 2007, my partner and I set the record for women’s C2 in the Colorado River 100. In 2008 I completed my first safari at the age of 17. I have always had a love for the outdoors and I can’t seem to stay away from sports no matter where I go. In future, I am hoping to broaden my scope of sports and branch out into triathlons, cycling, and trail running. More about my personal life, I graduated high school in 2009 and I am currently enrolled in nursing school and hope to graduate as an RN in May of 2012. It is an exciting honor to be a part of the first ever 5 woman team to paddle the Texas Water Safari.
