Miles to go

By April Taylor, Record Editor
Published: July 25, 2008

A few weeks ago, Nicos Afedulidis of Stanardsville competed in Marathon, Greece, for a chance to represent that country in the upcoming Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
At 42 years of age - and with a history of injuries to consider - he admittedly had his share of “gemischte gefuehle” -  German for “mixed feelings”—about his chances to win. (Afedulidis is part Greek, part German.) His competitor not only was ranked one of the top canoers in the world but also was 11 years younger than him.
Afedulidis lost—but by just 2.8 seconds, a fete that has given him much personal satisfaction, not to mention more name recognition within the canoeing/kayaking arena.
His secret? His strength.
“It’s definitely my power,“ says the Greene Mountain Lake resident. “I’m not a technician. Technique is good, but my strength is the power.“
This year wasn’t the first time the Greene Mountain Lake resident had set his hopes on Olympic glory. Such plans failed to materialize at least twice before—back in 2004 due to immigration issues and back in 1992, due to severe shoulder pains. 
Failing to head to the Olympics yet another time has not quelled the local resident’s love for canoe racing - or his dedication to it.
“Nicos is a very motivated athlete,“ says Darek Oborski, canoe/kayak head coach for the Washington Canoe Club in Washington, DC. Oborski has been training Afedulidis since the beginning of 2008.  “It’s very good to work with Nicos,“ says Oborski.
His club in Greece is the Nautical Club of Volos and he calls its vice president, Christos Kallioras, a mentor.
In August, Afedulidis will represent the Washington Canoe Club at the USA Canoe/Kayak National Championship in Oklahoma City. He’ll be competing in 200, 500 and 1,000-meter races—plus he’ll take part in a doubles competition. That’s an average of two races per day.
Beginning in the fall, Afedulidis will begin to train rigorously in order to compete in the 2009 season.
Afedulidis and his wife, Martina Roebuck,, have lived in a house by Greene Mountain Lake since 1998.  To prepare for competitions, Nicos makes great use of the lake.
He rows roughly 10 miles per day there, mostly in what is categorized as a C1 canoe. He trains both in the morning and afternoon. He places buoys on the lake in order to help practice keeping the boat in a straight line, a necessity while racing.  He also does weight training 3 to 4 times per week and runs about 10-15 miles a week.
Hours and hours of training each day is not easy, he admits.
“I still enjoy it, but when you’re getting my age, you have good days and you have bad days.“
Plus, he adds, “canoeing is one of the hardest sports around.“
“It calls for endurance, balance, speed, power and coordination. All those must come together to be a good driver.“
  C1 and C2 canoes are quite narrow, designed to go fast on flat water, with little or no stability. High winds or waves could make the boat easily topple over. 
“It requires balance (to control the boat),“ he says. “Once you get the balance, you have to learn the techniques to keep the boat in the water.“
Sprint canoes are paddled while kneeling on one knee. Afedulidis, who paddles from the left side, must kneel on his left knee.
The sport is hard on the upper body and on the knees as well.
When he comes back from Oklahoma City, he is scheduled for knee surgery.
After that, he will start regular workouts for the 2009 season.
Born in former East Germany in 1966, he grew up in a city there called Halle.
He became interested in canoeing by the age of 10. By age 13, he was ready to compete. “By age 14, I won everything in my age group,“ says Afedulidis. “By 18, I won everything in East Germany.“
  When he was 18, Nicos underwent surgery for a hernia and was out of the sport for two years. In 1989 - the same year the Berlin Wall was torn down - he moved to then West Germany with his family, including his son, Orestis.
  Once he got over to West Berlin in 1989, he started canoeing for a club there. In 1990, he began to win competitions once again. He decided to go to Greece in 1991, thinking that he had a better shot there to qualify for the Summer Olympics in Barcelona in 1992.
  But severe pain began again.
“I’d wake up in the morning and have very bad pain,“ he recalls. “I thought that it was in my shoulder, but it turned out to be disks in my back.“
  Instead of at the Olympics, Nicos found himself out of the sport for the next two years. He went back to Germany to be with his family and started to work out again in1994.
In August 1997, he moved to Stanardsville, to be with Roebuck. They married in 1998.
At the same time, pains continued. He underwent surgery in 1998.
By 2001, he began thinking about training fro the 2004 Olympics in Greece.
Passport issues prohibited him from traveling to qualify.  He decided to try for the 2008 Olympics. To prepare, Afedulidis estimates he did 3,000 miles a year on Greene Mountain Lake.
When he met Oborski this year, the coach immediately adjusted his workouts to improve his speed for the 500 and 1,000-meter canoe races.
  “We would put in more speed practices so he could get faster,“ says Oborski.
Afedulidis says it’s worked, and he credits Oborski for much improvement in his performance.
Still, with all the progress he sees, Afedulidis is uncertain as to whether wants to try to make the Olympics in 2012.
He cocks his head slightly and does the math. “I’d be 45.“
“For the next two years,“ he says, “I’ll stay in”
“I still feel good, I still feel young,“ he adds, “but you never know.“