Nathan Benderson Park hosts national paddling event

Lakewood Ranch's Adrian Olivo had a simple reason for competing in the men's master division of the ACA Sprint Canoe National Championships held at Nathan Benderson Park on Aug. 1-4.

It was there.

With Nathan Benderson Park's emergence as one of North America's top venues for rowing and paddling events, premier competitions continue to pick the Sarasota park as a host.

That not only attracts the best rowers and paddlers from all over the world to Nathan Benderson Park, but it also draws rowing enthusiasts like Olivo, who had long ago given up the idea of competitive rowing.

When Olivo saw that the national event was being held in his backyard, he began doing some training a couple of months ago so he could compete.

Olivo finished third in the Masters B 200 meters on Friday, but he was more interested in his time than place.

"I wanted to break a minute," he said after the race, still not knowing if he had accomplished it.

Indeed, his time was recorded at 57.911.

He did so competing in a We-no-nah canoe (Kevlar 49) that he had raced as a teen. He is now 46.

Considering all the high tech advancements in racing canoes, he was competing in somewhat of a jalopy.

That was OK.

He just wanted to feel the thrill of competition once again.

He also worked as a volunteer safety boat driver at the event.

Olivo wasn't worried about being far behind the leaders, although he mentioned that most of the competitors in his class were just guys with jobs like him. It is a matter of how many hours they put into the training.

He trained a bit at Nathan Benderson Park, at Lake Uihlein and at Kingfisher Lake at Waterside Place.

"I know I do better when I have a goal," he said.

Although he said he won't travel long distances to compete in the future, his competitive drive has been slightly ignited by the week's competition. He said he now is looking for events close to home.

Olivo works for Florida Blue in national account sales. He and his wife Stephanie have two daughters, 10-year-old Kaitlyn and 7-year-old Harper.

"I am thinking already about what's the next one," he said.