Kayaks on the Carnegie

At Princeton, sports like football and lacrosse often dominate the sports coverage. It's easy, then, to overlook other, less well-understood sports — like kayaking.

The University doesn't have a kayaking team, but it does have two of the nation's best kayakers. Juniors Sam Ritchie and David Petrovics are quietly raking up a long list of international accolades in the sport and hope to one day share a spot on the Olympic podium.

Their unusual journey that in the summer of 1999, when Ritchie and Petrovics — then both junior kayakers at the Washington Canoe Club in the District of Columbia — found themselves in a two-person kayak together, racing at a national championship regatta. The two have been friends ever since.

The pair's strong chemistry belies their drastically different paths to the sport. Ritchie stumbled on kayaking almost by accident. The Alexandria, Va., native began paddling in fourth grade as an alternative to traditional sports like baseball or football.

"I wasn't the best at coordination sports," Ritchie said.

Petrovics wandered into the Washington Canoe Club for a different reason.

"I kind of have a family history [in the sport]," Petrovics says with a smile. "Two of my uncles were world champions."

Though Petrovics lives in Maryland, he and Ritchie stuck together for five more years. Yet as the end of high school approached, college threatened to tear them apart. Petrovics applied Early Decision to Princeton, while Ritchie wavered. Petrovics was accepted, and, as luck would have it, Ritchie got admitted Regular Decision.

The summer before matriculating to Princeton, the duo made their international debut together — though Ritchie had international experience as an individual — at the Junior World Championships. The event was all the more stressful for Petrovics because it took place in Hungary, Petrovics' birth country and the home of his world champion family members. Nevertheless, the pair surpassed expectations at the regatta, reaching the semifinals.

Ritchie and Petrovics' highest-profile performance to date, however, came this past July, when the pair headed to Rio de Janiero, Brazil, for the 2007 Pan American Games. The Pan American Games, which are held every four years, feature 5,000 athletes from 42 Western Hemisphere countries and 41 sports. The Princetonian kayakers were thrilled to be a part of the games, for which they did not even expect to qualify. Once there, Ritchie and Petrovics held their own, knocking off rivals and earning a spot in the finals.

Ultimately, Ritchie and Petrovics — the only Americans in the final race — pulled off a seventh-place finish in the 1000m sprint with a time of 3:35.23. Mexicans Jesus Valdez and Manuel Cortina finished first in 3:25.19.

While the two enjoyed their time in Brazil, they have their sights set on even bigger competitions.

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"We're going to attend the Olympic Trials in April," Ritchie said, "But who knows if we're going to make the team."

In fact, neither kayaker expects to make it to Beijing. While the duo were in Brazil, many of the top American kayakers were paddling at the World Championships in Germany. The 20-year-olds are still young by kayaking standards — kayakers usually peak in their late 20s and remain competitive into their early 30s — and, unlike their older counterparts who train year-round and don't go to school, they remain focused on their educations.

"That's why we're at Princeton," Petrovics said.

The pair stand a good shot at making the 2012 Olympics in London, what Petrovics called their "big goal." A strong finish on the world's most prestigious athletic stage would allow the friends to end their careers with a bang.

Neither has ruled out the possibility of making a run at the 2016 Olympics, however. Though the contest is still nine years in the future, the chance to medal at the Olympics might prove too tantalizing for Ritchie and Petrovics to resist.

"I feel that if we make the [2012 U.S. Olympic] team, which I feel is fairly likely, we could come pretty close to getting a medal, which would be something that could keep us going," Ritchie said.

In the meantime, look for Ritchie and Petrovics on Lake Carnegie. The duo practice on average 10 times a week — combining on-the-water time with weight and cross training.

Or better yet, look for them in the library — they're both mechanical and aerospace engineering concentrators.