Name: Nicola Kelly – known as nikki to kayaking world, and nikkers to a select few

Sport: kayaking - favorably expedition style, or extreme races,

Hometown: Geraldine, south island newzealand – hometown river the rangitata – where I began my water career as a raft guide

Age: dirty 30

Sponsors: dagger kayaks, teva footwear, kokatat, Werner paddlers, smith optics, shred ready helmets, girls for sport - water wear (sexy girl clothes)

Favorite pre-race meal: espresso coffee

Favorite place to visit: California - high sierra rivers without a doubt

Top Finishes/Accomplishments (limit this to 3-5):

first place in vail mountain games extreme race five years running.

Four times world rafting champion

Top accomplishment – 2004 – being a member of the “7 Rivers Expedition”, (Let me know if you need me to explain what that was) and then following up in the same season with the same crew we paddled the stikine river.( me making the first female kayak descent of the stikine) The ‘crew’ being ‘tdub’ the hard core guys from the east coast – propelled forward always by the late Daniel dalavern, I pay tribute for Daniel – thank full that I had the opportunity to explore along side him – durring the best years of my kayaking career

Scariest Moment: my first grade five swim 1996, grew up a lot that day

Proudest Moment: on the San Joaquin river, devils post pile section - grueling river trip - when the boys admitted that I was one tough lady

Off-season sports: mountain biking, waka arma which is also called out rigging, and more kayaking

Goals for 2006:

Make top three in all extreme races and freestyle competitions I enter

Teach kayak clients in the USA

Visit long lost friends

Become debt free on my piece of paradise – land that I own in hokitika newzealand