Young kayaker Sophie Hughes riding a wave of confidence

As it's turned out, she just happens to be really good at it.

The 15-year-old Bendigo Canoe Club member and Bendigo Academy of Sport paddler will ride a wave of confidence into this month's Paddle Australia Canoe Sprint Championships in Perth following her six gold medal-winning haul at the state sprint championships in January.

A sensational championships for Sophie on the Nagambie regatta course included nine medals in total, with her collection of gold complemented by three silvers.

She was easily the standout on an eager and ultra-competitive Bendigo team and claimed the honour as the fastest junior girl at the championships.

Sophie has come a long way in her short time in the sport and, according to Bendigo Canoe Club secretary and Bendigo Academy of Sport coach Tony Misson, is one of the undoubted success stories of Bendigo's kayaking program.

But if not for COVID and a pair of 'dodgy' ankles, Sophie might just as easily have been making her name on the netball court at centre or wing attack, or in some other sport, as she is now in the water.

From humble beginnings, she is the first to admit her progress has exceeded initial expectations.

"There was an advertisement in the school newsletter to come and try kayaking, so I came down in September 2020 with one of my mates and gave it a try," Sophie said.

"To be truthful, I was just hoping to do something cruisy and different. I wasn't expecting anything from it.

"My mindset was to let it take me wherever it gets me. I didn't want to have too high expectations. I just wanted to have fun and see where it went.

"I got into the Bendigo Academy of Sport for kayaking and through that I've been training at the Bendigo Canoe Club and going to lots of events and have just steadily improved.

"I love water sports and I had dodgy ankles and this doesn't affect my dodgy ankles as much.

"But most of all it's really fun and the people are really nice. The people I kayak with are like a second family."

When it comes to her kayaking, family is a fundamental part of why she does it.

Sophie's younger brother Alistair and mother Belinda have since followed her into the sport, with both winning gold medals at the state sprint championships also.

A bronze medallist at last year's nationals in Adelaide in the K4 200m sprint together with Bendigo's Milla Tzaros, Emma Corrin (Cobram) and Anthea Tan (Melbourne), Sophie has two goals in mind for Perth.

She hopes to improve on her personal best times and, if possible, land a place among the top six placegetters in her events.

"I was comparing my times to the New South Wales state ones where there are some pretty fast girls," she said.

"In comparison, I was ranging between fourth and eighth place.

"So I'm just training every day and trying to get my speed up and my times down.

"The top six finishers in Perth go to a training camp and the top two go to the Asia Pacific championships.

"For me, the top six would be great.

"But if I wanted a really far-fetched goal, the top two and going to the Asia-Pacifics. It would be an amazing experience to go overseas and compete."

Sophie's preparation each week has included at least five one hour sessions a week in the water, paddling up to 14-kilometres, while her involvement with the Bendigo Academy of Sport program finds her undertaking regular gym sessions at the La Trobe University gym.

She said none of her progress and enjoyment from kayaking would be possible without the support of her club-mates, coaches, fellow academy participants and, of course, her family.

"Everyone has been totally supportive, it's so nice," she said.

"The energy is really fun. As I always say, they are like a second family - great people.

"There's always time to try different boats and events."

While probably not as fanatical about his kayaking as his sister due to his passion for football, but certainly no less talented, Alistair too has shown rapid progress.

The now 13-year-old's first foray at the nationals in 2022 delivered silver medals in the K1 200m and 500m events and a fourth in 1000m.

He backed up by winning a gold and two silvers at last month's state championships.

Alistair, whose first competitive event was a schools competition, admitted gold medals and championship events were the furthest things from his mind when he first stepped into kayaking at his sister's urging, but he's glad he had persisted.

"I basically started just cruising around, but as I went along I got more serious about it," he said.

"It's been a bit of a surprise getting to where I am. I didn't think I'd be as strong as I am in the boat."

Alistair, who is hoping to play for Strathfieldsaye this season, with the added aim of making the AFL Central Victoria Academy squad, clearly relishes the balance in his sporting life between football and kayaking.

While the siblings possess a definite competitive streak in training, Alistair said he was proud of his sister's achievements and her potential.

"She's doing really well, but I'm hoping she will get better," he said.

"We train a bit together, doing a lot of 500m sprints.

"It's really fun training with Sophie, even though we are really quite competitive together."

Academy of Sport coach Misson predicted a bright future in the sport for the siblings if their current enthusiasm and development continued.

"Sophie just loves paddling - if it's a boat, she's in it," he said.

"We have a holistic view, so she gets involved in the flat water, the white water and the marathons. If it's a boat, she's in it.

"She is very determined and she has been a great help to the other girls at the club.

"She has been with us a couple of years now and she's won a national title and just won a stack of state titles, as well as being part of our active girls program and helps out every Tuesday night.

"And now her brother is following in her footsteps and is a keen footballer as well.

"We have had champion athletes here, like Tegan Fraser, who finished second at the worlds, so for Sophie, its all in front of her.

"I'm confident she will go well at nationals. She made a big step up at the state titles and has just knocked two or three seconds off her 200m time."

The 2023 Paddle Australia Canoe Sprint Championships will be held in Champion Lakes, Western Australia, from March 21 to 25.

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