Jay Kincaid, the 2003 World Freestyle Kayak Champion and five-time US Team member, has bid farewell to competitive kayaking.
The 30-year-old Reno native has won kayak competitions in seven countries and was the major force in organizing the first annual Reno River Festival.
“I have accomplished every competitive goal that I set for myself,” Kincaid says, after sitting out part of last season with injuries. “While I’m still physically able to compete at the highest level, I just don’t have the same desire I did 17 years ago. Last year, at the 2007 World Championships, I realized that I didn’t enjoy what I was doing anymore and that I would rather be kayaking for the same reason I started, for fun.”
Kincaid also announced he was going to work for Glacier Glove, a Reno-based company that manufactures specialty, harsh environment gloves for the outdoor industry. Kincaid will help design and market the company’s new paddlesports line.
“I love the paddlesports industry and I feel blessed that kayaking has given me so many great memories, brought me great friends and my wife,” he says of marrying Kokatat’s Lisa Beckstead. “I would also like to thank the many sponsors that I’ve had over the last 15 years and hope they know I took pride in the effort of being worth more than I was paid.”