Gerd and Aniol Serrasolses honoured to receive the Academy Award
Over 40 members of the World Paddle Awards Academy chose Gerd Serrasolses and his brother Aniol to be presented the Academy Award for for his achievements on wildwater and contributions to the community. So far only three people have had the honor to receive this award: Jessica Fox (2014), Sebastian Brendel (2015) and Hank McGregor (2017). Gerd explains what this award means to him and his brother:
"It’s an absolute honor to receive the Academy Award and I can only thank every member of the Academy for considering me deserving of the award. Kayaking will always be my passion and I will definitely keep doing my best to make this sport grow and create awareness on environmentalism and river conservation for the future generations to come."
The Academy Award is up to the discretion of the World Paddle Awards Academy, who sometimes decide to award one or more nominees for their exceptional achievements:
- Both brothers have been nominated for the Sportsman of the Year award for their incredible achievements on wildwater: Gerd in 2015 and Aniol in 2016.
- Last year they were nominated for the 2018 Foundation award with the Serrasolses Brothers Program.
- Both are supporters of the LuLu Love Tour, also one of the nominees for the 2018 Foundation award.
WPA Academy Richard Fox about Gerd and Aniol:
"You are making a great contribution to the world of paddlesports for many years now, which has not gone unnoticed by the WPA Academy. You are elite athletes that have pushed the boundaries of wildwater kayaking. But with your humanitarian projects, which show you care about people and the community, we believe you have actually transcended these achievements and extreme challenges on rivers around the globe."
So it's definitely not only about Gerd and Aniol's achievements on extreme wildwater. But nevertheless we are curious how it feels going down a waterfall or river. Gerd:
"Extreme kayaking is my passion and I love to run whitewater and explore new rivers from my kayak. When running a waterfall you enter your flow state of maximum concentration, full focus on everything you are doing, fully committed and fully immersed in the moment. Time stops and its just you and the water, its an amazing experience that its addictive."
Message from Scott Lindgren, Jordi Domenjo and Rush Sturges for Aniol and Gerd Serrasolses.
Widely recognized as two of the best whitewater kayakers in the world, Aniol and Gerd Serrasolses have spent years pushing the limits at the forefront of progression in the sport. Now, the two brothers are focused on sharing their skills with kids who have limited access to kayaking through the Serrasolses Brothers Program (SBP).
SBP is an itinerant kayak school that benefits children with talent and motivation, but little means to paddle. The brothers are using SBP as an opportunity to conduct camps around the world to pass on their knowledge of the sport to children. It is born out of their desire to give back to the sport through an educational program that contributes to the sustainable development of the international whitewater community.
Aniol: “Our goal is to help form the new generation of great whitewater kayakers. We are providing learning opportunities for all, encouraging river conservation, and showing the health benefits of spending time outdoors. In this way, we are using sport as a tool for empowerment and social change.”
Recently Gerd became a father and we wonder if there will be less 'extreme' and more 'community' (SBP) in his life.
Gerd: "I will try to balance it as well as I can, for sure there will be lots of community SB Programs and other projects we have in mind but I hope to still be able to follow my passion for extreme kayaking and whitewater."
Who are the people who supported you Gerd and who would you like to thank?
"None of this would have been possible without the incredible support from my family and friends around the globe, however I’d like to specially thank my wife and life partner Ali for all her help and support throughout the last few years. Of course my brother Aniol has always been and is a big inspiration for me pushing myself to become a better paddler and sharing many adventures and projects together such a the SB Program.
I would also like to personally thank all the sponsors and partners of the SB Program as well as my personal sponsors that help me get on the water every day; Kokatat, GoPro, Pyranha Kayaks, Galasport, Picky Bars, Watershed Drybags, hf Safety, IR skirts, Sweet, thank you all!"
"We feel blessed and honored to be part of such an amazing sport and community, we are so lucky we found kayaking when we were teenagers and would like to pass on this privilege to as many kids as we can through our Program. We truly believe kayaking is an amazing sport that shapes your life and helps you become a better person."
- Gerd & Aniol
Profile Serrasolses Brother Program
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