By John Garces/sports editor

Wanting to gain interest in their sport, two Olympian kayakers visited NE Campus Feb. 13.

Ben Kvanli, a 1996 Olympian, who hopes to qualify for the Games this year in the team event, hopes to spread the word about his sport.

“I like to get people involved and give them access to the sport,” he said.

The event was organized by Barb Cutter, who teaches the continuing education kayaking class.

Kvanli and Joe Jacobi, who became America’s first kayaking gold medalist in 1992, taught the students about posture, balance, technique, and other fundamentals.

For instance, Jacobi said good whitewater kayaking should be “like a conversation between you and the boat.”

Jacobi continues to teach the world about kayaking, long after his medal-winning performance.

“It was an honor to represent my country, and the Olympic medal created a lot of opportunities, but there’s still work to be done to connect people to [the sport],” he said. “Kayaking takes you places you couldn’t go otherwise.”

Cutter said she hopes their visit brings attention to her class.

“We hope to be able to increase participation and get the word out that we have kayak classes here,” she said. “We have one in the fall that starts in September, and one in the spring that starts in February.”