Genevieve Orton praised by Nova Scotia's paddling community

Alexa Irvin finds a lot of inspiration in Lake Echo, N.S., paddler Genevieve Orton, both on and off the water.

Irvin is friends with Orton, trains with her and even competes against her.

This week, Irvin has been taking care of Orton's three-year-old daughter.

"Just a week of looking after her has me exhausted, so the way she's trained and been a great mom is super inspiring," she said.

On Saturday, Orton competed as part of the women's K4 500-metre team in the event's finals. The team finished eighth.

Irvin watched the race from the Maskwa Aquatic Club in Kearney Lake, which is not Orton's home club. However, Orton is a regular sight at the club.

"Genny's always around. She's on the water with the kids," said Debra Vieth-Morse, adding that Orton always makes herself available to offer guidance to younger athletes.

Orton also finished 13th overall in the K2 500-metre event a few days ago.

'I'm gonna give her a big hug'

Vieth-Morse was proud of what Orton accomplished.

"I've never seen someone so determined and so focused and this is something she's worked on for many years," she said.

Irvin is looking forward to seeing Orton when she returns home.

"I'm going to give her a big hug and say that she was awesome to watch and was very inspiring and I hope that I can follow in her footsteps someday," she said.