Caroline
Queen

Olympian 2012

Athlete Bio#

Height

5’3”

Age

Hometown

Darnestown

Education

Davidson College ’14 Psychology

Discipline: Canoe Slalom, K1 Women
Hometown: Darnestown, Maryland
Birthplace: Knoxville, Tennessee
Current Residence: Davidson, North Carolina
Birthdate: 3/5/1992
Height: 5’3”
College: Davidson College ’14 Psychology
Club: Potomac Whitewater Racing Club

2012 Olympian

Olympic Experience:

2012: 17th

How She Qualified: Queen, 20, earned the Olympic boat quota slot in Women’s Slalom Kayak for the U.S. by placing 37th at the 2011 World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia on September 9. Teammate Ashley Nee pulled even in Olympic selection points by winning the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Charlotte on April 14. The lone Olympic slot would go to whichever paddler finished higher at the 2012 World Cup No. 1 in Cardiff, Wales. Queen booked her ticket for London on June 9 with a 35th place finish, 1.06 seconds faster than Nee.

Recent Results:

2012 U.S. National Championships: 1st
2012 Junior World Championships: 9th in U23 Women's Kayak
2012 World Cup No. 1: 35th
2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials: 2nd
2012 Australian Open: 9th
2011 World Championships: 37th
2011 National Championships: 1st
Reached second round at the London 2012 Olympic Test Event
2011 World Cup No. 3: 18th
2011 World Cup No. 2: 18th
Placed 24th among Women’s Kayaks in the final 2011 ICF World Cup Standings

Career Highlights:

2010 National Championships: 2nd
2008 World Cup No. 1: 19th
U.S. National Team Member in 2007-08, 2010-12

A True Student-Athlete: Queen, 20, is a sophomore at Davidson College in North Carolina, a short drive from the U.S. National Whitewater Center and site of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Slalom Team Trials. She took the Spring 2012 semester off from school to focus on Olympic qualification. She plans to enroll in medical school after completing her undergraduate studies. She cross-trains as a member of the Davidson club field hockey team. She attempted to qualify for the 2008 Games at 16 years of age. Even now, she’s 13 years younger than Olympic teammate Scott Parsons.

Nickname: “Bam Bam”
Job: Student
Hobbies: field hockey, reading, basketball
Quote: "Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal."
Role Models: I certainly look up to Rebecca Giddens and Sarah Leith as athlete role models. My parents are also great mentors to me.
Trivia: Although I have dedicated much of my time to slalom, kayaking is not my only sport. I love field hockey and continue to play on my college's club team. I also enjoy trying new sports and have taken up basketball as a new cross-train. I am also a very dedicated student. I plan to attend medical school in pursuit of a degree in psychiatry after acquiring my undergraduate degree from Davidson.

Website: http://carolinequeen.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carolinequeenslalom
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SlalomLina
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/carolinequeenusa/featured

In the News: Baltimore Sun. TeamUSA.org.

Caroline Queen first began paddling slalom at Valley Mill Camp in her hometown of Darnestown, MD at the age of nine. She soon entered regular training in the summer of 2002, when she began working with the US Junior Team coach, Martin Nevaril. With Martin’s guidance, she blossomed as a young paddler. In 2006, then fourteen-year-old Queen attended her first US National team trials, when surprised the slalom community by winning Day 2 of the competition. The following year, Queen began training with National Team coach Silvan Poberaj. With help from both Poberaj and former team member Joe Jacobi, she became the youngest woman ever to make the US National team.

Queen did not race in the 2009 season due to a severe knee injury that prevented her from attending the 2009 Team Trials in Durango.