Lakeside Graduate's Olympic Dreams Forged in Georgia

By LAURA HAAS

When 11-year-old Tim Hornsby showed up late for his first kayaking lesson at Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club, he never thought that he would be where he is today.

“I was just this little kid who had no clue,” Hornsby said.

Hornsby, a graduate of Lakeside High School and a 2012 Olympic kayaker, also played soccer for most of his life and intended to play for his college team before going on to compete in the Olympics. For young Hornsby, kayaking was a hobby; his future, as far as he could see, was on the soccer field.

“I always thought that I would go to the Olympics and play soccer,” he said.

But something always drew him back to the water. When he won the national championship for kayaking at the age of 17, he realized he was more committed to one sport than the other.

“I know I loved being in the water, and I always felt a special connection with the ocean,” Hornsby said. “It made me realize a bit more where my passion was.”

Hornsby, who spent almost his entire childhood in the North Druid Hills area, cites a strong community environment and excellent schools with highly involved parents as major factors in his success.

“The parents are so involved in the schooling,” he said. “It provided a really unique environment where you just really felt supported.”

Parental support meant years of daily rides to Gainesville for kayak practice until he was old enough to drive himself and support of his goals.

“Being supportive financially and mostly emotionally in supporting what their kid’s dreams are is important,” Hornsby said.

After graduating from Lakeside in 2004, Hornsby moved to San Diego to study aerospace engineering at the University of California at San Diego while continuing his training.

When kayaking took him away from San Diego, Hornsby struggled to find support at the university and eventually had to take a break from school.

Putting his degree on hold was a difficult choice, he said.

“I’ll definitely finish my degree in aerospace engineering,” Hornsby said.  “It’s something that’s very important to me.”

For now, he is committed to making it to the 2016 Olympics and laying the foundation for a career beyond kayaking.

Four months ago, he started a business with two software engineers and kayakers that he hopes will help cover the costs of being a professional American athlete.

The business, Paddle Guru, software for running kayaking events, has already been used in 50 races.

“I’d love to see my company take off in the next couple of years,” Hornsby said. “I feel like it could be a future career for me and my business partners.”

For the next few months, Hornsby will be training with the Canadian kayak team. The Canadian athletes receive a salary and any expenses are covered. This is not the case in the United States.

“There’s very little funding for our sport, so I don’t really receive very much help financially.”

He has paid his own way to several championships, and though he made it to the Olympics last year, he had to pay for his own training. In spite of the costs, personal and financial, Hornsby said he would do it again without regrets, but this time, he’d like to bring a medal home.

“For the first time in my career, I’m starting to believe that that’s a possibility for me,” he said.

After 10 years of professional training, Hornsby said he hopes to share an Olympic victory with his family and finally achieve the dream that he has worked toward for most of his life.

“The thing is to know that even when it’s not easy, that it’s what you want,” Hornsby said.