Many of you may have been getting emails from someone called “Nada” and wondering who she is, especially as she asks so many questions! So we thought we’d turn the tables and interview HER for a change! So lets get you all familiar with her –

Nada – how did you get into rafting?

“I started dealing with competitive rafting in 2006. In 2008 I was in a Serbian team paddling in the back right position. I participated in the Euro Cups in Bulgaria, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia and was active paddling at them until 2012. I was also part of the national team at the 2009 and 2010 WRC as well as the Euro Champs in Italy 2010.”

And you stopped competing – why was that?

“After several unpleasant experiences in the competitive rafting world in 2011, I decided to withdrew from active paddling. But since I’m hooked on this sport and cannot live without it I didn’t stop being interested in what happens in the rafting scene.”

In 2012 you came to the attention of the IRF due to your keenness to help us find interesting material for our Facebook page and website. How has this involvement grown over the years?

“First I was emailing links of interesting rafting pictures, videos and articles through to the IRF and then I started to write articles about the teams and a variety of other topics. Slowly I became more involved and as they needed someone in Europe to assist with their media program at the events there they recruited me to do even more. My main focus is to help in order to better promote rafting and to encourage the rafting community to be more active.”

So if we had to list what you do for the IRF ….

“The key things I do are:

• Write the text for articles about the teams and get the photos for the articles
• Handling IRF media at the events I attend – which means – reporting from the competition with photos, text, video and results. 
• Collecting interesting photos, videos and links for the IRF Facebook fan page and help in managing the page.
• Finding and collecting the data of teams that have any kind of representation on the Internet (it would be nice if teams informed us directly about that so that we can put them into our database).
• Monitoring teams all around the world, from their training until after the competitions, and all the fun activities they perform. And to try get to know them better to build a sound knowledge base for writing articles.”

Yes, many of the posts on Facebook are your finds and we do get plenty of compliments from everyone who enjoys them.

What is the most frustrating part of this job?

” Getting replies from the teams!!! After two years of work I have the same number of completed texts as uncompleted texts, because so many teams never answer my questions. Sometimes I wait six months before someone replies to my questions. And sometimes the organizers of the competitions don’t understand what it is I’m doing at the event. The media world is not a known element to them.”

This is a common problem – teams and event organisers under-estimating the power of media and how important it is and how hard it is to maintain continuity to ensure the sport gets out to the public as that is where the promoters, supporters, sponsors and lovers of the sport are.

If you had a message to give to the teams – what would it be?

“I am here to help you promote yourselves and the sport of rafting. To help you in any way I can. To answer your questions, to find answers to your questions, to connect you with other rafters and to keep growing this great sport of ours.

I would really like to see the teams:

• communicate more with one another
• help and support each other
• let us know when they are doing something interesting
• be more active on social networks and not only when they are going somewhere – because there are events throughout the whole year and it would be nice to inform their audiences about it all
• and … do not wait longer than a week before you respond to one of my emails! .. :) ​”

So the future – you’ll be attending the R6 Euro Champs in Georgia in May as IRF media representative and a number of Euro Cup events through the coming season. What else is on the cards?

“I am getting back into active paddling and I’d love to be competitive again with my girls team (Serbia Womens Rafting Team).”

How can teams contact you?

“The can get hold of me via my IRF email address or my personal one. Or they can message or follow me on my Facebook page – Nada Rafting.  And on Twitter – Nada Rafting.“

You have quietly been doing great work in the background for the IRF – we hope that more people will recognise you now in emails and in person in the future and get back to with answers quickly. The IRF thanks you for all the hard work you do for this great sport of ours!