USA WILDWATER NEWS WINTER 1999

RACE NEWS

The American Canoeist and Paddler Magazine pullout calendar both indicate that there is a wildwater team trials on the Kern River in Kernville, California in April. THIS INFORMATION IS NOT CORRECT!!!

The 1999 U.S. Wildwater Team was selected at the 1998 U.S. Team Trials with remaining spots filled at the 1998 Wildwater National Championships held during the FIBArk Festival in Colorado. The 1999 Team was selected in this manner to accommodate the timing of the 1999 Wildwater World Cup in New Zealand on Feb. 13 - 28, to prevent racers from having to spend valuable time and money to compete in an autumn team trials.

Americans traveling to New Zealand to compete in the Wildwater World Cup are Ian Stewart (Team Athlete Representative), Mike Beck, Midi Tilghman, Andrew McEwan, and Michael Harris. Let's wish these athletes good paddling and fast times down under. Ben Sandiford will be representing the United States as an International Canoe Federation Judge as well as the U.S. Wildwater Team Manager.

The PreWorld Championships will be on the River Vezere in Treignac, France May 20 - 24. Treignac was the venue of the first ever Wildwater World Championships held in 1959. Athletes who qualified for and are planning on attending the PreWorlds should contact Scott Overdorf (303-682-2674) or Jim Ingram (706-878-2586) immediately. The River Vezere is controlled by dam releases. Full details of dates and river flow will be available on-line at http://perso.wandadoo.fricklimousin. Twenty-one days of releases are scheduled during the three months prior to the World Championships in 2000. Dave Mason was in Treignac in October, and an article on the river and surrounding area will appear in the Spring/Summer newsletter.

        Northwest Wildwater Cup

There will be a 5-race Northwest Wildwater Cup in Washington State. Contact Matt Lutz for more information (206-527-6083).

The 1999 Wildwater National Championships will be held on the White Salmon River in BZ Corner, Washington during the week of July 11 - 17. The White Salmon is a world-class wildwater course and was used to select the 1998 U.S. Wildwater Team. The Nationals will be part of the Gorge Games, a week-long festival featuring outdoor sports including; mountain biking, outrigger canoeing, slalom racing, rodeo and extreme wildwater racing. Hosting nationals in conjunction with an existing event is a precedent established at the 1996 Wildwater National Championships on the Ocoee River to maximize exposure for wildwater. It also creates the potential to increase the number of participants by attracting paddlers from other disciplines present at the festival. For more information on the event, contact Matt Lutz (206-527-6083).

The Ocoee Double Header (a Pan American Wildwater Race), April 3 & 4, and the National Championships on the White Salmon River, the week of July 11, are International races listed on the International Canoe Federation wildwater race schedule and will be used for World ranking. To be classified as an International race, there must be competitors from at least two countries competing. Let's encourage our neighbors from the North and South to compete at these races.

Thank you to the Atlanta Whitewater Club for the excellent planning and communication for the Ocoee Double Header. You can now get information about the Ocoee Double Header at www.classfivetech.com/awc .You will find information about the race, accommodations, and schedule.  You can also printout a registration form. More information will be added as we get closer to race time.

(Check out the convenience ... 3 events in the same area — Training Camp at the NOC, March 20-21; Wildwater Race/Junior Team Qualifier, Nantahala River, March 28; and the Ocoee Double Header, April 3-4. Want to come and need a place to stay? Contact Ben Lawry and Elizabeth McBride at emcbride@dnet.net.)

JUNIOR NEWS

Congratulations to the 1998 U.S. Junior Wildwater Team that competed at the Junior Wildwater World Championships in Lofer, Austria. Juniors representing the USA in Austria were Andrew McEwan, Nathan and Austin Krissoff and Sven Hoosen in kayak and Tom Wier in C1. A special thank you goes out to Bill Hoosen, the U.S. Junior Wildwater Team Manager, Brent Reitz, the U.S. Junior Wildwater Team Coach, and Dr. Bill Krissoff, the attending physician for the Team, for their support. Check out the November/December issue of American Whitewater to read an exciting account of the Junior Wildwater World Championships written by Austin Krissoff. And, if you go online, check out www.mccool.com/patty/hoosen/search.cfm and enjoy a daily journal of the Junior Wildwater World Championships written by Bill Hoosen.

        PreWorld Championships

Italy will host the 1999 Junior Wildwater PreWorld Championships on the Isarco River in Vipiteno/Sterzing. The PreWorlds are scheduled for July 3 & 4. There will be a Western junior team selection race at the Kern River Festival, April 17 and an Eastern junior team selection race at the Nantahala Spring Race, March 28. The top three finishers in each class at both events will qualify for the 1999 U.S. Junior Wildwater Team.

        Head-To-Head Sprint Race

The 1999 Junior Olympics (slalom) will be in Golden, Colorado on July 24 & 25. This is exciting news because Wayne Dickert, former U.S. Wildwater Team member, Olympian and current Director of Junior Development for the USCKT, has given a green light for a head-to-head, knockout sprint race to be contested Friday, July 23, the day before the Junior Olympics. This will allow juniors competing in the slalom race to also compete in a wildwater sprint race. If you are a junior wildwater racer, consider competing in this sprint race. All competitors will paddle Wavehoppers to simulate a monoclass and will paddle in heats; two paddlers racing head-to-head. The winner of each heat moves on to race again until only two racers are left to compete in the final sprint to determine the winner. Juniors must qualify in a designated slalom race to be able to compete at the Junior Olympic Slalom Race, so come to Golden to test your wildwater sprinting skills against the best junior slalom paddlers in the country. Contact Scott Overdorf (303-682-2674) for more information.

        High School Racing

This year will mark the beginning of a Colorado High School Whitewater Cup race series. Two river festivals are currently scheduled for the High School Cup: Boulder Creek Whitewater Races in Boulder hosted by the Dawson School and the Crystal River Races in Carbondale hosted by the Colorado Rocky Mountain School. Durango may host a third event for this series. A rodeo, slalom and wildwater competition will be contested at each festival. Points will be awarded World Cup style and a Colorado High School Champion will be named in each discipline. An overall Colorado State Champion will also be determined for the combined winner of all disciplines.

This high school race series is the result of an annual Autumn Friendship Cruise that began three years ago. During the first year, six students from two schools participated. This year participation increased to 28 students from 8 schools. Following a class II cruise on the Pumphouse section of the Colorado River, Tim Sampsel and Scott Overdorf led a wildwater run in which 8 students participated. The following day 12 students participated in a 4 mile, class II wildwater race in which all classes were represented.

OTHER WILDWATER NEWS

Live in the Great Smoky Mountains with a river located right outside the office. The Nantahala Racing Club is seeking a new executive director. Interested? Call the Club for an application. (828) 488-2176, ext. 108.

Show Me The Money

For the third year, FIBArk will be awarding a $500 cash prize for the fastest boat completing the 26-mile wildwater race. The 1998 winner of the 50th anniversary race was Franklin Lewis. This year's FIBArk Festival is scheduled for June 17-20.

A new format for team trials was discussed at last year's team trials and will be instituted beginning with the selection of the 2000 U.S. Wildwater Team. Four sites around the country will be selected, and team trials will be rotated annually at these sites. The advantage of this plan is that the team trials schedule will be known indefinitely, bids will not need to be solicited each year, and racers will be familiar with each race course after competing at each site. Three obvious choices to think about are the Kern, White Salmon and Ocoee Rivers. Using a 4-race rotation will work most years. The exception to the rule, however, will be the case of a World Championship taking place late in the summer, such as Bala, or if the World Championships are ever held in the Southern Hemisphere. Then there must be some flexibility with the rotation to stage a team trials to accommodate international events that have unusual timing.

The same concept can be used for selecting sites for national championship events. Using existing major river festivals for the nationals should be a top priority to increase exposure to wildwater and to utilize an existing race organization. Please voice your ideas and opinions on the selection of team trial and national championship sites.

        Former French National Coach Visits U.S.

Last fall we were very happy to have Francois Beauchard, former French National Coach, come for a surprise visit! He was in the States visiting relatives and offered to teach an impromptu wildwater clinic at the Nantahala Racing Club. Participants, ranging in skill from novice to expert, spent time in the classroom, on the lake and on the river. Everyone felt that the instruction was very worthwhile. Don't feel excluded ... Francois has offered to come again with more advance notice so that everyone can be informed.

        Looking For A New Wildwater Boat ... Good News

Dagger has just finished molding the ESOX wildwater kayak. This model is from France and is the first new wildwater kayak available in this country in over 6 years.

Dagger has finished a demo boat, which is currently on loan to the Nantahala Race Club. It will be traveling the country so check it out at a race or demo near you. For more details call Andy Bridge, Dagger, 423-882-0404.

        Athlete Progression Manual

Wayne Dickert has authored a 52-page USA Canoe/Kayak Slalom Athlete Progressions Manual for the USCKT and has given permission to use it as a framework for a progression manual for wildwater athletes. It is an excellent tool for developing juniors. However, writing such a document, even with the help of an existing slalom manual, is a big project. Anyone interested in helping to write this manual should contact Scott Overdorf (303-682-2674).

        USA Wildwater Communications

Keeping each other informed and up-to-date is one of the key ways we can keep wildwater growing! To help with this, we've recreated the wildwater newsletter and started our own web site. Help us spread the word about the web site and newsletter with other folks interested in wildwater.

Inviting all lovers of wildwater — paddlers (both old and new), spouses and volunteers. Mark your calendar now for a fun time in western North Carolina. We'll have a morning lake paddler, a fun race that afternoon, and evening barbeque and party. You'll also be able to visit the Nantahala Outdoor Center's Guest Appreciation Festival. There will definitely be some race challenges between folks. It's the perfect opportunity to see old friends and make new ones! Start recruiting a new wildwater paddler to bring with you. Watch the newsletter and e-mail for details from Elizabeth McBride & Ben Lawry (828-488-2176, ext. 184, e-mail: emcbride@dnet.net).

And most importantly — HAPPY New Year

Let's begin 1999 by thanking all the volunteers working behind the scenes to make it possible for wildwater to exist. It's important to thank all of wildwater's supporters including volunteers, committee members, athletes, juniors, parents, spouses, loved ones, relatives, sponsors, race sponsors, and also ACA business affiliates and club affiliates. The future of wildwater racing in the U.S. and internationally is in all of our hands. Let's work together to improve wildwater participation and sponsorship and increase exposure to our sport. Until the Spring/Summer newsletter, TRAIN HARD and take a junior or new person to the sport with you the next time you head to the river or go out for a workout.

        Congratulations ...

K1                                                  K1W                  C1                                           C2
Nathan Krissoff              Meredith Hamilton           Tom Wier                     Jamie Bledsoe - Niwot, CO
Reno, NV                             Durango, CO                   Boulder, CO                Owen Herzegh, Boulder, CO

CURRENT USA WILDWATER COMMITTEE MEMBERS

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

1999 Wildwater Races and Other Activities

The following is a schedule of events across the country. This is not a complete listing. For a complete schedule of regional and local races in your area — check local and state clubs. (Know about an event not listed? Just e-mail us the details and we'll add it to the web site and include it in the next newsletter.)

July 17, 24 & 31 Nantahala Race Club Citizen Downriver/Rodeo/Slalom Race Nantahala Outdoor Center Programs Office                                                                                                                                  888-662-1662, ext. 184; e-mail: programs@noc.com

Week of July 11-17 WW National Championships & ICF Int'l C Race,                  Matt Lutz, 206-527-6083
                        White Salmon River — BZ Corner, WA

July 23     Junior Olympics & Knockout Wildwater Sprint Race,                      Scott Overdorf, 303-682-2674
                    Clear Cr. & Golden, CO

Oct. 30   Wildwater Reunion in Western NC Barbeque & Race                         Elizabeth McBride & Ben  Lawry 828-488-2176, ext.184                      (also NOC's Guest Appreciation Festival)

1999 ICF Wildwater Racing Calendar