|
October 15, 2006 -- Charlotte, NC
For well over a decade the Nantahala Racing Club has historically hosted the Jiffy Wildwater race on the
Tuckaseigee Gorge, a fun class 2 run close to the Nantahala on the first weekend of December. Low water over
the past few years has made the Jiffy grueling to say the least. In an effort to do something a little
different and bring the NRC wildwater calendar more inline with the ICF shift to shorter races, the Jiffy
Wildwater race will now take place at the brand new US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte NC and will
be a Sprint only weekend event.
10 minutes from downtown Charlotte, the US National Whitewater Center provides over 300 acres of woodlands
along the scenic Catawba River. Olympic-caliber athletes, weekend warriors and casual observers share this
world-class sports and training center. Alongside mountain-biking and running trails, a climbing center, and
challenge course, the park’s unique feature is a multiple-channel, customizable whitewater river channel for
rafting and canoe/kayak enthusiasts of all abilities. Inspired by the successful Penrith Whitewater Stadium
built for the 2000 Olympics and the stadium built for the 2004 Athens Games, the USNWC is the world’s only
multi-channel recirculating whitewater river. The US Olympic Committee has designated the USNWC an official
Olympic Training Site. USA Canoe and Kayak (USACK) has also designated the Center as its new home. The USNWC
will hosts Slalom World Cup competitions and Olympic Trials & hemispheric qualifiers, and serves as the home
of international Olympic slalom athletes. It will also be the venue of the Sprint portion of the 2007 Junior
Wildwater World Championships. The longer, “Wilderness” channel will be used for the Jiffy, featuring
approximately 2 minutes of fun class III whitewater. The entire Wilderness channel can comfortable be run with
out any hits or scraps. Any paddlers unsure of there ability to train and race on class III whitewater should
ensure that their airbags are installed and inflated. The 2006 Jiffy Wildwater race will be the first wildwater
sprint race to be held at USNWC and gives our Junior athletes a first glimpse at the venue they will race on at
the 2007 World Championships. The race will also give the organizers of the Junior World Championships a chance
to review their operating logistics.
SCHEDULE
- Saturday December 2nd - Open training. The course will be open to all river traffic. 90 minute training
slots can be purchased from USNWC for $15. They can be reserved in advance or simply show up on the day. Light
river use is expected so training should be optimal and reservations shouldn’t be needed. 90 minutes of training
on the Wilderness channel is more that enough to both learn the course and get a great workout.
- Sunday December 3rd - Race. Entry fee will be $20. You will get one un-timed training run, followed by
two timed race runs for a cumulative sprint time that will be used to generate the finish results. There will be
classes for all types of water craft including wildwater boats. The Jiffy Wildwater race will have exclusive use
of the Wilderness channel for the race so there will be zero river congestion to worry about. Race time is TBD.
Additional information about Charlotte and the US National Whitewater Center can be found at the following
web sites.
|
