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February 11, 2008 -- State College, PA
The 2008 Wausau Junior Olympics (JO) Festival will be held on July 3-13 in Stevens Point and Wausau, Wisconsin.
The Junior Olympics are events for aspiring cadet and promising junior paddlers.
In order to qualify for any (and all) of the Junior Olympic events one can qualify in either wildwater/downriver or
slalom or freestyle. And then participate in all of these events at Stevens Point and Wausau, Wisconsin in July of
this year. We have pre-qualified members of the US Junior and Cadet National Teams, the 2007 US Wildwater Team, and medal
winners at the 2007 JO events.
The following wildwater events are qualifying races:
| | 2007 Junior Wildwater World Championships |
| | 2008 Cedar River race (WA) - March 15 |
| | 2008 US Open (NC) - March 22-23 |
| | 2008 Red Moshannon Race (PA) - March 29 |
| | 2008 Eastern Junior Team Trials (WV) - April 4-5 |
| | 2008 Western Junior Team Trials (CO) - June 13-15 |
Those youths who qualify and wish to go to Wisconsin for the JO Festival must at that point be individual members of USACK.
Youths qualify in one of 4 age group categories using the ICF/USACK age group definitions:
| | Cub Cadet: | (BD 1998-1996) (three years in this grouping,
the others are 2-year groupings) |
| | Cadet: | (BD 1995-1994) |
| | Junior 15-16: | (BD 1993-1992) |
| | Junior: | (BD 1991-1990) |
They also qualify in any one or more of the classes which are singles kayak for men or women, singles canoe for men
or women, and doubles canoe for men, women, or mixed gender.
Qualification is for a specific boat class, kayak or canoe, and will apply for any or all of the events in slalom,
wildwater, or freestyle. To encourage more doubles canoe participation, we will allow make up teams to form from youth
who have qualified in a singles kayak or canoe class. If a doubles team has a mixed age, the competition will be in
the older age group of the two persons involved. The Grand Slalom on July 5 or 6 will qualify make-up doubles teams.
The present system used for qualifying is as follows: In the kayak classes, the top four not previously qualified
will qualify. In singles canoe the top three will qualify and in doubles canoe the top two.
The following athletes are pre-qualified for 2008: the 2007 cadet team, the 2007 Junior Team, and the medal winners
(1-3 places) in the respective events at the 2007 Junior Olympic Festival at Golden, Colorado, the 2007 Paddlesport Team.
Youths who live greater than 150 miles from a qualifying event may qualify by letter indicating they have had
experience in 4 events prior to the 2007 Junior Olympics.
Stayed tuned to USAWildwater.com and
www.wausauwhitewater.org for more information.
Contact information: David Kurtz, 814-222-0052 and d1k@psu.edu.
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