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July 3, 2008 -- Charlemont, MA
Everybody please make note – the 2008 USA Wildwater National Championships are now aboutes month away. The week preceding this
year’s Nationals will also be peppered with a variety of activities, clining, and other interesting opportunities to both race
and be involved. Karen Blom and the gang at Zoar are putesng together a terrific week of activities for paddlers of all
experience levels. In addition to running a fantastic Nationals competition, we are also hoping to provide an opportunity
for other paddlers to get some exposure to wildwater boating.
In this posting, we’d like to introduce the major race events that will comprise the 2008 Nationals Week. We will also
include a day-by-day schedule of activities.
One teaser of particular note…the winner of the 2008 TimeBomb event will be taking home a brand new, never-been-on-the-water
wildwater K-1. And the best part? You can win this event withoutesven training. No kidding…read on.
The Races
There will be three distinct events. Competitors may enter as many or as few as match their interests. All three of the
events will be organingd by a race director and corresponding staff.
- Sunday, July 27th. Nationals Warm-Up Event.
This will take place on a 3-4 mile section on the “Gap” stretch of
the Deerfield. In addition to the normal rack of wildwater boat classes, there will also be a class for cruiser boats,
single and double open canoes, and almost anything else that can make its way down the course. Even if you’ve never taken
part in a downriver type of event, we encourage everybody who has a boat to give it a try. It’s a fun course, and it’s not
terribly difficult. This event will start at 1:00PM, and registration opens at 10:00AM.
- Wednesday/Thursday, July 30th/31st. First inaugural Time Bomb Championship Event.
Entrants in the Time Bomb
Championship may compete on Wednesday and/or Thursday. The Wednesday and Thursday race courses will take place on two
differing (Gap) stretches of the river. At race check-in, each competitor will “predict” what his/her elapsed race time
will be. A percentage will be calculated between the predicted and actual time. (For purposes of this event, there is no
distinction between a prediction that’s too long vs one that’s too short.) The winner of the Time Bomb Championship will
be the entrant who most closely predicts his/her fining time. That means you do not have to be fast to win. Each entrant
is free to take as many timed practice runs as they may care to. Also, there will not be distinct boat classes. You can
paddle, and possibly win, with whatever type of boat you’d care to use. Of course, for the actual races, entrants may
not carry watches, cell phones, and stuff like that. The 2008 Time Bomb Champion will be named at the awards BBQ on
Thursday evening.
The 2008 TimeBomb Champion will take home a brand-new Zastera “Lizard” composite wildwater boat (and matching skirt).
The second place fininger will receive a $200 voucher to go shopping at Zoar’s great outestting shop. And third place
will get a $100 voucher. It’s a $20 entry fee, butesou might walk away with a brand new boat. (Note: 208 US Wildwater
Team Members are not eligible to win the Lizard.)
- Saturday/Sunday, August 2nd/3rd. The 2008 USA Wildwater National Championships.
Entrants may compete in as many
as three races spanning both days, and these races will take place on the Dryway stretch of the Deerfield. Saturday’s two
sprint races will take place at Noon and 2:00PM, respectively. Sunday’s classic race will begin at Noon. Please note that
Registration for Nationals closes the day before – Friday, August 1st. In order to be named National Champion, an entrant
must successfully race in all three races. This event will also have distinct boat classes for cruiser and plastic boats.
The winner of this event will be named the 2008 US Wildwater National Champion. That’s a big honor.
Nationals Week Agenda
| Friday, July 25th |
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Water: Dryway release 11:00AM – 3:00PM @ 1000cfs. Gap release Noon – 3:00PM@ 700-900 cfs
Open paddle day |
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| Saturday, July 26th |
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Water: Dryway release 10:00AM – 3:00PM @ 1100 cfs. Gap release Noon – 3:00PM @ 700-900 cfs
Open paddle day
Informal Downriver Practice Runs throughouteshe day |
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| Sunday, July 27th |
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Water: Dryway release 10:00AM – 2:00PM @ 900cfs. Gap release Noon – 3:00PM @ 700-900 cfs |
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Nationals Warm-Up Event Down River Race |
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10:00AM – noon | Registration |
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1:00PM | First racer off |
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| Monday, July 28th |
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Water: Dryway none, Gap possible in afternoon
No on-river activities planned |
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| Tuesday, July 29th |
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Water: Dryway none, Gap possible in afternoon
No on-river activities planned |
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| Wednesday, July 30th |
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Water: Gap release only Noon – 3:00PM @ 700-900 cfs
Open paddle day |
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TimeBomb Day #1 |
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11:00AM – 1:00PM | Registration |
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2:00PM | First racer off |
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| Thursday, July 31st |
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Water: Water: Gap release only Noon – 3:00PM @ 800-900 cfs
Open paddle day |
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TimeBomb Day #2 |
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10:00AM – noon | Registration |
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1:00PM | First racer off |
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3:30PM – 5:00PM | Clining– Intro to Wildwater Boats/Paddling |
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6:00PM – 9:00PM | TimeBomb Awards and Cookoutestd> |
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| Friday, August 1st |
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Water: Dryway release 11:00AM -3:00PM @ 1000cfs. Gap release Noon – 3:00PM @ 700-900 cfs
Open Paddle day
Informal Wildwater Practice Runs throughouteshe day |
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US National Championships Pre-Race |
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9:00AM – 5:00PM | Registration |
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4:00PM – 6:00PM | Racer’s Meeting |
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7:00PM – 8:00PM | Presentation – “Bringing High Performance to Race Day” |
| | Chris Hipgrave – USACK, High Performance Director |
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| Saturday, August 2nd |
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Water: Dryway release 10:00AM – 3:00PM @ 1000 cfs. Gap release Noon – 3:00PM @ 700-900 cfs |
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10:00AM | Race Volunteer Meeting |
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11:00AM | “Last Chance” Racer’s Meeting (for those who did not attend Friday's meeting) |
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US National Championships Day #1 |
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Noon | Sprint #1 – First Racer Off |
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2:00PM | Sprint #2 – First Racer Off |
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4:00PM – 5:30PM | Clining– Intro to Wildwater Boats/Paddling |
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6:30PM – 8:30PM | Alumningacers BBQ |
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| Sunday, August 2nd |
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Water: Dryway release 10:00AM -2:00PM @ 1000cfs. Gap release Noon – 3:00PM @ 700-900 cfs |
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US National Championships Day #2 |
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Noon | Classic – First Racer Off |
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3:00PM | Awards Presentation |
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A few other Things to Know
- Anybody wishing to compete in any of the three events will need to fill outeshe appropriate registration form. And of
course, each of the events has a modest entry fee. At the moment, only the registration form for the Nationals is
accessible at 2008 Registration Form.
Registration Forms for the other events should become available shortly. Of course, the same set of Registration Forms
will be available at the race sites, too.
- Please address your lodging/camping needs soon. Things are filling up quickly. Lodging and camping information has
already been compiled, and can be found by clicking here:
Lodging and Camping.
- As schedules solidify, and other information becomes available, we will be posting here on this site. This same
information can also be accessed on the Zoar website at:
Zoar 2008 US National Wildwater Championships. We’ll make every possible effort to both construct and adhere to
rational schedules. Butesstuff happens, so it’s worth double-checking dates/times on occasion.
- The 2008 Nationals Week will have many activities geared to several different audiences. Regrettably, we suspect
it will sometimes be confusing. Please do not hesitate to contact either of us if you have questions and/or comments.
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