The day before this March 4th Drew Duval, Pat Keller, and myself (John Grace) went to check out Desoto Falls in Alabama. Several of us have been looking at this waterfall for a long time and with the recent rains and Chris's descent we were motivated to make the long drive. You can check out Chris's descent at becauserockshurt.com. Anyway we braved a serious rainstorm on the way down…we referred to it as the perfect storm. After arriving we found a really high river and were freaking out. We all ended up giving er and you can see how the whole thing panned out in LVM #26 The Southeast editon of the States Series coming later April.
River left view of the falls
Now for the big announcement. In conjunction with The States DVD's for 2008 LVM is putting on The Whitewater Giant Slalom Racing series. Read over the description below for all the details. To sum things up, this is a series of three regional events where people have a chance to qualify for a chance to win $4000 at The Green River in N.C, As technology and technique evolve athletes of all sports continue to pusth the stage at which they compete. This new stage is where the Giant Slalom will take place. Check out the video explaining how the markers will work and feel free to email us with any questions. We will have more complete coverage next week and until then keep it sunny side up.
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Regional Divisions of the U.S.
The Whitewater Giant Slalom Series
Brought to you by LVM
The Whitewater Giant Slalom is the evolution of whitewater kayak racing. With the evolution of technology and technique, athletes of all sports continue to push the stage at which they compete. In the sport of kayaking rivers that were once considered to be on the edge of navigability are now commonly ran by hundreds, if not thousands, of people every season. This new stage is where the most skilled paddlers focus their attention and for this reason LVM brings you The Whitewater Giant Slalom Championship.
Regions
The Giant Slalom Championship is set up with three qualifying regions: The West Coast Region, Rocky Mountain Region, and The East Coast Region. Each region only allows participants residing in that area to compete for the trophy. This assures that each region has a true champion. The top twenty from each region are then invited to attend the championship on the Green River in North Carolina, where a cash purse will be distributed and a Whitewater's Giant Slalom Champion will be crowned.
Anyone from abroad is invited to race. If their time is in the top twenty of a region they will be invited to the championship, but will not bump out any of the local competitors. No racers can attempt to qualify more than once.
Format
The race will be held over two days. Day 1 will be the downriver race: a simple point A to point B race with the competitors leaving in one-minute intervals. The times of the racers will determine the seeding for the next event held on Day 2-the Giant Slalom itself. This will consist of a course set up in the morning featuring several route markers that must be negotiated in numerical order. No practice runs will be allowed. The course is completed by going right of the red markers and left of the green markers in there numbered order. The markers cannot be touched or time will be added. If a marker is missed a larger amount of time will be added. The kayaker is allowed pass the marker going any direction as long as the paddler passes on the correct side of the marker. Each contestant will get two runs, which will be combined for total score.
The Markers
We have three types of markers: traditional single pole markers, floating markers, and eddy markers. The pole and floating markers are completed by passing on the appropiate side, designated by color. Anything goes as long as you pass the marker on the designated side without a touch. The eddy markers are completed by then with the bow of your boat. Check out this video.
Check out this video.
Safety
For the most comprehensive safety, the participants must participate. No one is more experienced in safety than the competitors themselves. Half of the participants will go down the course and set up safety positions with everyone in eyesight of each other. After the first group goes there will be a short break to switch safety groups.
Rules
Marker touch: 10 second addition
Marker miss: 50 second addition
Boat Length: 9 feet max, no minimum, one boat allowed for competition, no boat altering
Men and Women classes (must have 5 competitors to be considered a class)
No junior or over 40 classes this year, but may be added in the future.
Entry Fee
$25 (Includes free DVD)
Prize Money
$4000 prize money and a lot of glory!
Locations/Schedule
We have divided the U.S. into three regions., East, Rocky Mountains and West Region. We are primarily holding one race in each area that acts as a qualifier. Our mindset in selecting locations is based on reliability of water levels, as well as fun factor, access, and a host of other considerations. Due to the unpredictable influence of climate, all dates and locations are subject to change. Continue to check LVMTV for race updates.
West Coast Region: (20 qualifiers)
The west coast regional will be split between The Little White/White Salmon race April 19-20 and the PBR Whitewater Revival May 30-31. Due to the short amount of time between this announcement and the upcoming Little White Race, we are offering two chances to qualify. The Top Ten from each will be invited to the finals.
Rocky Mountain Region: (20 qualifiers)
The Rockies regional will be held on Oh-Be-Joyful creek on June 21st and 22nd. This date may be moved back depending on the rate at which the snow melts.
East Coast Region: (20 qualifiers)
The east coast regional is yet to be determined. We have several options here and will finalize the location in the near future. The tentative dates are July 26 and 27.
The Championship:
The championship will be held on the Green River in North Carolina on August 30th, 31st…at 200%.
Summary
The Whitewater Giant Slalom Series is meant to represent a few key things.. First we want to have the races on rivers that we all love to paddle, so that no matter what place one gets, they still have a great time. As well, we invite everyone and hope to see a large contingency of racers vying for those top twenty qualifying positions. The purpose of the Giant Slalom Series is to push the sport of whitewater kayaking. With the Giant Slalom course a paddler is forced to use new lines and even the playing field for all racers-everyone is paddling it for the 1st time. Check back next week and we will have more updates, but for now all you west coasters make sure you make it up to the Little White Salmon to represent.
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