Cold Rain, Big Show: World Cup Event #1 is Done -w/ photos

August 19, 2008

By Clay Wright

Photos

A cold drizzle came down for days, but the crowd all turned out and the athletes all threw down like always. While many of us got cut during the Quarters (Jed 20th, Clay 13th), those Men’s K-1ers who made it to semi’s got to paddle under the most impressive light set-ups I’ve ever seen… the hole wasn’t just well lit, it was beautiful. Such a shame to miss being part of this night event, but I’ll slow down and stick what i throw instead of rush next time. Like everything in Prague, these Czech’s take their presentation seriously and this night event was no exception. The DJ’s fired up the tunes while beer venders poured pints and the bleachers were packed with rain-suited fans waving flags, banging metal drums, or firing horns for their favorites… most of whom seemed French. It was a true sporting event – the organizers did a fine job of showcasing the competition in a way that was fun and easy to watch and the athletes sure did their part as well.

The evening turned out some of the most impressive rides of the competition despite the dark – with the local favorite Peter Csonka taking the top position once again but EJ, Dustin, and Nick all advancing to Finals (Stephen tied with Ed Smith for 6th). A big night on the town was in order and many didn’t come in till the sun rose on today. . .but it did rise! Such a great sight to see the 6:30 sun come pouring into the tent after so many days without it, and to throw on just shorts and a t-shirt to greet the new day. The camp was a wasteland of soggy sweatshirts, sagging clotheslines, garbage and gear mixed across the grass everywhere. The days of rain and kayak show had taken their toll.

After some lengthy clean-up, I finally ventured into Prague proper with Stephen Wright, Jessica, and Jason Craig’s family to find breakfast and see what all the fuss was about – and boy is there a lot to fuss about! Every cornerstone, light pole, door knocker, or overhang is adorned with Christian-gothic like gargoyles or statues or faces and every building, sidewalk, and street is full of repeating patterns of texture and color for an overall organized, yet artful presentation. I’ll let the photos do the talking ( my card reader is MIA but Stephen took tons too) , but it’s certainly worth a visit – even if you aren’t coming for kayaking.

Finals came down at noon, with Fiona Jarvis of the UK beating out an ailing Emily Jackson for the Women’s win. Ruth was the 3rd Star on the podium, but Juta Kaiser put in a solid ride too for 4th and Adrian hit a ‘huge’ airloop, cartwheel, and spin for a high scoring 5th.. In Jr’s, Maxim’s smile was gone and with it his ability to stay in the hole – so he ended up 3rd but his French Teamate Sebastien filled in nicely with a 960 pt ride. Jason Craig was 2nd and LP was 4th. For the Men EJ and Dusin had a rough day of it, just couldn’t get ‘in the groove’ like before with the tricky, flushy, higher water level. Peter Csonka on the other hand, seemed unstoppable. While Dustin scored the only ‘over 1000 point ride’ of the event earlier, Peter hit 800-900 pt rides consistantly today so I think those guys were just going all out as fast as they could in hopes of a win. Nick Troutman danced his way to second and the European Champ Mattieu Dumoulin ripped his 3rd ride to take 3rd.

The drunken after-party is now in full swing, some are in bed while others are clearly on the town … about every tent is upside down over in the UK / Dutch / Swiss prankster section and I sure hope they recycle aluminum in this town. Several van-loads are on their way to Augsberg already and we will be on the road ourselves in the morning. . Wish us luck packing so much stuff into our VW vans, and wish us luck as we continue on to the Eis Canal second event of the 2008 World Cup o Freestyle kayaking.

Clay Wright