What’s going on in Australia now?

January 9, 2005

Photos

The setting for the World Freestyle Kayak Championships
this year is unique. It is in a whitewater park, made for the 2000 Olympic
Slalom Race, and currently used for rafting, slalom, recreational, and
freestyle kayaking. Rafting makes it a profitable business, since it is
privately owned. At the entrance of the park, you pick up your bib for
the day, and pay for your session, $10. You can get a six month pass for
$900. About $780 US. It is expensive, but so is the running of the place.
The course makes a loop. They have 5 big pumps, using three at a time,
so they can service others and keep the park going, even when something
breaks. The water is pumped out of the nearby lake, around the course
and back into the lake. The setting is a little like an upscale Six Flags,
but with only one ride, the whitewater ride. The food stand is a sit down
restaurant, with only outside seating, and great food, breakfast, lunch,
and dinner. From there you can watch people go up the conveyor belt and
head down into the course, as well as see the last drop. The inside of
the loop is reserved for safety and staff during the rafting period, and
coaches, during training. The weather seems to stay between 65F, and 85F.
Today, for example it was a little cooler and never got over 80F. Shoes
are not required anywhere in Australia it seems, including the restaurants;
perfect for me since I don’t like to wear shoes. The daily schedule
seems to be consistent. During the week, slalom paddlers buy time and
train from 8:00-10:30 each morning, then it is “rafting, and rec
paddling” meaning anybody can paddle, that means the freestyle boaters.
We generally have from 10:30-3:00pm, and occasionally until 5 or 6pm.
Then it is slalom training again. On the weekends, slalom is from 7-9:15am
and rafting/playboating is from 9:15-6pm. It can be a zoo at times, but
it goes in waves. You can get plenty of good paddling in, and then a new
rafting group will come and it will be nuts for about an hour. Today Devon
Barker got one of the coolest aerial moves I have seen in a while. She
was cartwheeling in the hole and a raft came through the drop, got under
her boat and launched her about 3 feet in the air and about 10 feet downstream!
She never knew what hit her! She got cheers for about 5 minutes.

It is common to see the raft guides training in between
their trips. Andre, Matt, and friends seem to enjoy the raft trips, followed
by the paddling, and then more rafting. It is a great lifestyle. You will
see many of these guides on other continents guiding, doing video boating,
etc. when they are not here. The local paddlers are here most of the day
too, like Tanya Faux and Yappa (both paddled all summer on the Ottawa
too), also Jake and Russ the two junior men from Australia, hang out ALL
day at the course. Russ was seen icing his arm today. A little tendonitis,
I presume.

Today, another 5 Czech paddlers, another really good
French paddler (K1), and some more Brits (Richard and Jennifer Grimes,
both world medalists in past junior comps) showed up. I know that Emily
considers Jennifer one of her biggest competitors. Hannah Farrar is another
one, from the USA. So now the flavor is taking on less of an Australian
one, and more of a World Championships one. Starting in three days there
will be the slalom races. I haven’t really scoped out a boat yet,
nor have I paddled a slalom boat yet. I really need to consider this.
I can get used to a boat in a few hours, and do much better after 20 minutes
then cold turkey. I guess I am not that excited about it, mostly because
I hate borrowing boats, especially slalom boats. I do want to race against
some of the best from around the world, and can’t wait to see where
I stand.

Well, that is enough of that. The hole is producing
lots of good moves, both wave and hole moves. The clean blunts are cool.
The air loops are cool too. This is a great cartwheel hole, but hard to
super clean, because the curlers come in from the shoulders and try to
trip you up.

Dane and Emily are doing school, Kristine is taking
a nap before working out, and I just watched today’s video (that
Kristine took). Tonight is Poker night again!

🙂 EJ