Hometown Throwdown #1 on the Payette River

Last Friday, I was able to get out on the Staircase section of the South Fork of the Payette River followed by a WorldKayak.com Hometown Throwdown event at “the gutter.”  The turn-out wasn’t bad.   There were about ten competitors and just as many not in the water.   The junior freestyle events were dominated by the Voorhees brothers and Troy Wilson, but young Buey Grossman stole the show with some courageous surfs (with a few great combat rolls and a couple swims as well.)   Great job boys!

In the adults, my little brother Mychal Hayes earned the most points just weeks after his 18th birthday for a couple solid rides including the biggest trick of the evening – a huge loop.   Devon Barker was able to edge me out by two points for second place.   The other two adults competing were first-time competitors.  My friends Will and Gary enjoyed their first real surfing experience and were able to take home a prize for their participation.   Will got very comfortable surfing the edge of the hole and learned the concept of ruddering quickly.  Gary took a more aggressive approach and paddled into the hole, establishing a side surf, which was immediately followed by a short trashing.  Big cheers for both guys!

In the boatercross, Will Howerton won the first heat, Alec Voorhees won the second, and Jim Grossman won the third.  In the finals, veteran boater Jim Grossman was able to cross the finish line first.

If you’ve never competed in a kayaking event, the Hometown Throwdown events are for you!   You don’t need new school tricks, you just need a great attitude and a passion for kayaking. Make sure and visit WorldKayak.com to learn more about these awesome events.

Nothing but positive feedback on the Rock Stars at this event as our local JK dealer Alpenglow Mountainsport offered up a variety of new Jackson boats for paddlers to demo.   This year’s lineup of boats from Jackson are the best yet!

Photos by John Webster.   Check his blog and photographs here:  http://jeronimoj.tumblr.com/