January 14 Training Log

January 14, 2005

Training Log:
Today was the first REALLY crowded training day. Japanese, Americans,
Slovakians, more Czechs, more British, more Canadians, and I am sure more
that I haven’t mentioned all seemed ready to kayak at one time this
morning. Unlike the other World Championship sites I have competed at,
this is the first Whitewater Park. The good news with a whitewater park
is access, and amenities. The bad news is water. We can paddle from 10:30am
-3pm. That is not much time. In Graz, Austria, for example, you could
find me at the water at 5:45am before anybody else, and many people trained
under lights at night. Here, they turn the pumps off, and have designated
times. So, today, we had big lines, for the first time since I got here.

My rides: Goal: 45 seconds without flushing.
Results: I flushed before 45 on every ride. The good news is that I am
paddling better than anybody here so far, from what I can tell. Billy,
Jay, and Yappa are doing awesome here as well and not far off of me. Each
one with their specialty. I am getting much better loops and entry moves.
They are getting better backstabs, while we all seem pretty good with
the technical. I paddled from 10:00 to 12:30. At 3:30 I will go back to
see if the water stayed on.

4pm- The water was not on when I got there, no luck
there. However, the times that the water is off, is available for purchase
for $280 Australian ($200/hour US). Kristine is buying two sessions for
Jackson Kayak paddlers, one on Sunday. I want to buy one for the USA Team
as well to train together and not have rafts or other people. Kristine
will organize it. Joe Kowalski, the owner of Canada’s biggest rafting
company and one of the biggest kayak schools, (www.ottawakayak.com
) is here. His son, Joel, and daughter, Katie are both on the junior
team for Canada. Joe was awarded the 2006 World Freestyle Championships
that are to be held on the Ottawa River, most likely on Buseater Wave!
He is here to watch the kids, as well as determine from the IFC, what
they want the plan to be, since a wave like BusEater, historically, has
a 72% chance of being at a good level for the event. This is not unlike
most world’s sites. I personally think that it is worth the risk
to have it at a wave that is definitely one of the world’s “SuperWaves”.

Well, tomorrow the water is available from 9am-6pm,
so lots of paddling and sun. Today it was 100 degrees or more, hot!

🙂 EJ