Whitewater racing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Whitewater racing is a competitive discipline of canoeing in which kayaks or canadian canoes are used to negotiate a stretch of river speedily. It is also called "wildwater" or "downriver" racing to distinguish it from slalom and rodeo.

1 General
2 Boat design and helmets
3 Training and Racing
4 Rivers
5 External links
6 References

[edit] General

The object, simply stated: go from point A to point B on a river as fast as possible. Typical wildwater venues consist of class II-IV whitewater, in contrast to extreme racing, which takes place on more difficult streams. Competitions generally consist of a Classic and a Sprint race. The Classic course is 4-6 miles (6-10 km) in length or 25 to 35 minutes in duration, while the Sprint is between 500 and 750 meters and lasts around 2 minutes. Although there is some specialization, the vast majority of racers compete in both Classic and Sprint.

Competitors are placed in classes based on gender and boat type as follows:

K1- individual kayak, male
K1W- individual kayak, female
C1- individual canoe, male
C2- two-man canoe

They are numbered within their class based on results from previous races and compete in reverse order (best paddler last), usually at one-minute intervals. To race successfully, paddlers must possess refined technical skill, as well as strength, endurance, aerobic capacity, and the ability to "read" whitewater. Whitewater racing started in Europe with the International Canoe Federation being formed and having the first World Championships in Switzerland in 1949. Since then, there has been a World Championships every two years.

[edit] Boat design and helmets

Wildwater kayaks and canoes are long and narrow, with a rounded hull profile, making them fast but unstable and hard to turn. Wildwater kayaks are 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) long and 60 cm (23.6 in) wide. Wildwater solo canoes (C-1) are 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in) long and 70 cm (27.5 in) wide; 2-person wildwater canoes (C-2) are 5 m (16 ft 5 in) long and 80 cm (31.5 in) wide.^[1]

Rather than using wide sweep strokes to turn the boat, the paddler tilts the boat to one side, utilizing its curved profile to effect the turn in a manner similar to "carving a turn" in skiing. Two "wings" (flaring protrusions near the stern hull) meet the minimum width required by racing rules and add secondary stability, as well as enhancing the effect of carving a turn. When the boat is under way, most of each wing will be above the waterline so as to minimize drag. Boats are made from molds, using epoxy resin and fiberglass or similar fiber cloth. The use of kevlar, nylon, and carbon fiber has substantially reduced the weight of wildwater boats, while improving stiffness. The top part (the deck) and the bottom (the hull) are molded separately and then bonded together using kevlar cloth strips and epoxy resin. A boat can be made in 2 to 3 days. Before fiberglass boats, the common racing craft was the foldboat, usually composed of a wooden frame covered with canvas.

Competitors are also required to wear an appropriate Whitewater Helmet and PFD.

[edit] Training and Racing

Racers paddle down a course along the fastest jets of water. In order to go fast, they follow the edges of wave trains and hold as straight a line as possible down the river. If it is unclear which line is fastest, two paddlers simultaneously float the different options and see which boat moves ahead. Because of the high speeds, racers frequently run a river two or three times a day when training for a race.

Some racers practice on rivers if they are lucky to live near one. Usually they will paddle 5-10 miles a day, five to six days a week. Others practice on lakes or flatwater rivers. In northern areas rivers and lakes freeze, so racers sometimes train in an indoor pool, lift weights, run or do Cross-country skiing. When the rivers and lakes become free of ice then training is resumed outdoors.

[edit] Rivers

Popular whitewater racing courses in Scotland include Grandtully and Stanley on the River Tay. Whitewater racing courses in England include the Washburn and the Tees. Popular whitewater racing courses in Wales include the Tryweryn, and the Dee (although canoeing is currently banned there).
In the United States, most races take place in the Southeast; rivers there include the Nantahala and Pigeon in North Carolina and the Ocoee in Tennessee. However, there are also well-attended annual races on West Virginia's Cheat and Gauley rivers, as well as on Colorado's Arkansas.
Rivers in Europe that have held international races include the Isere in Bourg St Maurice, France, the Loisach in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, and the Teplá in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.
In South Africa races take place on the Trichardt Spruit, Umkomaas River, Bushmans River and As River. The As River forms part of a water exchange program between South Africa and Lesotho and is fed via a tunnel from the Katse Dam.

The 2004 World Wildwater Championships were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.^[2] The 2006 Championships were held from June 12-17 on the Teplá River, in the Czech Republic.^[3] The K1 Men's Sprint race was won by Max Hoff of Germany; the K1 Men's Classic was won by Kamil Mruzec of the Czech Republic.^[4] The 2008 World Championships will take place from June 5-8 in Ivrea, Italy.^[5]