The Lock 32 Whitewater Course hosts a festival on Saturday, August 13. There is a $15 entrance fee, which includes access to the course, free instruction and entrance in the events. The course opens at 10 am.
The Genesee Waterways Center runs the park and teaches kayaking, canoeing, rowing, sculling, etc. The park also provides an opportunity for inner city kids and the disabled to get on the water. The park is an artificial course off of the Erie Canal. It is a private course, and we need to charge per day to cover the cost of insurance. The money goes to a non-profit, so rest assured that nobody is getting rich off of paddlers.
The course itself has a set of well defined squirt lines, three waves and one hole. The hole enables lots of vertical moves and loops (front flips). Best of all, we have consistent water all summer long.
There will be free informal instruction from 11-2, with topics including running gates and playboating. At 2 pm we’ll hold a playboat (or whatever boat you usually paddle) slalom race. At 4 pm. we’ll have a boater-cross race with heats of five at a time. At 6 pm. we’ll have an informal rodeo. You’ll get as many rides as you can cram into an hour to show off your coolest stuff. Competitors and spectators will then vote for the winner. For each competition there will be men’s, women’s and under-16 divisions. We’ll also have boat demos.
At dark we’ll fire up the grill and break out the videos, including a premier of the latest LVM. Please bring your own food and beverage of choice. Free camping will be available on site.
For directions and information on the organization, please go to www.geneseewaterways.org If you’d like to see pictures, go to www.prestophotovideo.com If you’d like more info you can reach me, Andy Cook, at acoo0802@brockport.edu or (585) 747-8478.