OCOEE WHITEWATER GAMES 2001COMBINES THE BEST OF SLALOM AND FREESTYLE RODEO KAYAKING!
Theinaugural Ocoee Whitewater Games willbe held on Tennessee’s Ocoee River between Cleveland and Ducktown on May 17-20,2001. For the first time ever, AmericanWhitewater’s Ocoee Rodeo and the United States Whitewater Slalom Team Trialswill be held simultaneously on the same river venue as one all-star event. Thislate spring competition will insure warm weather and exciting whitewater forspectators as well as the expected 300-400 athletes who will be competing forprestigious spots on the U.S. National Whitewater Slalom Team and/or Nationaltitles, points and a $5,000 cash purse in the whitewater rodeocompetitions.
Themulti-competition presentation includes the Ocoee Rodeo’s well-known freestyleevents taking place mostly at the top of the course nearest the OcoeeWhitewater Center, site of the 1996 Olympic Games. Men, women and junior athletes in freestyle kayaks and canoeswill compete in various categories and classes, exhibiting to judges theirfinest flips, twists, squirts and rolls in a sport often referred to asgymnastics in a kayak. This is acolorful, photogenic and dynamic competition. In the Pro category, athletes will compete for a $5,000 cash purse inthe first of four events in the national Gorge Whitewater Series.
Just downstream, the U.S. Whitewater Slalom Team Trials will pit currentOlympians against other top up and coming athletes as each man, woman andjunior vie for a spot on the prestigious World Championship team. Cutting edgeboat design and precise control and speed challenge the concept of man vs. naturethrough twenty slalom gates. The winners, making up the U.S. Team, will returnto compete on the Ocoee September 21-23 in whitewater’s premier event, theprestigious Slalom World Championships.
Theevent is co-produced by American Whitewater, the nations premier whitewaterconservation organization, and OcoeeWhitewater.com, a project of the CopperBasin Economic Development Association (CBEDA).
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