October 11–13th, 2002
Olympic Section, Ocoee River, Tennessee
The US Open Canoe Rodeo Team selection event for the 2003 Worlds in Graz, Austria will be held Oct. 11-13 at the Ocoee River in Tennessee. The US Canoe Team has captured 3 of the 5 gold medals in the history of the sport. All interested paddlers in joining this legacy are asked to pre-register by Sep. 30th. We will be selecting 2 paddlers to join defending World Champion; Eli Helbert in the challenge against the rest of the world May 26th – 31st, 2003. This event will be run in conjunction with the Ocoee National Championship. The registration fee will cost $30.00 + $10.00 for the freestyle through a rapid event. In addition all participants must be members of the AWA. Aside from the camaraderie and competition, a dinner, one beer and a great party are included in the price.
We will be holding prelims in Smiley Hole on the Olympic Section of the Ocoee River on Friday afternoon. Saturday we will participate in a freestyle through a rapid contest. Sunday we will hold our knockout finals and determine our national champion. Although this is our time to stand our canoes up on end in a world class format, we will also be paddling the Ocoee en masse while not competing. So, if you enjoy open canoeing…come on out and enjoy the show! We look forward to your participation and a strong showing at the Worlds in Austria!
Please address questions or comments to: eli@paddlelink.com or kvsoske@aol.com