Hometown Throwdown #3: Slalom-style remix Global Posts

Hometown Throwdown #3: Slalom-style remix

wvboys wrote 633 days ago:

Throwdown #3 was AWESOME! Owen went down early and setup this great slalomesque course at Fayette Station Rapid. Baloons marked the eddies you had to catch on your way through the rapid. The lines were a lot of fun, but believe me they were challenging as well. We had a bunch of return paddlers but also got to see some new faces. The standouts, hands down, came in the form of a brother sister duo from the nearby town of Beckley. Nick (17 years old) and Alexis Simpson (13 yo) stole the show with their amazing efforts. Nick will be attending the traveling kayak high school, New River Academy, this year. He wowed everyone by taking his friend, a blossoming kayaker, as well his girlfriend a non-kayaker (but hopefully future kayaker) down the course in a duo. Each pairing resulted in 1 flip, but to our astonishment, no swims. Thats right folks, Nick rolled the duo not once, but twice. Nick’s performance was matched only by his younger sister, Alexis, who is going into 8th grade and had only been kayaking for 2 weeks. Not only did she make it down the rapid with style and grace, but she even caught quite a few of the marked eddies along the way. Watch out ladies! Other feats of boating genius came from local hero Marcus Babb, who took the new Jackson Kayak Villain out for its maiden voyage as a C1. I don’t know if it was the boat or the boater, but he sure made it look easy (as he usually does).

In summary, a good time was had by all. A big thank you to all those who came out to participate as well as those who helped. Thanks to Class VI/Adventures on the Gorge, River Rock and Trail gear shop, and worldkayak for giving us a great evening on the water.

Photos by Jake Ament