World Kayak Event Coverage

Coverage of all that is FREESTYLE and being THROWN DOWN!

USA and Canadian Olympic Trials- Final day of practice is over- Race day coming fast!

By Eric Jackson • Apr 25th, 2008 • Category: Uncategorized

There are about 120 athletes who qualified to compete over the
weekend. There are so many things being determined here by this race that
everyone truly has something to look forward to. The USA and Canadian
athletes are competing first, for a chance to make their respective Olympic
teams. Since only ONE athlete from each country (who qualified a spot) can
make the team for the Olympics, it is a HARD CORE RACE to make the team!

Also, Saturday’s race (there are three races- Friday, Saturday, Sunday), is the Pan American Championships where athletes from Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, USA, Mexico, Canada, Chile, and more are competing!

Today, in about 1 hour, we are doing the athlete meeting and then watching the “demonstration runs” where several retired athletes, like Scott Shipley will be showing us the course. Tomorrow we’ll all get two runs, both combined for the first day of competition. Each race counts, so each run
counts! Cool!

I’ll get some photos of the comp tomorrow!

[Show as slideshow]
us-team-trials-final-practice-day-007.jpg
4-announcers-lamar-sims-and-kent-ford-for-the-big-event-talking-to-bret-hyle-a-potential-2008-olympian.jpg
3-c1er-doing-an-upstream-at-the-top-of-the-course.jpg
2-the-calm-before-the-storm-5000-spectators-expected-tomorrow.jpg
2-paddlers-trying-every-possible-combination-of-gates-before-the-course-is-set-tonight.jpg
1-who-will-race-for-the-usa-in-bejing.jpg
1-sylvan-on-the-bridge-on-final-practice-day.jpg
1-father-and-son-my-coach-sylvan-and-son-and-speedy-kayaker-jure.jpg
1-emily-walking-rupert-and-rio-before-practice-in-the-early-am.jpg
1-danny-stock-crashing-through-a-wave-at-the-top-of-the-course.jpg

:)
EJ

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Eric Jackson is Born in a trailer park in 1964 in Ohio, the son of a stern but loving Green Baret turned engineer, and a wonderful mother. Moved to Florida where I not only started my first year of junior high school, but also the first year of "bussing" otherwise known as integration in where I was sent 15 miles to a school that didn't want me. Toughened up there. Moved to New Hampshire for high school where my dad and I joined the Merrimack Valley Paddlers kayak club where we put away the Grumman canoe and became kayakers in 1979. Now, live in Tennessee with my wife, Kristine of 19 years and Emily (17), and Dane (14) and we live to work and play, and kayaking is our favorite game and making, teaching, and promoting kayaking is our favorite work.
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