Wausau Whitewater

Little Drop

Wausau Whitewater will host it’s first annual Wausau RiverFest on June 11th and 12th, but before the event could be it’s best, significant improvements were necessary to repair the flood damage from massive flooding in the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011. Michael Schroeder has been working hard to not just repair, but improve the features at Wausau Whitewater Park which now consists of 11 playable spots for paddlers of all levels (beginner to advanced).

Wausau Whitewater Freestyle Promo
Wausau Whitewater Extended Video

We are now ready and excited for the first annual Wausau RiverFest! What is RiverFest?

RiverFest Rodeo (Starting at 9am) and Boatercross at 3pm – Everyone is entered to win a New Jackson Kayak donated by Whitecap Kayak, and thousands of dollars worth of gear from NRS and World Kayak!

East Bay 5K Fun Run/Walk (11am) – Everyone is entered to win a 2010 Team Autographed Green Bay Packer Football and other great prizes from the Brewers, Bucks, Grand Theater, Hudson’s Grill, Noah’s Ark, and more!

Hooligan Race (Noon) – Build your own Floatable Craft to race down Big Drop! Winners will receive growlers and Gift Cards from the Red Eye Brewing Company

Kayaking Demonstrations (by Whitecap Kayak Free 11am-5pm)
Intro to Recreational Kayaking Lessons (By Whitecap kayak 11am-5pm)

RiverFest Film Festival (9pm @ VFW)  make your own 5-10 minute short film. The winner will receive a New AT Bent Shaft Paddle!

Sunday enjoy the river at our Recreational Release and check out the VFW Car Show!

We hope to see you out on the river! RiverFest will be full of fun with beer, food, vendors, music and more! Visit www.wausauwhitwater.org/Riverfest.html for more information and to register!

Hello Everyone, we are excited to announce our 2011 Season of Events! From Ray McLain’s Intro to Whitewater classes and Recreational Releases to the annual Midwest Freestyle Championships and USA Canoe/Kayak Junior Slalom Team Trials we have a whitewater activity for you.  Also, we have two NEW events to the 2011 Schedule!

On June 11 & 12, we will host the Wausau RiverFest to include vendor exhibits from our wonderful sponsors, a Freestyle competition, Sea Kayaking Demonstrations, Kayaking Lessons and our very own Hooligan race. Don’t miss out! Participants of the RiverFest Rodeo will have a chance to win a New Kayak donated by Whitecap Kayak. The winners of the Hooligan Race will get their names engraved on the Hooligan Cup, to be displayed all season long!

In July (9th & 10th), International Slalom Racing makes it’s return to Wausau at the Wausau Open.

This International Canoe Federation sanctioned race will bring the World’s top Junior and U23 Slalom paddlers together in the States to experience the venue of the 2012 Junior World Championships.

2011 also sees the return of the Buttercup Slalom Race Series (July 31), USACK Junior Slalom Team Trials (June 25th & 26th), and our very own Midwest Freestyle Championships combined with the 2day Jackson Freestyle Clinic (August 18th-21st). The Jackson Clinic fills up quickly so reserve your spot early! Registration opens in February.

Of Course, the dry summer in Wisconsin does not help our Rivers flow  so we’ve scheduled 13 Recreational Releases.
Daily rates: $12 Adults, $8 Children 16 & Under or save with a Season Pass: $110 for Adults and $80 for Children

2011 Wausau Whitewater Schedule

Recreational Release, May 21 and 22

Wausau RiverFest, June 11 and 12
Partnered with Wausau Area Events Summer kickoff of 3 bands & a movie at the 400 block square Friday night

USACK Junior Team Trials, June 25 and 26

Practice Water, June 20-24

Recreational Release, July 2 and 3

Wausau Open Slalom – July 9 and 10
Practice Water – July 5-8

Recreational Release, July 23 and 24

Wausau Whitewater Butter Cup Slalom, July 31

Recreational Release, August 6 and 7

Jackson Kayak Freestyle Clinic, August 18 to 19

Midwest Freestyle Championships, August 20 to 21
Practice Water August 18 & 19

Recreational Release, September 3 and 4 Labor Day Weekend

Recreational Release, September 17 and 18 Summer Final Flow Weekend

See you on the River!

Sunday were the finals for C1, C1W, and K1 as well as the team events for C1 and K1. It was a busy day with Hailey Thompson advancing to the Finals and finishing 6th in C1W. Scott Parsons, who is paddling again for his first time in 2 years, finished 19th, and the Men’s Kayak team finished 5th. It was an exciting day but also the last. Many paddlers said their goodbyes to their friends from other countries until next year.

The US Team is not done with their season yet though. They have Nationals in DC still this month. I want to say thank you to everyone for my time spend in Tacen. The US Team could not have been more helpful and welcoming. The organizing staff made sure I saw all of the operations to help with the management of our Junior Worlds in 2012, and the coaches form other Nations were already sharing their excitement to visit Wausau next year for the Pre-Worlds.

The Czech Team also gave me a ride to Prague and are putting me up in the boathouse while I visit their whitewater course and beautiful city. The paddlers have been a great help and while they didn’t have a playboat for me to try out on their park, I did have a chance to jump in and practice some flatwater. Tomorrow I will visit the Augsburg course and the German Team before visiting friends, collegues, and heading home.

-Ashley

This week has been interesting but loads of fun and excitement! Tuesday night kicked off with the Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Slalom Worlds in Tacen Slovenia. The Slovenians kept bragging about Kauzer (The Men’s Kayak favorite) but in a fun way. It was great, they had dances, music, and a basketball team dunking from trampolines and lighting the basketballs on fire! It was crazy! After that, we rode back to the Hotel to prepare for Wednesday, a busy first day filled with qualifying runs for C1, C1W and K1W. They were expecting lots of rain which could lead to cancelling on Thursday so they had to fill Wednesday just in case.

Casey Eichfeld and Benn Fraker both advanced from C1 to the Semi-Finals With Zachary (Bug) Lokken finishing 41st, a tremendous feat at just 16 years of age and his 2nd World Championships. The C1Ws also had success with Hailey Thompson and Micki Reeves both advancing to the Semi-finals. As expected, Wednesday night poured rain, flooding the river and making a slalom race difficult so the K1 class was moved to Thursday and the schedule adjusted. Michelle Kvanli and Ashley Nee put down runs of 140.24 and 140.79 leaving them out of the semi-finals.

 With the water still high, but runnable, Scott Parsons knocked out a fantastic run of 94.57 seconds putting him tied for 2nd going into the next run and a near guarantee to advance. His second run came up a bit slower than his first but finished in 10th place after qualifiers. Scott Mann came out stoked in his first run, hit a bad line off the drop, but recovered near the end of the course. He needed a stellar 2nd run to reach the semis and knew what corrections to make to pull it off. He pulled out a clean run with a time of 95.83 seconds! A tremendous improvement on his first run of 109.53 seconds. Mann finished qualifiers in 21st place and advanced to the next round. Brett Heyl had a good run his first time around but probably needed to pull off something a little better to hold on to his 30th place finish after the first round. Unfortunately, he ended up having to use the 100.11 second time from the first run, hoping to hold on to the top 40. He fell to 46th and out of the race by about a half second.

Saturday, the Team had off and was able to enjoy watching the C2 and K1W semi-final and team events. The venue was packed with fans blowing horns, waving flags, singing, and cheering! It was a blast to watch. This was also the first time I had seen a team slalom race. It is remarkable how they need to coordinate their timing in order to keep a fast pace, but not collide with one another. I loved every minute of it! I was able to see the behind scenes operations and speak with a few key personnel to help with planning for the 2012 Jr. Worlds in Wausau! Kids were also having a blast with the crayfish mascott, painting pictures, and many were trying out new boats, buying gear, and selling their old items. Team USA all took some time to paddle the practice gates and, if they had one, train for their semi-final race. They cheered on their friends from other countries and enjoyed dinner together away from the hotel. But at night, they had to take care of business…planning for the big day ahead. Sunday held the semi-final races for C1, K1, and C1W.

C1W began the day and Hailey Thompson finished 10th, advancing to the FINALS! The C1s, Casey and Benn, placed 23rd and 24th and Reeves 16th in the C1W. K1 was a close competition. One touch can easily put you out of the running, but at the same time, a slow spot could do the same, so the athletes have to be exact with their timing and lines down the river. Mann had a few too many touches to advance and finished 33rd with a time of 112.83. Parsons had a quality run but not quite enough to advance to the finals. His clean run and 98.25 second time left him in 19th place and 3 seconds out of the Finals.

To Follow: World Championships Wrap-up

The 7th Annual Midwest Freestyle Championships was another huge success! With over 75 paddlers competing in Beginner to Expert Classes we saw the largest crowd at any single moment during the Women’s competition of over 200 locals!

Colin Kemp returned again to instruct the Jackson Freestyle Clinic prior to the competition. (Kemp with the Wausau Media) We’d like to thank World Kayak and Jackson Kayak for their support of the event. Wausau Whitewater has a track record for hosting quality events and receiving ACA event of the year awards and the Midwest Freestyle Championships is frequently referred to by paddlers as the best weekend of the year!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this the best weekend of the year! All of our sponsors, the City of Wausau, Wisconsin Public Service, our volunteers, instructors, judges, event organizers, and of course, our competitors for all of your help!

2010 Midwest Freestyle Championships

Final Results

Beginner Freestyle
1. Tyler Kitzrow 39 points
2. Jeremiah Andersen 34 points
3. Chris Colins 30 points

Intermediate Freestyle
1. Adam Mabie 51 points
2. Adrian Ortiz 40 points
3. Marcus Bratu 21 points

Expert Freestyle
1. John McConville 191 points
2. Tommy Gram 109 points
3. Ross Herr 108 points

Women Freestyle
1. Melissa Manger Grover 20 points
2. Hailey Thompson 15 points
3. Christa Gornjak 6 points

Master Freestyle
1. Craig Esposito 91 points
2. Steve Bletsch 83 points
3. Neal Schroeter 22 points

Boatercross
1. Chad Kehn
2. Matthew Cooper
3. James Jensen

Team Freestyle
1. John McConville, Patrick Duffy, Bob Menard 180 points
2. Ross Herr, Cole Jacobsen, Bryan Zlimen 141 points
2. David Gustafson, Matt Jensen, Adam Mabie 141 points

WAUSAU, WI (August 17, 2010) –
The 7th Annual Midwest Freestyle Championships begin Saturday at Wausau Whitewater Park in Downtown Wausau on the 200 block of River Dr. This annual 2 day event brings over 100 kayakers and canoeists competing in beginner to expert classes on Saturday and Sunday from 10am-4pm. Entry into the competition includes a chance to Win a New Jackson Kayak of your choice, thousands of dollars in other prizes, lunch for the weekend, four days of water, and a T-shirt for only $45. Practice Water begins Thursday at 10am and water runs each day until 4pm. To register visit www.wausauwhitewater.org/MWF.html

“The most unique component of The Midwest Freestyle Championships in Wausau, WI is the approach that the organizers take to the event as a whole. There is a big component of nurturing boaters of all levels. This is evident in the two days of clinics that are organized for boaters of all skill levels.” States Colin Kemp of World Kayak who returns to Wausau along with John McConville of Jackson Kayak to instruct the Jackson Freestyle Clinic. “I like the fact that I will be teaching everything from the most basic fundamentals in one group, and in the next group I will be working with students who are performing moves that are at the highest levels of the sport” says Kemp.

These paddlers will throw down the basics from Spins to Cartwheels in the beginner class with Loops, McNastys, and Phonix Monkeys breaking through in the Intermediate and Expert classes! Sunday kicks off with a team competition, where randomly drawn teams of three work together to rack up as many points as possible. “This is very unique to Wausau” states Kemp. “Kayaking is primarily an individual sport, but at Wausau the organizers have found ways to build in a team event and a boatercross” The Boatercross will occur Sunday at 11am for a break from the freestyle action. This is a down river race where paddlers must maneuver obstacles while avoiding collisions with their competitors. The first one to finish moves into the next round until only one competitor remains.

Food, kayaking, and canoeing vendors will also be on site all weekend; and spectators can win a kayaking lesson and other prizes! “Admission is Free and it’s a fun way to enjoy the summer weather, states Ashley Knutson, Operations Manager of Wausau Whitewater, “The tricks are exciting to watch and the crowd really gets into it”. Sergeant Troy will also be holding a Hot Dog Eating Contest on Saturday with prizes of up to $150 at the VFW! So stop out and enjoy the action.

For a schedule of the weekend activities visit http://www.wausauwhitewater.org/MWF.html or find us on Facebook at www.thefacebook.com/wausauwhitewater.

The Jackson Freestyle Clinic Returns to Wausau August 19th and 20th, 2010. Colin Kemp and John McConville will instruct 20 Students. Only 2 openings remain so call Ashley at 715-572-6197 to claim your spot! A waiting list for cancellations will begin after we reach our 20 student capacity. The cost of the 2 day clinic is $155 and includes your entry into the Midwest Freestyle Championships, 4 days of water and lunch, a T-shirt, and if you choose to compete on the weekend, an entry into the competitor prize drawing for a new Jackson Kayak and thousands of dollars of other prizes!

http://www.wausauwhitewater.org/Training.htm#FreestyleClinic

Crystal Gustin throwing down a Space Godzilla in the 2009 Championships

2010 brings the 7th year of the Midwest Freestyle Championships to be held in Wausau, Wisconsin at Wausau Whitewater Park. The 2009 event brought over 100 paddlers from across 7 states to compete for the title of Midwest Freestyle Champion. With a brand new Jackson Kayak and thousands of dollars in of prizes in Sunday’s competitor drawing, paddlers with only a few days experience jumped in the beginner competition while expert and professional paddlers Colin Kemp, John McConville and Craig Espisito battled it out for the Title.

With John taking home first place, Craig and Colin are both gunning for him this year along with a slew of others. However, the action isn’t all that’s in store for you down at the Wausau Whitewater Park this August. A variety of vendors from food to boats will be on site as well as a great crowd and a spectator prize drawing will occur on Sunday!

Free camping is available for competitors at Toaster Flats Campground, located a short walk from the river. Friday night you can expect to find Team Pabst at the VFW singing Karaoke and there is likely to be a game of 4 square in the parking lot. This isn’t your typical 4square though…Mike Manger is the man to beat. This version of 4square requires you to play with your feet and he has the skills to knock you out the second you step foot on the court!

So, if you’ve been to Wausau before, we hope to see you again; and if you haven’t, come out and enjoy the fun! A Blues Festival Friday and Saturday night is only a short walk away. Your $45 entry fee provides you with 4 days of water, Lunch Saturday and Sunday, a T-shirt, and a chance to win a New Jackson Kayak of your choice! (shipping not included)

Whether you’re a spectator, beginner, or a Pro, visit http://www.wausauwhitewater.org/MWF.html for more information and to register!

Smolen Nearly Does the Same at Junior World Championships

Hailey Takes the Bronze in France, Taken by Michael Thompson

Foix, France – Hailey Thompson (Stevens Point, Wis.) placed third in Women’s C-1 on Sunday at the 2010 ICF Canoe Slalom Junior World Championships. It was the first podium finish by an American in Women’s C-1 in a fully contested international competition. It was the first time Women’s C-1 was featured in the Junior World Championships. A veteran of two World Cup races, Thompson finished 21.23 seconds behind first place finisher Jessica Fox of Australia.

“It was great to see how far Hailey has brought our Women in Canoe and how she competed for a podium spot at the first ever Junior Worlds for the Women in Canoe,” said William Irving, USA Canoe/Kayak National Teams Director.

Two touches and four seconds worth of penalty time proved just enough to keep Michal Smolen (Gastonia, N.C.) off the podium. Smolen finished fourth in the Men’s K-1, less than a second behind third place and less than five seconds from the gold medal. Michal has been preparing for this event at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C. with his father and team coach, Rafal Smolen.

“Michal was fast all week and although he came one place short of a podium performance, he has nothing to hang his head about,” Irving said. “Michal has showed through all of his hard work and training that he has put in, that he is clearly one of the best Junior paddlers in the world.”

Tyler Hinton (Boulder, Colo.) finished 12th in Men’s C-1. Hinton has made huge strides under coach Scott Shipley, an Olympian and World Champion. Missing a gate dropped Caroline Queen (Darnestown, Md.) and Zach Lokken (Durango, Colo.) to 26th in Women’s K-1 and 30th in Men’s C-1, respectively. It was a tough finish for them as both are capable of putting together incredible performances. Lokken ranked second after the first two heats on Friday.

For complete results and video of the Junior World Championships, visit http://www.123result.com/. Visit http://www.foixcanoe2010.com/en/ for more information.

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