and other things you should know
about whitewater slalom

 

C1W is my race class:

C is for canoe.
1 means I'm the only one in the boat.
W stands for women.

Besides C1, there are also single kayaks (K1), and double canoes (C2). There are no double kayaks. In a canoe, the paddler is kneeling and uses a single-bladed paddle. In a kayak, the paddler is sitting with their legs in front of them, and uses a double-bladed paddle. In whitewater racing, the boats look quite similar. My canoe is often mistaken for a kayak, but I am proud to race a canoe! For more on why I choose canoe, see my bio.

If you want to get technical, the hull shape of canoes and kayaks each accommodate the body position of the paddlers. A canoe's volume is more evenly dispersed, while kayaks have buoyancy that balances the weight of the outstretched legs. A slalom racer can tell the difference between them just by glancing at the profile from across a parking lot:

 

 

So what is whitewater slalom?

Similar to ski slalom, racers compete in individual time trials. 18 to 25 gates are hung over a section of whitewater river. The paddler must negotiate these gates without touching them. A two second penalty is added to their time to touching a gate pole, and a fifty second penalty is added for missing a gate or negotiating it the wrong way. Once penalties are counted, the fastest time wins. Because every river and every course is different, there are no standard distances for slalom events. Most courses take top racers between 100 and 120 seconds.

Gates are either red or green. Green gates are negotiated with the current, while red gates ("upstream gates" or just "upgates") must be passed though in the opposite direction. They are normally placed over a river feature that facilitates the turn. The best paddlers in the world can often enter, turn though, and exit some red gates in one paddle stroke.

There are dozens and dozens of local slalom races held around the country each year. Major U.S. races include Olympic Team Trails (held every olympic year), National Championships, the U.S. Open, and four U.S. Cup races. Major international slalom competitions include multiple World Cup events held each year. World Championships are held in every non-Olympic year. Whitewater Slalom has been part of the Olympic Summer Games in 1972, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008.

If you would like to learn more about whitewater slalom history and rules, wikipedia has a very well-researched article online here. And feel free to email me with questions!

 

This is a photo of the new whitewater course constructed in Beijing for the 2008 summer games.

For more info on the games, go to http://en.beijing2008.cn/

 

 

 

 

*Okay, there is one double kayak. The TopoDuo is a plastic boat that recreational boaters like to goof around in. It's the only K2 that has even been mass-produced. It is a great way to take your kid down a river, but they don't actually work very well. Four blades at once is a lot when you are trying to pivot around gates. Back to top!