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Olympic trials come to Montgomery Whitewater for 1st time
For several days, visiting canoe and kayak athletes with Summer Olympics dreams have honed their skills with practice runs at Montgomery Whitewater.
Now it’s time for the real action. Saturday and Sunday, April 13 and 14, official U.S. Olympic Team Trials in canoe and kayak will be held at Montgomery for the first time.
Jed Hinkley, competition director for American Canoe Association, said around 60 athletes, men and women, will participate in the hope of joining the Olympics in Paris. Each competitor will face unique personal challenges on the whitewater.
“It’s a puzzle you’re trying to figure out,” Hinkley said. “How to move your boat move correctly on this thing that keeps changing. I think that draws a certain type of person to it.”
Montgomery Whitewater, with its world-class artificial river channel system that opened last summer, is partnering to host the trials with ACA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Dave Hepp, CEO of Montgomery Whitewater, said new and seasoned athletes get an adrenaline rush on the ever-changing waters.
“In this race in particular, there’s a lot of younger kids, but there’s also still a fair amount of the older generation,” Hepp said. “Older, I mean 28 to 33, who are still around.”
Saturday’s trials start at 9:15 a.m., with men and women competitors in canoe and kayaks. After an hour break, a second run begins. At 4 p.m., the kayak cross time trials start.
After the competition, stick around Saturday for music from Dee Oh Gee at 5 p.m. and Graves B’hamala at 6:30 p.m., part of Montgomery Whitewater’s Get Down Spring Concert Series.
“That’s something to do,” Hepp said. “Hang out and enjoy the sunset.”
The trial schedule is the same for Sunday morning, beginning at 9:15 a.m. At 3 p.m., the extreme slalom trials begin. After the races, awards will be presented.
It’s more than one sport
How an athlete competes on the whitewater depends on what craft they’re in, a kayak or a canoe. Many will cross over between the two, and each has its own unique challenges and requirements. Even within kayaking, there are solo and group events that require different skills and crafts.
For a kayak, Hinkley said racers are sitting in the craft with their legs extended in front of them. They use a paddle that has two blades, which Hinkley makes the craft go fast and increases stability.
In a canoe, racers are positioned on their knees, and the paddle they use has only one blade.
On the kayak side there are a couple of different competitions happening.
Slalom races are where a solo athlete has to navigate through a course of hanging gates as swiftly as possible. These kayaks are generally designed specific to the athlete and are built for speed, not collisions. Hepp compared slalom runs to downhill skiing.
“Come enjoy it, bring a chair and hang out on the lawn and watch the athletes come through,” Hepp said.
It’s kind of the opposite for Kayak Cross, which puts four racers on the course at the same time. They have to go through gates and battle each other a little. The kayaks for this are made out of plastic and designed to take an impact.
“It’s kind of full combat,” Hepp said. “There are rules to it, but you’re basically bumping up against each other. Kayak cross is a new sport for the Paris Olympics this year.”
Be a part of this weekend for free
One of the best parts about this for the River Region — besides global recognition and an economic boost from visitors — is that people can come to Montgomery Whitewater and watch the trials for free. There’s no fee to park or to enter. It’s at 1100 Maxwell Boulevard, to the right of Maxwell Air Force Base.
“There’s not a lot of sports where you can literally walk up to the people who are going to be representing Team USA in Paris,” Hinkley said. “We have some people who could have some great results in Paris, so we’re certainly excited to have them here, and have the community interact with them.”
For fans who can’t make it personally, both days of competition will also be streamed by NBC on Peacock and the NBC Sports app, plus locally by NBC’s Montgomery affiliate WSFA, Hinkley said.
Tips for Montgomery Whitewater newcomers
For those who have never visited Montgomery’s rampaging oasis of rafting, kayaking and more, there are options if you want to get wet also. Montgomery Whitewater will still be offering whitewater rafting adventures this weekend. For all visitors, wet or dry, there are a few things to be aware of.
There’s no smoking on the grounds anywhere.
There’s no outside food or beverages allowed — they’ve got plenty to eat and quench that thirst on site at Eddy’s Restaurant from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Additionally, there will be a couple of pop up food vendors on site, Hepp said, including a taco bar.
Guests can purchase rafting experiences this weekend, with guided runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Because of the trials, rafting will be limited to the Creek Channel only. If you plan to get on the water, know that you will get soaked and that proper footwear is required (no Crocks or flip flops). There is an age requirement: 8 and up for rafting. Adult activity day passes are $49, and child activity day passes (ages 8-10) are $39.
Hepp said he hopes some of this weekend’s guests will see the water and choose to take the plunge with a rafting trip.
“An event like this helps to kind of get the word out on what is here, and that this incredible facility exists in Montgomery,” Hepp said. “At the same time, very much we want to use it as a platform to let folks know that this is a sport. All these kids racing in the Olympic Trials, they didn’t just learn this yesterday. They were introduced to it somewhere.”
For future generations of athletes, Hepp hopes that somewhere is Montgomery Whitewater.
“It would be great if we could start a little kayak club/team here in Montgomery, as soon as we can get a fair amount of kids going and comfortable in the water,” Hepp said.
You can learn more online at montgomerywhitewater.com.
Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com.