Inside the 2013 Freestyle Worlds with Stephen Wright – Report #1

A long road has lead hundreds of athletes, as well as thousands of friends, family members, support staff, and spectators to the Nantahala Gorge in Smoky Mountians of North Carolina, USA. This place is beauty defined, as lush and almost tropical plant life lines the banks of picturesque mountains and streams everywhere the eye can see.

The crowd enjoys the show © www.kayaksession.com/ S. Wright

Excitement has been building all week as more and more competitors have poured into the Nantahala Outdoor Center to take advantage of official “Team Training” time slots. Last night, everything officially kicked-off with a celebratory opening ceremonies, which began with a parade of athletes through the middle of downtown Bryson City, NC. Thousands of screaming fans lined the streets to cheer on competitors from all countries as we processed down the Everett Street to the bridge over the Tuckaseegee River, where speeches were given, a big air ramp was set up and launched, and local Cherokee Native American warriors chose international freestyle kayak athletes to join them in traditional dances in the streets.

Jr Men’s first heat in the water © www.kayaksession.com/ S. Wright

At 11:00 AM, Thomas Goddard (GBR) opened up competition with the first ride of the event. Throughout the day, we witnessed fantastic kayaking and canoeing acton as the Jr Men’s and OC-1 Prelims electrified the crowds. Hundreds of fans filled the grand stands on river left as the kayakers showed their skills and consistency as they tried to make the first round of cuts. In the Jr. Men’s class, Hunter Katich (USA) dominated the event with a 2-ride combined score of 1979 points, which was more than 700 points above the 2^nd place finisher (Max Karlsson from Sweden). Hunter’s explosive moves, huge air, and lightning-fast pace set a standard that many of the Sr. men may struggle to achieve! This year, the OC-1 class came to prove that open canoes can actually do freestyle: cartwheels, loops, splitwheels, and even a legitimate air Mcnasty were thrown in this prelims round. After a “conservative” 93 point first ride, Jordan Poffenberger (USA) set the crowd into a cheering frenzy with a huge air mcnasty to open his second ride! He took the top position with a 296 point combined score.

Hunter Katich (USA) warms up © www.kayaksession.com/ S. Wright

Here in the “Dirty South” the weather is hot and humid, and the kayaking has been fast and furious. Stay tuned for Men’s and Women’s Squirt, as well as Jr. Women K1 prelims tomorrow. The live video stream for the 2013 ICF Freestyle Kayak World Championships can be seen at www.freestylekayaking2013.com.

Live from the World Championships,

Stephen Wright