2011 WRC in Costa Rica

Sorry to everyone for the belated post. The internet access in Costa Rica was sparse to say the least.

Well, we survived...and the races in Costa Rica were quite the adventure! The whole experience felt like a grueling tropical adventure race complete with huge poisonous snakes, being chased by angry bulls, trekking up and down mountains in our raft gear, and some truly terrifying bus rides on rain slick 4WD mountain roads. In the end, both the men and the women placed 7th overall. Not a bad showing considering the stiff competition this year and some of the toughest course designs seen at a World Rafting Championship race.

Here's the brief recap:




Day 1: Time Trial (100 pts)

All of the race courses for the championships were held on a remote section of the Pacuare River--arguably one of the world's premiere wild rivers. The Time Trial course started immediately below a class V+ section of the Pacuare called "The Upper". The course started in a pool and quickly entered a class IV rapid. It was a challenging course, demanding quick sprints through short flatwater sections, then a shift to more technical river running through tight slots and large waves and holes.  The men had a rather disappointing 9th place finish after burning a precious half-second on an exceptionally strong eddy line. The women's team had a strong race and narrowly missed a place on the podium, finishing fourth just behind New Zealand.

Day 2: Head to Head (200 pts)
The time trial scores from Day 1 seeded all of the teams in brackets for the Head-to-Head race, which was held immediately downstream from the Time Trial course. Teams raced two at a time, competing for the lead and a chance to advance to the next heat. The course started with teams held a boat width apart in an eddy behind a large rock in the middle of the river. Teams battled for position as they crashed through a large wave-hole, then sprinted across a flatwater pool, and then jockeyed for position down a technical class III section.

The men raced first. As luck would have it, they found themselves in an exceptionally tough bracket with Japan and Brazil. In the second round, the men raced Brazil from the slow lane. They had an exceptionally strong start, beat Brazil off the line and won the race. It was a huge boost and a great achievement. In the third round, the men came up against Japan, the reigning world champions. Again, the U.S. Men started in the slow lane. Japan had a very strong start and after a battle, they were able to pull ahead to win the heat. The men finished the day in 5th place.

After the men, it was the women's turn to race. Due to their strong finish in the time trial, the women had a by in the first round. The second round pitted the U.S. women against Hungary. Our women proved that they were the team that was hungry--hungry for gold--and won the heat. In the third round the women raced against Russia, a historically strong team. There was a fierce battle off of the start, but the Russians were able to pull ahead. Our women followed close behind, bumping the Russian boat down the rest of the course, but were unable to make a pass. They finished the day in 7th.

Day 3: Slalom (300 pts)
When the teams arrived on course on the third day, they were surprised by two things: the significant increase in the water level in the Pacuare and the exceptionally difficult slalom course design. Each team had two hours to scout the course, then two attempts to run it. The scoring for the event was based on the best of the two runs. The first run through for both the men and the women showed that this was one of the most difficult courses seen at a World Rafting Championship race.  Below is a brief recap of some of the more exciting events during the day:

1st Run-Women:

• Bulgarian women wrap raft near gate 1
• Canada women flip on rock at Gate 10.

1st Run-Men:

• Colombia flip at gate 14
• Czech get caught on rocks at Gate 9--have to climb out and pull the raft up.
• Japan misses Gate 9
• Slovakia misses Gates 5 and 6

2nd Run-Women:

• Japan women flip just below Gate 6
• USA has a swimmer at Gate 14
• Hungary wraps on rock below Gate 6.

2nd Run-Men:

• Bulgaria men nearly wrap on the same rock that their women wrapped on in the first round.
• Canada misses the Gate 9 eddy and paddler falls out as they hit the rocks below.
• Netherlands doesn’t make the eddy at gate 8 and paddler falls out. 

Both the men and women felt good after the race, especially given the extremely demanding character of the course (Good work, Ferdinand!).  However, as the day ended both teams were edged out of medal contention. The men finished in 9th and the women finished in 5th.


Day 4: Down River (400 pts)
The Down River race on the Pacuare was amazing. The course was long, and the rapids were stout. It was a race that demanded teams be both adept at running technical whitewater and incredibly fit endurance athletes. Teams started in pairs at two minute intervals at the bottom of the slalom course. Then they battled for position through class III-IV rapids during the first 20 minutes of racing. Over the final 40 minutes, racers grunted it out through class II-III whitewater, across long pools and around hairpin turns.

The U.S. men started the race with the Italians. Our men sprinted off the line for an early lead, but the Italian's remained close behind them through the rapids. In the final large rapid, the Italian boat collided with the U.S. boat and popped on one of our paddle blades. It was a terrible way to be knocked out of the race, and we felt awful (and had to buy a few rounds later that night). The rest of the run was a race against the clock. The team felt good about the finish, ending up in 7th place.

Our women were next. They were paired up with the always-though British women. Our ladies won the start and got out in front. The Brits seized on an opportunity in the rapids, though, and made a pass. The U.S. ladies fought hard for the rest of the race, but were unable to regain the lead. In the end, they finished in 6th place.

WRC Party (Endless Points)
And then, the women won the party. Nice job, Ladies.

The Time Has Come!

After 10 months of training, the moment of truth has finally arrived.  In the next week both the Men's and Women's Teams will be traveling to the World Rafting Championships in Costa Rica on the Pacuare River.  The World Rafting Championships (WRC) is the single largest international rafting event in the world with over 50 teams and 25 countries competing, so winning teams earn large bragging rights.  


(Video: Footage captured from a practice session of the Men's team running through Gore Canyon at 1600cfs).
The Men's and Women's team's had started training for the Costa Rica WRC since the winter of 2010 with extensive gym regiments in Vail CO. And since the Spring runoff, both teams have dedicated as much time as possible to make sure they are well prepared for the WRC.

The Men's team leaves tomorrow, Sept. 28, and the Women leave Saturday, Oct. 1, to start early training sessions.  This early training will give the teams an advantage over others as they'll be able to get to know the river more extensively than other teams.

The Official days of the event, with official practice sessions start Tues Oct. 4, but race days and Opening Ceremony start on Thursday Oct. 6.  Each of the teams will try and keep every one updated on the journey and day to day events and results.  The Official Calender lists each of the day to day events as well as the linked website is the official site for the event and should be updated with results daily (hopefully).

Also check out our webiste to get to our Facebook and Twitter accounts:  USARaft.org

Royal Gorge Race

Check out this video of the Men's team crushing it in the Royal Gorge. They were one man down, but managed to beat a field of six man teams. It was a great race and an awesome festival hosted by Canon City.

Women in Dowd Chute

A nice follow up to the last video we posted. The Chute has our number this year..

The water is still huge in Colorado!

Dowd Chute at High Water!

The Men's Team ran Dowd Chute at 8 feet last night. Pretty exciting run. We definitely need to glue the footcups back into the front of the boat. Watch the video to find out why.

Creek at the Peak Race on Clear Creek

The men and women took 1st and 5th place respectively at the Creek at the Peak Race this weekend on Clear Creek. Great finish for both teams considering there was no women's division. The ladies crushed it, ending up on top of most of the men's teams that entered the race. Go USA! 

Thanks Brett for a great race, we hope you raised a pile of money for GOALS! It's a great cause and everyone should check out the site: www.goals4youth.org.

Official race results are posted here on MountainBuzz.

2011 Teva Mountain Games

The 2011Teva Mountain Games wrapped up Sunday night. What a weekend! Warm weather, tons of people, great competitions. Definitely one of the highlights of every racing season for the team. We posted out in a tent most of the weekend, handing out business cards and talking with folks about the team. We had a beautiful spot right next to Gore Creek. Not a bad place to spend a couple of warm summer days. 

The meet-and-greet hosted by Vendetta's on Friday night was a success. We were able to meet and share beers with lots of great folks. Thanks to Vendetta's for hosting and to all of you who came out a purchased t-shirts and raffle tickets. You help make all of this possible!

Sunday was the only day of competition for the teams. We entered six two-man teams into the Raft Cross event. This event is a real crowd pleaser every year. Teams of two race head-to-head down course that is a cross between a sprint and a giant slalom. This year, each team raced in a Hyside Mini-Me, a very unstable and arguably silly boat--but a hell of a lot of fun. There was plenty of carnage in the hole at the finish line which drove the crowd wild. In the end, two of our teams advanced through the qualifiers to the finals. The last race came down to the last upstream slalom gate, perched perilously close to a good-sized hole. A New Zealand team was in the lead, but was bumped out of the gate by one US Raft Team boat, and then slammed backwards by the other. One of our teams made it through the gate and to the finish first. The kiwis came in a close second, and the second Raft Team flipped in the hole and swam across the finish. We finished up the day with a first and a third place medal and $1000 in prize money. Not a bad day!

Still Plenty of Snow in Colorado!

A few members of the team headed down to the Arkansas River over Memorial Day weekend for the first race in the Rocky Mountain Whitewater Series. As you can see, there is still quite a bit of snow in the high country. The whitewater is going to be huge all across the state this year. The race was small but probably one of the best when it comes to having fun on rafts. Before the race, all of the racers pulled numbers from a hat to select teams. We each ended up in boats with many of the racers that we usually compete against. It was a great way to come together after a national race that saw some fierce competition, plenty of posturing and a few heated exchanges.  The race itself consisted of three mass-start sprint races. It was a best of three event, and a team that was made up of many of the members of the Ark-Sharks took it all for the men's division, and a team of Red Lady's and a few F.A.R.T.s took it for the women. A good time was had by all and, like any good day on the river, the evening was rounded out by a few beers and some cheap Mexican food.

This week marks the first week of our regular season training and racing schedule. Stay tuned for updates on this weekend's competition at the Teva Mountain Games in Vail, CO.

Eagle River Watershed Council Raft Trip

Last night, members of the men's and women's teams had the pleasure to guiding a group of folks down the river who are involved with various aspects of the river restoration work occurring on the Eagle River in Edwards, CO. It was a great trip, despite the hail, lightning and occasional rain showers! What a great opportunity to learn more about the restoration design and continue to support efforts to preserve and protect the beauty of the river that provides many of us with a source of income and incredible recreational opportunities. After the river trip, we enjoyed great food (complements of Southern Spoon) and freshly brewed beer at the Crazy Mountain Brewery in Edwards. Quite a night. We look forward to more opportunities to support the Eagle River Watershed Council in the future. A big THANK YOU to both Lakota Guides and Timberline Tours for providing equipment and transportation for this event. We could not have done it without you!

Team Teva Wins 2011 US National Competition

Victory! Both teams finished out the day yesterday with solid wins in the Slalom and Head-to-Head Sprint events. The slalom course on the Clackamas was one of the longest any of us have ever seen. The pushy water stiff eddy lines made many of the gates very challenging. A three-gate downstream offset combination in the middle of the course was especially tricky. In their disappointing first run, the men missed two gates and had a number of gate touches. The women followed shortly with their first run and threw down an impressive time with only a single missed gate. On the second run, the men's team cleaned up their act, making all of the gates (including that treacherous three gate combo in the middle) and finishing out with the fastest raw time of the day and only two gate touch penalties. The women were next and they were a true crowd pleaser. Toward the end of the course, they ran wide of a downstream gate and everyone thought they would miss it. Not to be deterred, they banged a hard left into a small eddy, worked their way up along the shore, and made the turn into the current to clean the gate. The crowd cheered them the whole way through!

The afternoon found both teams preparing for the Head-to-Head Sprint. The women raced against the Red Lady's (Salida, CO) and Team WOW (Portland, OR). They beat both teams off the start line and finished with a strong lead to bring home the gold. The men were next. In the final heat, they raced the always-strong team from Breckinridge, CO: The Ark-Sharks. It was a battle at the start, but the men from Team Teva pulled away in the end and sealed the deal for the overall win. This was a great race series and everyone we met here in Oregon was very friendly and helpful. The other teams at the event were gracious competitors and we enjoyed spending time on the water with them. We're looking forward to the next competition at the Teva Mountain Games in June and we hope to see some of same the great teams at that event.

US Nationals Time Trial and Down River Results

The first day of races is over and both the men and the women finished up on top. The first race was the Time Trial the course was a grueling 5.5 to 6 minutes long. The men raced first and finished up with a time of 5:24. They were closely followed by the team from Breckenridge, CO and then by the Oregon Rafting Team. The women raced second, completing the course in 6:03. The women's team from Salida finished in a close second, and the Oregon women in third. After the Time Trial, we had a couple of hours to kill, which we spent watching some of the other events like cataraft volleyball and a mass start inflatable kayak slalom race through a large rapid. In the Down River event, the men again raced first. The team pulled out into the lead quickly and was able to hold onto it all the way through the finish, 6 miles and several rapids downstream. The women's downriver event was definitely the most exciting event of the day. The race started and the team from Salida got out in front. At the first turn, our women were able to make a brilliant pass on the outside and took the lead, which they held until just below the first rapid. The Salida team made their pass on a right hand turn and pulled in front. From there to the end of the race, the two teams frequently battled for position. Our women's training paid off in the last mile of the race and they were able to make the final pass of the day and win the event. It was nerves all around for all of the spectators throughout the event and we could not have been more excited for the outcome!  Tomorrow we wrap things up with the Slalom and Head-to-Head races. We'll report back in the evening.

USRA National Whitewater Raft Races

The teams both made it to Oregon yesterday and and are settled in and getting ready for the national championship event to be hosted by the Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival. The river is beautiful and the water is cold. We've previewed the race lines for all of the events and it looks fairly straightforward. The most interesting part of racing on the Clackamas is probably the unexpected surging boil that occasionally hurls the boat from the desired line into a powerful eddy on either side.  We're heading to bed early to ensure that we have plenty of rest for tomorrow's downriver and time trial races. We'll report back tomorrow with results!

April 26th and still snowing.

We have been ready for summer since the beginning of April but it keeps snowing and snowing and snowing.  Yesterday the women ended their paddle session in pouring rain/snow, so cold.
Tomorrow the men head off to Westwater for a overnight in Utah and maybe warmer weather.  

New Videos

Check out our new videos from Costa Rica and Africa.  There are more to come.

Willow Harvesting

 The USA Men’s and Women’s team volunteer for willow harvesting on the Eagle River this past weekend in Edwards.

Joe spent the afternoon at the Breckenridge Recreation Center, helping a group of kids that were interested in rafting. He showed them how to paddle and guide the raft around the pool. The kids loved it!

April 2011

The Women’s team had a great meet and greet in Steamboat on the 8th. Thank you all for coming out to support us, we had a great time.
The next day, we had a training session with Bushy at Manic Training; it was the best and worst workout ever. If any one wants to feel like they want to throw-up while working out, go to Manic Training in Steamboat.
Thank you Bushy for the great workout session.
Ronni

March 2011

With the upcoming 2011 season both teams have been working hard on and off the water. Getting excited that the weather is getting warmer.

Congratulations Mike and Amy Reid on their new little baby girl, Courtney Royce Reid born February 16, 2011.

Newest Women's Team Members

With the passing of the paddles we would like to introduce some of the newest team members. Sitting front right we have Misty Cummings from Glenwood, CO, sitting middle right is Brooke Magstadt from North Dakota but lives in Redcliff, CO and middle left is Molly Etters from Vail, CO. We are excited for the upcoming race season and look forward to doing some paddling.
Ronni

January 2011: Farewell

The start to the 2011 season has been a changing one. The women’s team is changing and growing. We would like to say goodbye to Lisa Reeder, Dawn Vogeler, and Jaime Passchier. These ladies have been paddling on the Women’s team for the past 10 years and have taken the sport to new levels. They have been paddling for the love of the sport, getting to new levels of understanding about raft racing. They have shown what commitment, determination, athleticism and what love is for rafting. They will be greatly missed. Thank you ladies for everything you have done and everything you have sacrificed for so many years. We would not be where we are today without you, thank you!
Ronni

December 2010- Africa

As winter approaches all the team members head back to CO. But Bishop and I headed to Zimbabwe in Africa to paddle and play on the Zambezi River for two months. We rafted, kayaked, river boarded and swam the Zambezi River which flows below one of the natural wonders of the World, Victoria Falls. It was an amazing experience seeing huge animals, visiting good friends and playing on such amazing whitewater.
Our friend Philani Moyo owns a local rafting company in Victoria Falls called Shockwave Rafting. He allowed us to tag along on all the trips he had booked. I have to say that he and his guides do such a great job both on and off the water. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in Africa and on the Zambezi River. Thank you Philani and Shockwave staff!!

Ronni

Thank You

We would like to thank our sponsors for all the support throughout the 2010 race season. A special thank you to Contour HD, Headtrip helmets, Kind Design, Teva, Timberline Tours, and Topper Hagerman.

October 6-10, 2010: Pre-World's Costa Rica

A view of the Pacuare river from the bridge above the finish line.

Here it is, a review from last years Pre-World Championship in Costa Rica, just a bit over due.  We got to Costa Rica with all our gear and ready to see what the Pacuare River had to offer.  The women’s team gained one member since the summer. We welcomed Sarah Hamilton to our team to fill the 6^th spot; left center and our Spanish translator.

All the race events were held on sections of the Pacuare River, mainly the Upper Upper Pacuare. We traveled over 3 hours a day to and from the river; through the highland jungles with beautiful views and death defying roads.  With two days of practice and many laps up and down the river banks and surrounding cow fields we came to the first race day with much anticipation.

The Women's Team scouting the slalom course.

With over 20 international teams representing their countries, we walked down Main Street of La Suiza for the opening ceremonies.  The events began the next day, with Sprint and Head to Head on class 3+ white water. The Men took 2^nd in Sprint and with a great race against Brazil they took 2^nd in Head to Head.  The ladies took 3^rd in Sprint and 3^rd in Head to Head. The second day was slalom day. We took at  look at the coarse and decided that it was going to be fun, with many of the gates spread all over the river. The men took 5^th and the women took 2^nd place.  The last day was the Down River event and the starting line began an hour upstream of all the other events, but finished were the Sprint, Head to Head, and Slalom ended.  It was an exciting race with a helicopter flying overhead filming for a Costa Rican national television station, and it was good close race for both teams. The Women took 2^nd in the Down River giving them an overall 2^nd place finish; the men took 3^rd in the Down River giving them the overall 3^rd place finish.

            We would like to thank the International Rafting Association for putting on a great event; we look forward to the World Championship next year.

We also want to thank our Sponsors for all their support throughout the season.

Here's a summary video from Pre-Worlds in Costa Rica.