Fibark

Both the men and women cleaned up at this weekends Fibark sprint races in Salida. The men took the top spot and the women finished 3rd overall which was terrific because there was no womens division!

Slalom Practice in Denver

We (the U.S. Women) practiced slalom today at the whitewater course in Denver on the Platte River. The waves were big, the eddies were strong, and the surfing was superb. We set ropes across the river for upstream and downstream gates. Practice was successful, and we feel more confident on our way to worlds. Now it's time for some warming up after 5 hours in the rain.

Sunday water events cancelled

Sunday- last day of the Teva Mountain Games. As we suspected all whitewater events on Gore Creek had to be cancelled today due to the high water. Between all of the trees and debris coming down, the bridges in the village being too low and the take out below the finish disappearing. It was an easy call for the safety team and one they had to make. Both teams made the best of it though. The Women headed out in the morning for some downriver practice on the Eagle River at 9ft. Not only was it great training, but spectacular fun at this level too! The Men grabbed a few film crews and headed out to have some high water fun in Dowd Chute this afternoon. Check it out at http://teva.mobilerider.com/flash/osmf/MobileRiderOSMF.swf?mediaID=30938&vendorID=1985&serviceID=1&bgcolor=000000

There is a short clip following the slopestyle and road race coverage.

Saturday at the Teva Mountain Games

Today was pure energy in Vail Village. While neither teams have any official races until Sunday, some of us took part in the kayak sprint race, the mud run and a lot of just roaming around checking out vendors and people watching. The highlight of the day was definitely the Teva House Party overlooking the Marley concert. Not only were they the best seats in the house but the party was a veritable who's who of Teva athletes competing this weekend. We kept being drawn to the back of the Teva House however where Gore creek was putting on a show of it's own. Due to the absolutely perfect weather this week all the snow is coming down in a torrent and much of the Gore Creek promenade is under water. We are all wondering what affect this will have on tomorrows races when the water is even higher and you will not be able to get under the bridges.

Teva games kick off

The Teva mountain games kicked off today with the homestake steep creek race. Myself and several other members of the US Rafting team helped provide safety for the event. The event went off without a hitch and Sam Hutton from New Zealand took the top spot.

Buena vista sprint race

The first race of the season was a good one. The water was high and the BV play park was a great venue for the sprint. The women got their first taste of head to head competition with their 4 person team. I think their coach Topper put together a good team, the girls looked fast and smooth. In a controversial decision the event organizers put all of the teams into the final sprint. After getting a lead during the starting melée a team from AVA was able to hold off the Teva men and cross the finish line first.
Mongo

After yesterdays disappointing slalom display, I am glad to see the team has more a feeling of sheer anger and hostility than desperation. That is something we can work with. The course is short by downriver standards, but as we were to experience soon enough, it is the most brutal 30 minute race anyone could imagine.
It starts with a twelve boat mass start across a lake to the stairs. Then you grab your boat and run up the stairs, across the volleyball courts, throw your boat in the river and dive. You struggle to get into your seat before the first drop and paddle through the rest of the course. This leg was where you get to catch your breath but in this 3/4 of a mile of class 4 water, exhaustion played a big role and resulted in more than just a few flips, swims and other carnage. Then you rinse and repeat 4 more times.

We got a good start and after the twelve boat brawl we were in third place. We hung behind the Germans until we hit the stairs and passed them there. Now we are in second and the Brazilian’s have about a 50 yard lead. We hang with them until about half way through the pond on the second lap and we notice that the Japanese, that got a bad start, are coming up fast. They catch us by the stairs and pass us like we are standing still. By the time we hit the water we can see the Japanese disappearing around the first corner. We managed to hang in there for the rest of the race and finish in third. Not the goal but we can hold our head high again.