The Wake Games were a pretty big deal this year in Orlando. Almost 200 competitors came to this event to compete. Its a different type of contest because every rider who makes it past the first round qualifies and is assigned to a team. There are ten team captains, and these are the pros who finished top 10 in the king of wake series last year. The captains choose 2 other pros and 7 other riders from different divisions. It creates an good atmosphere of sportsmanship at the competition, and is a great way for the amateurs to get to know some of the pros. Not to mention there is a $10 grand prize pack for the winner.
The first day they only took the top 20 pro's from about 70 who went out to qualify. I won my heat the first day and secured a spot in the contest. I was drafted onto Daniel Watkins team, along with Erick Ruck and some people from the other divisions. We had a pretty strong looking team, but Philip Soven and Shaun Murray were looking pretty good as well, with both of them having some of the top amateurs.
On Saturday I was a little bit nervous, but was able to put together a pretty good run, with tricks like backside 5, pete, and back mobe. I stood up my pass all the way until the very last trick in my second pass. It wasn't quite enough to take down Rusty or Dean Smith, who both stood up their entire passes, landing 7's and 9's. I ended up 3rd in the heat, with Shaun Watson and Mike Marsh right behind me. My teammates, Daniel and Ruck, didn't qualify for Sunday either. Our team wasn't looking too hot.
Shaun and Philip both racked up some major points in the amateur division, putting them in the top two. Shaun Murray's team had the lead on Sunday, and it would all come down to the fact that Phil would have to win. Rusty stood up his pass, again, in the finals, landing a backside 7 off the double up. Phil was the last rider off the dock. He stood up his entire pass as well, especially riding good on the rails, and it looked like he was going to taste another victory. Then, unexpectedly, he missed the boot off the double up and pulled a backside 5 where he was meant to do a back 7. It was enough for Rusty to claim gold, and also allowing Shaun Murray and his team to win Wake Games 08 and the $10K prize purse.
This is a incredible bad news from the Patagonis Chile; The Chaiten Volcano is in total eruption from the last three week, Chaiten, futaleufu and all the small town arrow are totally evacuated. The situation is very dangerous for all the Flora and Fauna. Km of mountains are completely covered be ash and many animals die evey day.
At this moment the Futaleufu town and all the area is in serious risk of life. If you want to help and colabotare be in contact whit: The Futaleufu Relief Fund Some good friends from the Kavu team are colavorate whit the "Futaleufu Relief Fund, P.O. Box 2344 Taos, NM 87571.
I have been in Reno for over a week training for the competition. When I got here the water level on the Truckee River was pretty low which meant hitting the bottom a lot. The level came up during the week but was still at a low level but was high enough to not hit bottom nearly as much. The city was great and every day there were spectators watching you since the play spots are right in downtown Reno. The festival was so much fun and the event organizers did an amazing job with this event and were super nice. The competition started on Friday with boaters who were not invited. There were junior men, men, and only 2 women (Erin Clancy and me). We competed in the event and knew we would move on the next day to paddle against the likes of Tanya Faux, Ruth Gordon, Emily Jackson, and Devon Barker and only hundreds of people watching. There was no pressure on Friday and I had great rides and Erin also had great rides. I came in First in the women’s open and Erin second. Saturday was a totally different day. There was over a thousand people watching the event which was the biggest event I have ever competed in which was pretty intimidating. In the Men's class EJ came in first, Stephen Wright second, and fellow SR padler Andrew Holcombe third. In the Women's class Emily ripped it up coming in first, Tanya came in second, and Ruth third. Unfortunately I still haven’t been able to overcome my nerves in a competition and came in sixth place which is disappointing but it is what it is. Once I overcome my nerves I know I will be able to compete at the highest level for now I just have to get over the mind game. I am going home tomorrow night and have nine days to prepare mentally and physically for the CO circuit and then we hit the road for like a thirty hour drive to Steamboat Springs. Take Care, Elaine Campbell
Team SR Wake member, Taylor McCullough (bio) has been tearing it up with podium finishes to start off the year.
Taylor has been to the 1st stop of the Gravel Tour in Orlando, FL where she won the girls division. The next weekend was the IWSF Pan Am Championships in Miami where Taylor won her 2nd consecutive title in the Jr. Girls division. Then 2 weeks later she backed that up with a 3rd place finish @ Wake Games back in Orlando.
David Nieuwenhuis has just returned from Africa and sent in these pics and video.
The video is a short seg from my segment for a video called 'Valley High' which based on paddlers from the Ottawa Valley and should be out later this spring.
Last weekend started with a eight hour drive to the Tallulah river, a river that only releases four weekends out of the year. We (New River Academy were stoked to get on this creek after being told it wasn't going to release in the spring then surprised when we heard the spring release was back on. The first day, we got on the water in the morning and took it slow since it was the first time even creeking for some of the people on our group. Luckily everything went smoothly for everybody. There the exception of a few dorked portages for people hiking back up for a second lap on Oceana, The largest slide on the run. Those ended in two people sliding down the side of Oceana, and diving in to a hole at the bottom.
Tino Looking down the middle line at Oceana(above)
Myself on the left line of Oceana(2nd from top) Tino on a fun autoboof early in the run(top)
Once we got off the river and our calves had recovered from the 1127 stair hike in, we hustled back to the put in and made it just in time to volunteer to do the sweep run. Now that we all were comfortable with the river we could bust down for the sweep. Unfortunately the American Whitewater people didn't tell us that someone had hiked out of the gorge and left their boat, so we spent about 20 minutes at the bottom of Oceana confused calling for someone who wasn't there. The second day we only had time for one lap of the run and some video and photos. Then left to head back to W.V. We got in late Sunday and woke up Monday only to find that the New River Dries waves were in. Most people would take some time off after hiking so many stairs, boofing so many drops, sliding down so much rock and sleeping in leaky cold tents, but it was the Dries. So after two days of great creeking it was two days of sick play boating.
Sam Fulbright goes for the Clean blunt.
The first day of shredding had three big waves lined up in the middle of the river. The first two were touchy and would green out, but the last one had a huge foam pile and dished out some huge moves. People threw down whatever they could blunts, panams, air screws, pistol flips, etc.
Tinohucks his stuff.
Sam Fulbright reaching back to panam.
The second day gave us one wide wave in the middle and several smaller more inconsistent ones behind it. Further down stream was the kahuna waves as well, which are not quite the Dries but you can still go huge on them. After the two days on the Tallulah and two on the Dries I went into a coma from exhaustion and woke up to write this update.
I arrived in Henderson on Monday and the Black was around 17,000 cfs which is high for Inner City. I went up to Hole Brothers to see what Big Brother looked like and it was a burly looking hole. I drove down stream and found a sweet hole that you can do every hole move in. I paddled it for a couple of days and had great success with Phonics Monkeys and Mcnasty’s. I didn’t paddle today and am ready to hit Big Brother tomorrow. The level is like 22,000cfs and should be higher tomorrow with all the rain. Enjoy the video from the hole and I should have another video of Big Brother.
The new title from Clear H2o Films that is set to release April 22nd is The Lost World, Hotel Charley vol. 3. The meat of the feature length film features First Descents of wild, free flowing rivers from the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland, the extremely remote Twang Region of India, and a descent down the soon to be dammed inner gorge of Brazil's longest river, the Rio San Fransisco. In search of this proverbial Lost World that exists in the world's last unseen gorges are film producers and 2006 National Geographic Adventure Heroes Ben Stookesberry and Jesse Coombs. Along with Jesse and Ben is a cast of characters that is as diverse as the locations in the film. From the ultra talented paddlers of Team Jackson including Eric jackson, Dane Jackson, Nick Troutman, Joel Kowolski, Chris Korbulic, and Darin McQuoid pushing the envelope in roadless Northern Newfoundland; to the stories and supper smooth of Indian/ Nepally Kayaker Lama Kundan in the farthest off corner of India situated between China and Bhutan.
In addition to the feature length film, the DVD the lost world will be jam packed with Bonus features including more incredible multi-day expeditions from Southwest BC, the Wind River Range of Wyoming, and Colorado's Southern Rockies.
If that's not enough Jesse and I want share our 3 week attempt to train writer Thayer Walker to become a class V boater; we called it the Crash Course. As a self proclaimed class 4 boater, Thayer spends 14 river days training in class 5 water in order to become a battle ready Expedition Boater. This is in addition to a Men's Fitness feature article of the same name that hit the stand in April 2008.
We look forward to seeing you at the premier and on the river!
Sam Fulbright goes for the Clean blunt.
