CANOE NEWS October 2003
USCA National Championships
2003 USCA National Canoe and Kayak Championships, Warren, PA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gareth Stevens While much of the country was starving for rain this summer, Pennsylvania (and points east) were spoiled with it. The Allegheny River was running high and fast, and the Allegheny Reservoir was a full 12 feet higher than normal after a series of downpours two weeks before the Nationals. With concern for safety of the paddlers at the USCA Nationals, the US Army Corps of Engineers flushed large quantities of extra water through Kinzua Dam in the days leading up to the marathon events and overnight between the races, so they could hold back during the races themselves. Paddlers who scouted the course earlier in the week saw the river levels drop by up to five or six feet by race time. USCA Nationals in Warren had a good turnout. In all, 455 paddlers competed in a total of 108 race events (these numbers include National Championship events, demos, trial events and the biathlon). There were 1104 entries. Many paddlers raced in multiple events. Michael Devine from Ontario topped the list, taking part in a total of 11 different races. Three paddlers took part in ten races, and four took part in nine (see table below). In all, 22 paddlers took part in seven events or more. Of these, seven were from Canada. Thanks for your support, Canadians!
Above: Jim Decker (left) with USCA Executive Director John Edwards. Decker is Director of the Warren Chamber of Business and Industry, the host of this year’s Nationals. Jim and his team of conscripts and volunteers from Warren County did what was widely lauded as an excellent job of setting up and managing the Nationals in all its complexity. The congratulations are deserved. Below: A common sight in Warren in the second week of August, 2003 .
Sprint events were held on Chapman Lake in Chapman State Park, “the best sprint venue in years” some paddlers told Jim Decker, of the Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry, the Nationals host for 2003 . The marathon course ran about 12 miles from just below Kinzua Dam to Betts Park, including two buoyed loops to give some upstream paddling, and lengthen what would otherwise have been an even shorter course. A rapids section by “the Flame,” a burnoff tower, part of United Refining’s plant, added some excitement and a number of boats tipped in this stretch. Safety boats and safety jetskis patrolled this stretch, doing a professional, friendly job ensuring that no swim ended in disaster. The week provided daily deluges to challenge the campers, but rain mostly held off through the races themselves, and through most of the awards ceremonies, too.
Top multiple-event participation # of races / names 11 Michael Devine 10 John Edwards, Stan Machacek, Sarah Price 9 Cathy Boody, Guy Flatley, Joe Johnson, Karen Simpson 8 Randy Bailey, Joanna Faloon, Leanne Stanley 7 Rita Brzeski, Ted Cramer, Nicole Devine, Ben Josefik, Kyle Kiser, Joel Kowsky, Marc Gillespie, Rich Rankinen, Gareth Stevens, Glen Vanderwinckel, LaVerne Young
Below: The canoer’s friend — on the Allegheny at least! The jetski safety patrol was a friendly presence — a nice counterpoint to experiences that many paddlers have had with less courteous jetski operators elsewhere.
Top by-state (& Canadian province) participation State / # of entries NY 222 PA 135 MI 110 ON 98 MA 72 IL 61 WI 56 NH 35 FL 35 ME 34 TX 33 CT 31 IA 31
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All photos on this page courtesy of the Warren Times Observer and its team of photographers and reporters, © 2003 Warren Times Observer