Saturday began slowly, with the first start times for the Extreme Slalom seeding event being largely devoid of competitors (it turns out getting students on the water at 8am can be a mammoth task), but the safety crew were in fine fettle, despite some of them having had to share a campsite with at least a dozen after parties. The opening went smoothly, with competitors performing a variety of tricks and skills on their way down the early part of the course (a 360 in any plane, an old skool move on the inlet gate, hitting a ball in an eddy, a new skool move on twin wave) to sort them into their various heats. At this point, the banks along the course began to fill with spectators, as the pace began to slowly creep up, and the Extreme Events crew began pumping up the volume and shenanigans again, once again bringing the Rodeo Rabbit, a strange being thought to be part man, part pinata, who if tackled hard enough, will give you free stuff. Before long, the event was in full flow, with heats starting just after noon, including the biggest draws of the weekend, the Duo and Old Skool heats, because, much as we all like to see truly skilled kayakers going huge on a wave, there's an uncomparable joy that exists in watching a man in a 30-year-old fibreglass boat fall over a lot, and narrowly avoid landing on his mate's head, and this year, a frenchman and his friend, with berets taped to their helmets, attempting to compete in a Ducky full of presents.
Rodeo rabbit
ThePADDLER 85