Switching from a small 8ft creek boat to a nearly 12ft-long race boat is like reading
your favorite book with someone else's prescription eyeglasses. Suddenly those letters you are so familiar with are blurring together in weird ways, forming foreign words. But eventually things come together bit by bit. I found myself gaining confidence in a piecemeal fashion. First it came with the lines through Charlie's Choice and Heinzerling. Slowly rapids like Triple Drop and Lost Paddle were added into the mix with the race line at National still remaining difficult for me, even during the race. I came to realize that 2 or 3 practice runs just can't prepare you for connecting these moves together and maintaining enough energy to make it through the flatter stretches to the finish line. In addition I found that more time is lost in smaller class II/III rapids than the bigger ones, making it even more important to pay attention to the best lines everywhere on the river. Race day went smooth for this first-time racer, managing to keep the nerves at bay until just before launch time. As the first racer sprinted their way toward Gap Falls, it became real. I realize that will be me momentarily as adrenaline begins to surge through my veins. The race was mostly a blur. During the warm-ups I almost couldn't believe that it was finally here and that it would be over before I noticed. Personally, I had a great run, hitting some lines better than ever before and preventing spinning out too badly throughout the entire run. But nothing is more satisfying the final 10 seconds of every race followed by the refreshing beverage received upon completion. At the finish line we talk about our runs, watch other racers come in and just enjoy not using every bit of power to move a kayak forward.
This year 32 races took on the challenge of descending this class IV/V, 5+ mile creek on Saturday July 28th, 2008. Boats ranged from small creek boats to sleek and light fiberglass Wildwater kayaks. For many of the races this year's event was added to decades of previous Upper Yough races, while others were attempting some race lines for the very first time. Such a variance of experience leads to some amazingly smooth lines and some awesome carnage! Geoff Calhoun took first overall in his Wildwater boat with a time of 28.52 min. Peter Lutter came in a close second in his Wavehopper at 29.58 min. With the ladies, Chara Whittamore held her title with a strong time of 33.55 min using her Wavehopper placing an amazing 10th overall. WV's own Susan Hollingsworth (yours truly) came in just behind Chara in the Green Boat with a time of 34.23 for second place in the Women's Division. Check out the race results for other times. For pictures of racers check out the Private Boater link on playtheriver.com.
Next year should be just as much fun, if not more. Hopefully Wilderness Voyageurs Purple Pride team can represent! See you then!
-Zan
