Dickerson Qualifier

Today is Monday, cold and rainy, and I am back in Charlotte after yet another race weekend, this time in Washington, DC for the Dickerson Qualifier. The race went quite well and I won, despite several time errors and 3 touches on my first run. The second run was clean, and I had a good feeling from it. I think that I am finally feeling more comfortable in the new boat, and I am hoping to bring the good feeling from the race into my training this week in Charlotte.

It was good to get away from Charlotte, of only for two days. I had had quite a frustrating week prior to the race. Maybe I had more trouble adjusting to the boat than I had anticipated, or maybe I was a little over-trained, but I had a lot of trouble with the hard whitewater, especially at the bottom. During full lengths on Friday I had 3 excellent runs at the top which ended in disaster at the bottom drop. I felt really confident and consistent here after coming home from Australia, and it was frustrating to feel like I had regressed.

The week wasn’t a total bust, though,  I figured out some technical stuff at zoom flume and on the bridge drop, and I think I need to remember that the bottom is legitimately hard. No one is 100% consistent there, and I am eager to have another crack at it this coming week.

Happy Birthday Bug

Bug Lokken turned 14 on the 25th. We baked a cake and played put-put golf. Put-put was great, though I think I played enough to last me through the next 3 or 4 years. Also, in a note for the future, pink is not a color that cake should be. That said, it was a beautiful day: spring is coming to North Carolina. Happy birthday, Bug. Left to right: Jiri Prskavec, Austin Kieffer, me, Zach Lokken

US Open

It was a cold weekend on the Nantahala but the US Open was well attended and, as the first big national race of the year, a good indicator of what the season has in store for us. Many thanks to race director Lee Leibfarth, the Nantahala Outdoor Center, and Bank of America, our title sponsor, and all the volunteers, without whom the race would not have been possible.

I placed second in the women’s class, first was Dana Benesova of Slovakia and third was Ashley Nee.

In the Men’s class, Scott Parson’s was first, Scott Mann second, and Austin Kieffer was third.

Benn Fraker won the C1 class, followed by Jeff Larimer, 2nd place, and Tad Dennis, 3rd.

Eichfeld/Powell won the C2 class.

A new boat for the new season.

It’s Tuesday morning, my day off, and I have spent it outfitting my new boat. My brand new Toro was crushed on the way home from winter training in Australia, but Charley at United in Charlotte really stepped up and promised that United would buy me a new one. It didn’t come in time for the weekend’s race here at the USNWC, but if the resin kicks fast, I’ll be able to get it on the water tomorrow, and hopefully will feel comfortable enough to race it this coming weekend at the US Open on the Nantahala River.

The Open has attracted some international competitors this year: Canadian, Irish, and Slovak paddlers will join the usual American and Chilean (NRC’s very own Pablo McCandless) athletes at one of my favorite domestic racing venues. I am planning to drive up Wednesday to get used to the water, it’s always a pretty big change, going from artificial whitewater to a natural river, and I want to be at my best for the weekend’s competition.

Charlotte Race 2

Today’s race at the USNWC marks the final race in Charlotte before the US Olympic Team Trials. Though I was not completely satisfied with my performance, I know where I made my mistakes and how to fix them at the next race, and it’s encouraging to see that I can place well nationally even when I don’t have a perfect run. I finished second behind Dana Benušova of Slovakia.
Hepp came through for us with a good, fast course, and the sunny weather lured quite a few spectators out to watch the race.

Feeling good as new

Thank you to Rebbekah, Greg and Sandy (Carolina’s Rehabilitation), you guys are great. My back is feeling much better and I am looking forward to the race this weekend.

And now it’s spring!

Thursday. warm weather. I’m feeling quite fit, except I am having muscle pain in my lower back. If it continues through today despite my therapeutic regime of IB Profin and Red Stripe Jamaican Lager, I am going to have to go to the physio tomorrow. This morning’s session went well despite the pain. We have been working on classic moves: ups at zoom floom and offsets below the bridge. All these hard moves I am managing quite consistently when I remember to keep the boat flat and my weight over the boat. It is beginning to feel like all the moves at Charlotte are classic moves. This is a great course with strong eddies and lots of character: a difficult place to paddle at first, but becoming manageable as you get more familiar with the nature of the channel.
I have been involved with the USNWC from the beginning through my coach and course designer Scott Shipley, and even helped to build the model (back home in Boulder, CO in 2005). It feels good to be paddling on a course I had my fingers in.

Charlotte’s first spring race

Race Day. The weather has cleared up and it is exciting to be racing in Charlotte, the venue of the 2008 US Olympic Trials. I think it was the location that made me so nervous; even though the race itself was not so important, I really wanted to do well here because of the implications in regard to future races. Saturday I was more afraid than I can remember being at a race, but I think fear, once again, is one of those emotions that it is difficult to recall. My nervousness contributed to several time errors, but overall my runs were quite solid, and I finished 1st in an international field (US, Canada, Slovakia). Dana Benešova of Slovakia finished 2nd. Sunday I was less nervous but for some reason more cautious on the course, and the result was slower times and a 2nd place finish. Dana Benešova finished 1st on Sunday.

It’s still winter

Thursday. Cold is a sensation it is impossible to remember when you are warm. Like sadness. It is not possible to remember what it is like to be sad when you are happy, nor am I capable of recalling the sensation of happiness when I am sad. A week ago I was in Australia, afraid that I was wasting my money on the warm weather, because it had been quite mild here in North Carolina meantime, but now that I’m here, I realize it was money well spent. The cold was brutal today and I paddled badly. In weather like this, it is important to get on the water, to stay active for the sake of fitness and balance and habit, but it is difficult to make important technical improvements.

Monday

I picked up my dog today, so now I have someone to run with again. She was happy to see me, nibbled my ears a little. I dreamt Billie Sweetheart up one day, sleeping in the woods near Charleston, SC, so when she fell in my lap just now, I reckoned it was my responsibility to take her in. She’s a good enough animal to keep around, I think we’ll get along alright.