This weekend I spent an afternoon at the the International Canoe Federation’s (ICF) 2012 Junior Canoe Slalom World Championship Wausau, Wisconsin Whitewater Park. Young paddlers from over thirty countries are participating in the event.
The event is taking place at the Wausau Whitewater Park located in downtown Wausau. Normally there is a small stream flowing through the park but during competitions the dam is opened and the water flow is changed from 70 cubic feet per second to 700 cubic feet per second. The result is one of the best kayaking venues in the Midwest.
There was a large crowd on hand to watch the paddlers attempt to navigate the course. The goal is to make it through the course in the shortest time. The paddler must navigate through the gates in the right direction. The paddler must navigate the green gates going down stream and the red gates going upstream. Making contact with a gate or missing a gate results in penalties.
It was fun to watch the young athletes checking out the course before the race. They were trying to decide the best approach to get through each of the gates. During the races their teammates and friends would run along the course cheering their compatriots on. The most boisterous group was, by far, the German contingent. One fellow that the German flag strapped to his backpack as he ran along the course.
The course runs north and south so in the morning photographers can ply their trade from the viewing stands on the eastern shore. In the afternoon most of the photographers move over to the western shore. Because much of the eastern shoreline was blocked off the closer shots could be had from the western shore.
More photos from the event can be found on my website.
Philip Schwarz Photography Blog 