Kayak Cross, formerly known as Extreme Slalom, is mayhem. Kayakers bombard down strong currents, knocking other athletes out of the way while swerving around padded buoys hanging from above.
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From there it’s mayhem, as they bombard down strong currents, knocking other kayakers out of the way racing in a head-to-head battle while swerving around a series of padded buoys hanging from above.Then midway through while barreling down the course, racers have to flip their kayak upside down to clear a course-wide obstacle that’s best described as a big Limbo bar a few feet above super fast turbulent water.
Races in Kayak Cross describe it as"mayhem", as they bombard down strong currents, knocking other kayakers out of the way and race in a head-to-head battle while swerving around a series of padded buoys hanging from above.Two-time Olympian Evy Leibfarth from Bryson City, N.C. said she can’t wait to launch off that ramp at the Summer Games.in Montgomery where she said “it’s been a dream” of hers to go to Paris.
This was Olivia Spencer’s second Olympic team trials. She described what went through her mind when she capsized upstream of some prefab rocks and concrete, then struggled to roll her kayak back up. ”Just tried to make the best decision and do the best I could in my race but also to safely stay out of the way of other racers as well as do what was the safest for me in the moment,” she said.
Some paddle blades are banned, according to Jedediah Hinkley, competition director for the American Canoe Association, the U.S. governing body of Kayak Cross competition.Hinkley said racers must tape the edge of their paddle blade to avoid injury from metal or fiberglass splinters. He adds that a helmet that protects the face or gloves to prevent cuts are not required in Kayak Cross.
“Like when the ladies came through and all four of them where kind of bunched together. I was like, ok, what’s gonna happen? Who’s gonna roll over? Who’s gonna get knocked out? It was great.” he said.
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