Dear Whitewater Team Alumni and Friends,
I apologize that this newsletter is a bit long. But it's full of interest, I believe.
1. 2009 US Team NEWS
2. 2009 US Team, Remarks
3. First Regional Youth Teams named
4. Article on Whitewater Slalom Foundation
5. Age group Nationals
6. FIBARK includes Wildwater Nationals
7. JPM's Paddling-related article in Father's Day issue of PARADE.
8. Endicott comments on Junior Development
1. 2009 US Team NEWS:
Good US Team Results in Foix World Ranking Race; read Coach Poberaj's comments here:
http://whitewaterslalom.us/US_Team_News.html
2. 2009 US Team, Remarks:
The trials were held on high springtime water in Durango, but that did not prevent the team from consisting of some familiar names. Perhaps, though, it spread out results in such a way as to prevent any of the K1W's from making the percentage cut-off. At this point it seems that neither of the C-2's will race in Europe, either. Note that under new ICF rules are allowed to race in two classes, even in the World Championships (or Olympics), but the rumor is that his C2 partner Scott Parsons will not make the trip.
While it's true that the top four women from 2008 did not attend the 2009 trials, it still seems indicative of a weakness in the US program that we will send no kayak women to Europe, and no C-2's. If we're looking at Olympic medals, as the USOC likes to do, those two classes account for, let me see ... four out of five Olympic medals the US has won to date.
3. In a perhaps counterbalancing new development, for the first time ever there are Regional Teams named, in Junior, 16-and-under, and Cadet age categories. Link below to see the 2009 Regional Team members. The Regional Teams initiative, the brainchild of US head slalom coach Silvan Poberaj, was put into place just this spring by the Whitewater Slalom Foundation. Funding to help team members with travel expenses to summer races or training camps will be provided through matching grants from the regions and the WSF. There is no doubt that with a longer lead time, the 2010 Regional Teams will be much more complete.
http://whitewaterslalom.us/Regional_Teams.html
4. Check out the Paddling Life article on the Whitewater Slalom Foundation here:
http://www.paddlinglife.net/
5. Age group nationals June 27.
http://kayak-adventures.org/USACKAgeGroupNationals2009.shtml
6. Fibark includes Wildwater Nationals, now underway:
http://www.fibark.net/
7. Yours truly will have a paddling-related article in the Father's Day (June 21) edition of Parade magazine.
8. For the interest of those involved in Junior Development, I pass along the comments, below, from Bill Endicott.
(Please excuse the all caps, it came that way.)
Best to all,
Jamie
I WAS AT A CONFERENCE IN BEIJING A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND HEARD A REALLY INTERESTING REPORT FROM THE GERMANS ABOUT CORRELATING JUNIOR SUCCESS WITH SENIOR SUCCESS IN ALL SPORTS.
THE GERMANS SAID THEY WERE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL NATION OF ALL AT THE JUNIOR LEVEL (WINNING JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS) BUT THAT IT DIDN'T TRANSLATE INTO SUCCESS AT THE SENIOR LEVEL AND THE OLYMPICS.
AND THEY CONCLUDED THERE WERE SEVERAL REASONS FOR THIS, AMONG THEM BURN-OUT AND LACK OF CROSS TRAINING. THEY FELT THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BE IN THE JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, BUT NOT IMPORTANT TO WIN IT.
THEY FOUND THAT THEIR OLYMPIC CHAMPS WERE LIKE THIS; THEY STARTED THEIR SPORT AT A VERY EARLY AGE BUT THEY KEPT DOING A LOT OF OTHER SPORTS FOR MANY YEARS BEFORE FINALLY CONCENTRATING ON THE OLYMPICS.
YOU CAN SORT OF SEE THIS IN SLALOM, TOO: A NUMBER OF THE OLYMPIC MEDALISTS -- LEFEVRE COMES TO MIND -- DIDN'T DO SO WELL AT THE JUNIOR LEVEL. AND THEN OTHERS -- SHIPLEY, PRENTICE AND BONGARDT COME TO MIND -- WIN THE JUNIOR WORLDS BUT THEN DON'T MEDAL AT THE OLYMPICS.
ONE ADDITIONAL POINT ABOUT THE JUNIOR LEVEL AND SLALOM: ONE TELL-TALE SIGN OF SOMEONE WITH REAL TALENT IS THAT HE'S BEEN IN TWO JUNIOR WORLDS, NOT JUST ONE. IN OTHER WORDS, HE'S GOT TO BE GOOD ENOUGH TO MAKE THE JUNIOR WORLDS NOT AT 17, SAY, BUT AT 15.
SO, IN SUM, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT A) IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET STARTED VERY EARLY, B) IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE IN THE JUNIOR WORLDS, BUT NECESSARY TO MEDAL IN THEM AND C) IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP DEVELPING YOUR ALL-ROUND ATHLETIC SKILLS BY DOING OTHER SPORTS UP UNTIL 18 OR 19, SAY.