HAGERSTOWN, Md. – Some of America’s best kayakers and canoeists will compete in western Maryland next summer when the Whitewater Slalom National Championships come to Garrett County.
The event will be held Aug. 4-5, 2007, at the new Adventure Sports Center International near McHenry, center officials said. The mountaintop complex includes a man-made, recirculating whitewater course that is scheduled to open in April.
The full U.S. national slalom team will attend, including 2004 Olympic one-man kayak team members Brett Heyl and Scott Parsons. It is the largest competitive whitewater racing event in the United States, and the last for national team members before they travel to Beijing to test the 2008 Olympic course.
“The National Championships is the premier slalom event in the United States,” said Matt Taylor, a two-time Olympian and director of operations at Adventure Sports Center International. He invited the public to visit the venue and watch the races.
Adventure Sports Center International is a public-private venture that includes the $23 million whitewater complex and facilities for rock-climbing, mountain-biking and other outdoor sports. It was developed by a group that formed in Garrett County after the World Whitewater Canoe and Kayak Championships were held on the nearby Savage River in 1989.
Details at Adventure Sports Center International: www.adventuresportscenter.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
