2007 USACK Sprint Nationals: Day 1 Summary
Day 1 Summary
August 14, 2007
The first day of the 2007 USACK Sprint National Championships wrapped up Tuesday around 4:00, bringing the end of the qualifying day for the 1000 meter races in flat water canoes and kayaks. Hosted by the Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club on Green Lake, this first day boasted heats and semi-finals over the longer of the two Olympic racing distances. Spots for the 1000m finals, to be held on Wednesday starting at 8:00, were hard-fought as paddlers from the Bantam age group (Under 14) all the way to the Seniors roared down the racecourse to claim one of the nine available lanes. Racers had not only the competition to contend with, but also the elements, with wind gusts exceeding 15 miles per hour at times. Such gusts could easily destabilize even the most experienced paddlers, many of whom utilize crafts a mere 10 inches across at the widest point.
The Seattle Club was well-represented by older paddlers such as two-time Olympian Jordan Malloch and Junior Worlds team member Peter Metzger, both of whom qualified for their finals. Spectacular performances from a younger crop of paddlers, including Daphne Austin, Bailey Nurmia, Evelyn Brown and Mia Overton, helped round out the day's competition. Other clubs were well represented as well, with Gig Harbor's Molly Timmons, Zoe Kuhn, Cedric Bond and Brian Stopoulos giving exceptional performances in their own races. From farther down south, San Diego's Nicholas Hanoian proved to be a match for the competition while the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club, based in Georgia, brought stellar athletes such as Chelsea Smith and Stanton Collins.
www.scn.org/rec/sckc/usack2007
Contacts: USACK-tamara@usack.org | SCKC-david@firstharvest.org
