1. The Bid (written commitments on what they will do to create a great event) sets a new standard in kayak competition, and is close to double the financial and in-kind support that Thun Switzerland had in 2009, which was awesome.
2. The athlete villiage, the location near 20 million people, and a ton of educated kayaker/spectators will assure huge crowds, and an awesome social scene.
3. The organizing body has endless experience with big events , including the 1996 olympics. They will get the job done well.
4. The River has 1,100 cfs and plenty of gradient to create an awesome hole. After 2 worlds in a row with waves, it is time for a hole again.
5. I am very fired up for this USA worlds! It will have been 20 years!
We won’t know just how good the new feature will be at NOC until it is finished. This is a risk, clearly, but I am confident in both the abilities of the designers and the commitment of NOC to get it right.
People who live in Asheville will be able to both creek and playboat near them now! That will be good for the area in general, and for paddlers making the Nantahala better for everyone. I am very fired up to have a world class playspot there! I go to NOC for Spring Splash and GAF normally and now I’ll find lots of reasons to go!
🙂
EJ
Eric you are a legend, no doubt. But hole comps are boring, straight up. There needs to be a change in the way venues are selected because I can honestly say, most paddlers I know will not even pay attention to this show. Unlike Ottawa…. that was the last time most of use were excited about a freestyle comp.
Certainly each person is open to their own opinion. As a competitor in wave, hole, downriver, etc. freestyle competitions, and looking at the 2013 bid, missing this worlds will be regretable for anyone who loves a good party, a good competition, and great company. I find that a good hole competition is at least as exciting as a good wave competition to watch or participate in due to pace of moves, technical difficulty. I would suggest checking it out! this event will have more spectators than any worlds in history, i will put money on that…