OTTAWA, ONTARIO (April 10, 2019) – Canoe Kayak Canada’s best Canoe Slalom paddlers will be taking their first strokes into the National Team Selections this weekend. The Canadian National Slalom Team trials will take place at the Riversport Adventures Whitewater Facility located in Oklahoma City, USA.
“Our Canadian slalom athletes have been training all winter long and these races will officially kick-off the 2019 season,” said James Cartwright, Senior Manager of Slalom High Performance Manager and Coach Development at Canoe Kayak Canada. “I’m thrilled that our athletes have the opportunity to race on a world-class whitewater facility and compete against the best athletes from across North America at this year’s joint Team Trials with the American Canoe Association. It is now time to test their training and select our teams that will be representing Canada at the 2019 international events.”
Canoe Kayak Canada will be selecting athletes based on the National Team selection criteria to compete at the 2019 International Canoe Federation (ICF) Canoe Slalom World Cup series, as well as the Senior, U23 and Junior World Championships.
What:
Canoe Kayak Canada – Slalom National Team trials
When:
Friday, April 12 to Sunday, April 14
Where:
RIVERSPORT OCK
800 Riversport Dr.
Oklahoma City, OK 73129
Oklahoma, United States
The 2019 National Team Trials are being held in the United States this year since OKC is an international standard artificial whitewater venue and there are no similar courses in Canada. Combined trials with the American Canoe Association (ACA) creates a larger field helping athletes and coaches assess performances in relation with top North American slalom athletes.
“There are no other races in North America where the top slalom athletes come together to race one another, explains James Cartwright. This is a very rare opportunity for us, the last time this happened was in 2012 when we hosted Olympic selections in Charlotte”.
Following this competition, Canoe Kayak Canada will announce the selected athletes and teams for the upcoming international events of the 2019 season. In addition to the international competitions, Canoe Kayak Canada will be hosting the 2019 Whitewater National Championships in Minden Hills, Ontario from August 12 to August 18.
Canoe Kayak Canada’s full event calendar can be found here.
Visit Canoe Kayak Canada’s website to get more information and make sure to follow @PlanetCanoe and @CanoeKayakCAN for more live updates.
Subscribe to Canoe Kayak Canada’s mailing list to get all news and results directly to your email.
About Canoe Kayak Canada
Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s top performing summer sports with a total of 24 Olympic medals, and a leader in the Paralympic movement. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization that includes an intricate network of clubs as well as provincial, territorial and divisional paddling associations. Elite National Team athletes proudly represent Canada at various competitions around the globe – most notably the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, ICF World Cups as well as Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championships. Follow Canoe Kayak Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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For more information:
Joannie Verret
Communications Coordinator
James Cartwright
Senior Manager of Slalom High Performance Manager and Coach Development