The Kayaking Journal News

January 18, 2005 09:40 - Welcome to the Kayaking Journal News

Hello and welcome to the Kayaking Journal Blog (I know, it's a little redundant, but I was at a loss for a better name) Anyway, in the coming months we hope to provide a resource for news and information on the world of sea and whitewater kayaking, and maybe some stories and opinions thrown in for good measure. Thanks for stopping by.

January 24, 2005 10:42 - What's the state of the USA Olympic canoe/kayak team?

Well, if you watched last year’s Olympics, you no doubt know that the USA didn’t exactly take home the gold in the summer games -- at least in the canoe/kayak competitions. In fact, the group only won one medal -- a silver by former World Champion Rebecca Giddens of the US Whitewater Slalom team.

Now admittedly this isn’t all the fault of the US athletes. Canoeists and Kayakers from around the world are improving dramatically. In the slalom competitions, for example, four gold medals were won by French and Slovakian paddlers. These countries also came away with three medals in the whitewater competition. And the United Kingdom and Germany each won two medals at the games.

Which makes some of us wonder if US paddle sports are going the way of the US basketball team -- at least as far as Olympic competition is concerned. In the Flatwater Sprint competiton, for example, there were no American athletes in any of the 12 finals. Again, the Europeans dominated the events, with Germany taking home nine Sprint medals, including an impressive four golds.

The future of American paddle sports is not all bleak, however. US athletes are a young group, and they showed signs of improvement in the recent World Cup races. They are expected to fare well at the 2008 games and beyond.

January 30, 2005 08:43 - Some upcoming events in the world of paddlesports

Here are some upcoming events for February:

What: Florida Keys Paddling Festival, Bogey and Bacall Race
When: Feb 5-6
Where: Key Largo, Florida
Sponsored by Florida Bay Outfitters
305-451-3018 for more info, or visit www.kayakfloridakeys.com

What: Iowa Paddlespor Expo
When: Feb 11-13
Where: Indianola, Iowa
Expo with manufacturer's reps, speakers, slide shows, equipment demos, and gear sales
515-961-6117

What: Florida Gulf Coast Sea Kayak Symposium
When: Feb 25-27
Where: Fort Desoto Park, St Petersburg, Florida
Workshops, demos, seminars. Sponsored by Sweetwater Kayaks
727-570-4844

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