2011 Throwdown season ends with a full day of paddling and an awesome after party :)
When – Saturday September 17th.
Where – The Riviere St-Charles in Valleyfield, Quebec.
Saturday started with a sunny but brisk morning. Paddlers started showing up at 9:30 am to get registered and get ready for another fun boater cross. At 10:30 we had 3 categories of racers: The first was our women’s category. Cheryl McGregor, Sylvie Lebel, Emily Zwanenburg, Sabina Finnie and Shaunna Neil-Martin. The race was excellent. The course was intentionally made tough with a couple must make moves to ensure the challenge and add some excitement to the event. The first upstream gate was in an eddy set just above a retentive hole. This assures us a good show. It also reminded everyone of the importance of never quitting. Cheryl held the lead throughout but at the tough gate, Emily and Sylvie collided pushing both into the hole and missing the gate. Shaunna is a new paddler who came to us from Petawawa, worked super hard to keep up with the pack. She did great. The second upstream gate proved challenging but with some encouragement form her friend Graham she never quit and completed every gate assuring her a second place in the race. We were all proud.
The next 3 heats consisted of our men’s category combined with the Junior men. What a great show. The 1st upstream gate gave us the intended results. A big challenge and some good beatdowns. Our regular racers Zachary Zwanenburg, Sean Hakvoort, Zachary Hakvoort, Francois Bergeron-Proulx, Aimé-Jean Lavigne, Louis-Phillipe Legare and the rest of the kids from the Valleyfield slalom club ( 3 Sams, Max, Marc-Antoine, Charles, and Aaron) were joined by Simon LaChance, Graham Kent from Pembrooke, Frederick and Eric and Charles Davidson who gave us a great show pushing themselves and each other really hard 
The highlights were our new paddlers: Graham rocked his first race. Graham is a very new paddler (been a month!) and he got worked in the hole and hung on tight and finished the race. Eric Davidson and his brother Charles ran their first race too. Both these young men come from the CReW Youth Challenge Kayak Program and showed us that they were listening throughout the summer. Well done boys!
After the race and the race awards, Aime-Jean and Louis-Phillipe organized an impromptu mass start race without rules! I could not resist and jumped in the race. What a hoot. 11 paddlers start together in a tough mix of slalom and no rules boatercross. Manic is a hole that does not treat you well if there is more than one paddler in it. There were many. hehehehe. No one completed all the gates but everyone had fun.
Next up is the main event – Seaway Valley WK Hometown Throwdown. It seems that the last event of every year brings us the best crowd. This year was no exception. The morning race crew competed and we added Dany Trottier to the men’s group. The competition was solid. 7 paddlers did their rides on mini wave while the advanced group watched and cheered. The kids and new paddlers gave us surfs, spins and back surfs mixed in with some great old school shows (paddle twirls, air guitar and a tomahawk) So very cool to see these new paddlers take on the sport.
The advanced boaters gave us a good show as well. 4 women( junior and adults) and 12 men (Juniors and adults) stood up to manic and did their best. Loops, a few huge entry moves, massive air loops and aerial space gods, splitwheels, cartwheels and a felix were on the table. Was very cool. In the end the results were as follows:
Down River race:
Men:
1st Louis-Philippe Légaré
2nd Zachary Zwanenburg
3rd François Bergeron-Proulx
Women:
1st Cheryl McGregor
2nd Shaunna Neil-Martin
3rd Emily Zwanenburg
Rodeo:
Men A
1st François Bergeron-Proulx 175 points
2nd Frederick 167 points
3rd Aimé-Jean 118 points
Junior men A
1st Zachary Zwanenburg 342 points He was also the 1st overall.
2nd Maxime Leboeuf 62 points
3rd Samuel Primeau 48 points
Women A ( junior and adults)
1st Cheryl McGregor 139 points
2nd Sylvie Lebel 17 points
3rd Emily Zwanenburg 15 points
Men and Women B ( junior and adults )
1st Charles Demeule
2nd Samuel Pharand
3rd Zachary Hakvoort
The only C-1 of the day was Zachary Zwanenburg, 23 points, no swimming!
At the end of the day, everyone had fun and walked away with a sweet reward from our sponsors too
The day ended with a BBQ for those who could make it. Food drinks, cake, coffee and fireworks were provided by the Zwanenburg family at our home. It was a great time and a wonderful way to end the freestyle season in our region.
Thanks to all our participants, family, volunteers and sponsors. Without you all my life would be a lot less fun
See y’all on the river soon,
Robert Zwanenburg
www.cornwallwhiteweater.com
2011 Slave River Throwdown #2
With our second throwdown of three done we are heading into our main event of the season; Slave River PaddleFest. This will be host to many events including our Throwdown #3. This last event saw some new boaters out for a great evening on the river. This event was followed by a river run at super high water.
Event Results
Event Name: Slave River Throwdown #2
Event Region: Yukon/NWT
Event Date: July 24th, 2011 @ 6:00pm
All times are localized to the event location.
| Men's Results | |||
| Place | Paddler | Event Points | Ranking Points** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Rick James | 55 | 125 |
| 2nd | James van Camp | 35 | 115 |
| 3rd | Paul Bannister | 60 | 135 |
| Women's Results | |||
| Place | Paddler | Event Points | Ranking Points** |
| 1st | Jes | 65 | 135 |
| Men's Results | |||
| Place | Paddler | Event Points | Ranking Points** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tracey Hutton | 85 | 135 |
| 2nd | Don Jaque | 80 | 115 |
| 3rd | Jason Panter | 70 | 105 |
| 4th | Kris Johnson | 80 | 125 |
| Women's Results | |||
| Place | Paddler | Event Points | Ranking Points** |
| 1st | kirsten | 80 | 115 |
| 2nd | Erica Thompson | 90 | 135 |
| 3rd | Tamara Lamb | 85 | 125 |
| Men's Results | |||
| Place | Paddler | Event Points | Ranking Points** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | John Blyth | 165 | 135 |
| 2nd | Chris Williams | 135 | 115 |
| 3rd | Rob Cartwright | 140 | 125 |
| Women's Results | |||
| Place | Paddler | Event Points | Ranking Points** |
| 1st | saskia | 125 | 125 |
| 2nd | Genevieve Cote | 120 | 115 |
| 3rd | Natalie Kramer | 135 | 135 |
** Denotes points earned towards the World Kayak Throwdown Amateur Ranking Program.
If you have not selected the ranking option when registering for an event, you may either do so when you register for an event, or you can Get Ranked Now, and claim the points you have already earned!
Hometown Throwdown #2 Results
This morning while the steam from my coffee was filling my nostrils, bidding me to wake up, I began thinking about this weekends Hometown Throwdown. Normally, I would just post the results, throw up a few pictures, and be done. This morning, however, I’d like to take a little bit of time and talk about how important World Kayak, the sponsors, and Hometown Throwdowns specifically are very important to a sport we all love so much. The idea of promoting your kayaking community doesn’t sound so hard until you actually try to bring together a group of people, who by nature are very flaky. The people at worldkayak.com and the sponsors have made this a bit easier by giving away Free Stuff, which everyone loves. So a big round of applause to the sponsors for helping all of the regional ambassadors out. Without your donations and time, my next few statements would not be possible.
Here in Arkansas we’ve been putting on Throwdowns for three years now and every year, you can find a story like the one I’m about to tell. At every event there are a great mix of people. Here in Arkansas we’ve been know to have playboaters, canoeists, C1ers, boogie boarders, and rafters all participate. We’ve done relay races, boatercross, races for the prizes, standard rodeos, jam sessions, and tried all other types of formats to make each Throwdown unique. We always set up a PA system, pump some music, and usually there are a lot of people there videoing and taking pictures; all making the participants feel like pros. And of course some of folks who participate can really throw down. But THIS is what makes Hometown Throwdowns and Worldkayak.com special; getting people involved who may have just begun paddling.
Its here where our story begins. Last year, the hero of all the events hosted was by far Little Lizzy Lafferty. I believe she was 11 or 12 at that time. She didn’t have a roll, but didn’t let that stop her. She jumped in her mom’s purple 2Fun, left the skirt on the bank, and took off. She made the big ferry from the eddy on river left, to the eddy on river right, navigating the 100 yds with ease at a flow of 3600 cfs. At that point, it didn’t matter what loops were thrown, how many cartwheels were wheeled, or how many donkey flips were “donkied”…At that moment, Little Lizzy Lafferty was the star of the show. It was then, that I realized this was bigger than rodeo. The crowd ERUPTED! You could hear cheers up and down the river. “Go Lizzy!” “Alright Girl!” “Keep Paddling!” Now, Little Lizzy Lafferty didn’t win the top prize, she didn’t win the bragging rights of having the highest score, but people don’t remember who did. All they will remember is Lizzy and her awesome ferry from one eddy to another.
This year is no exception. Although Maggie Powell is not new to rivers, having done a lot of rafting, this is one of her first years in a whitewater kayak. Maggie has participated in both Throwdowns this year so far. In the first event, she was nervous and didn’t make it into the hole, but did roll up on every attempt; however, after the Throwdown, she was side surfing in a large hydraulic and looking comfortable, smiling, and having a good time. Maggie is one of those people who always has a smile on her face and during this Throwdown, you could see a lot of improvment, not only in her confidence, but in her abilities as well. If you’re keeping track of scores, keep an eye on Maggie Powell. I have a feeling that by our last event of the season in September, she’ll make the top 5! Way to go Maggie!
Another story of interest at this event is the Mathews family. Father Rodney, and his two sons Grant and Garrett always attend the Hometown events. Garrett even won the Smith sunglasses, which were the big prize at the first event. Grant, the older brother, is one helluva hand paddler. Always in control of his boat and his no handed loops are incredible. There has always been a bit of sibling rivalry between the two brothers and I’ve watched as Garrett is stepping up his game! Throwing down multiple ends and even some loops of his own. The Mathews family were all competing in the first heat of HTTD #2 when Rodney, getting a bit hung up in the hole, was forced to swim. Whatever competition between Grant and Garrett exists, was put on hold as they both peeled out of the eddy to help their father recover and re-enter his boat. All before his turn in line passed him by. THIS is Hometown Throwdown.
I know stories like this exist in other parts of the country, but I thought I’d share some of those that stood out to me. Worldkayak.com and the Hometown Throwdown events are so very important to local kayaking communities. Not only in bringing people together, but in the way that they inspire all of us in some way to share a sport that we love. Thanks World Kayak!
Now onto the pictures and the scores!
Grant Mathews 255 pts. 1st PLACE
Bryan Pinnell 250 pts. 2nd PLACE
Lance Jones 205 pts. 3rd PLACE
Garret Mathews 200 pts. 4th PLACE
Cole Mullican (open boat) 190 pts.
Jerry Hale (boogie board) 180 pts.
Joe Tarver 175 pts.
Rodney Mathews 150 pts.
Lisa Iadarola/Adam Willard (tandem open boat) 150 pts.
Michelle Ashford 150 pts.
Paul Cox 145 pts.
Taylor Muse (boogie board) 145 pts.
Billy Lafferty 135 pts.
David Morring 135 pts.
Maggie Powell 115 pts.
Harlan Hughes 115 pts.
Kristi Cox 110 pts.
Sean Speckles 105 pts.
Cowper Chadbourn 100 pts.
A Big thanks to all of those that took pictures at the event and helped out with ‘judging’ etc…
Hometown Throwdown #2 Results
This morning while the steam from my coffee was filling my nostrils, bidding me to wake up, I began thinking about this weekends Hometown Throwdown. Normally, I would just post the results, throw up a few pictures, and be done. This morning, however, I’d like to take a little bit of time and talk about how important World Kayak, the sponsors, and Hometown Throwdowns specifically are very important to a sport we all love so much. The idea of promoting your kayaking community doesn’t sound so hard until you actually try to bring together a group of people, who by nature are very flaky. The people at worldkayak.com and the sponsors have made this a bit easier by giving away Free Stuff, which everyone loves. So a big round of applause to the sponsors for helping all of the regional ambassadors out. Without your donations and time, my next few statements would not be possible.
Here in Arkansas we’ve been putting on Throwdowns for three years now and every year, you can find a story like the one I’m about to tell. At every event there are a great mix of people. Here in Arkansas we’ve been know to have playboaters, canoeists, C1ers, boogie boarders, and rafters all participate. We’ve done relay races, boatercross, races for the prizes, standard rodeos, jam sessions, and tried all other types of formats to make each Throwdown unique. We always set up a PA system, pump some music, and usually there are a lot of people there videoing and taking pictures; all making the participants feel like pros. And of course some of folks who participate can really throw down. But THIS is what makes Hometown Throwdowns and Worldkayak.com special; getting people involved who may have just begun paddling.
Its here where our story begins. Last year, the hero of all the events hosted was by far Little Lizzy Lafferty. I believe she was 11 or 12 at that time. She didn’t have a roll, but didn’t let that stop her. She jumped in her mom’s purple 2Fun, left the skirt on the bank, and took off. She made the big ferry from the eddy on river left, to the eddy on river right, navigating the 100 yds with ease at a flow of 3600 cfs. At that point, it didn’t matter what loops were thrown, how many cartwheels were wheeled, or how many donkey flips were “donkied”…At that moment, Little Lizzy Lafferty was the star of the show. It was then, that I realized this was bigger than rodeo. The crowd ERUPTED! You could hear cheers up and down the river. “Go Lizzy!” “Alright Girl!” “Keep Paddling!” Now, Little Lizzy Lafferty didn’t win the top prize, she didn’t win the bragging rights of having the highest score, but people don’t remember who did. All they will remember is Lizzy and her awesome ferry from one eddy to another.
This year is no exception. Although Maggie Powell is not new to rivers, having done a lot of rafting, this is one of her first years in a whitewater kayak. Maggie has participated in both Throwdowns this year so far. In the first event, she was nervous and didn’t make it into the hole, but did roll up on every attempt; however, after the Throwdown, she was side surfing in a large hydraulic and looking comfortable, smiling, and having a good time. Maggie is one of those people who always has a smile on her face and during this Throwdown, you could see a lot of improvment, not only in her confidence, but in her abilities as well. If you’re keeping track of scores, keep an eye on Maggie Powell. I have a feeling that by our last event of the season in September, she’ll make the top 5! Way to go Maggie!
Another story of interest at this event is the Mathews family. Father Rodney, and his two sons Grant and Garrett always attend the Hometown events. Garrett even won the Smith sunglasses, which were the big prize at the first event. Grant, the older brother, is one helluva hand paddler. Always in control of his boat and his no handed loops are incredible. There has always been a bit of sibling rivalry between the two brothers and I’ve watched as Garrett is stepping up his game! Throwing down multiple ends and even some loops of his own. The Mathews family were all competing in the first heat of HTTD #2 when Rodney, getting a bit hung up in the hole, was forced to swim. Whatever competition between Grant and Garrett exists, was put on hold as they both peeled out of the eddy to help their father recover and re-enter his boat. All before his turn in line passed him by. THIS is Hometown Throwdown.
I know stories like this exist in other parts of the country, but I thought I’d share some of those that stood out to me. Worldkayak.com and the Hometown Throwdown events are so very important to local kayaking communities. Not only in bringing people together, but in the way that they inspire all of us in some way to share a sport that we love. Thanks World Kayak!
Now onto the pictures and the scores!
Grant Mathews 255 pts. 1st PLACE
Bryan Pinnell 250 pts. 2nd PLACE
Lance Jones 205 pts. 3rd PLACE
Garret Mathews 200 pts. 4th PLACE
Cole Mullican (open boat) 190 pts.
Jerry Hale (boogie board) 180 pts.
Joe Tarver 175 pts.
Rodney Mathews 150 pts.
Lisa Iadarola/Adam Willard (tandem open boat) 150 pts.
Michelle Ashford 150 pts.
Paul Cox 145 pts.
Taylor Muse (boogie board) 145 pts.
Billy Lafferty 135 pts.
David Morring 135 pts.
Maggie Powell 115 pts.
Harlan Hughes 115 pts.
Kristi Cox 110 pts.
Sean Speckles 105 pts.
Cowper Chadbourn 100 pts.
A Big thanks to all of those that took pictures at the event and helped out with ‘judging’ etc…
2010 N.O.C. G.A.F. Hometown Throwdown Event Coverage
The N.O.C. Guest Appreciation Festival Hometown Throwdown was HUGE FUN! We had 36 competitors join in for some fun & friendly freestyle competition at the NOC Wave. We had hundreds of spectators who watched and cheered on the competitors from all sides on the river and on the old steel bridge below the feature. We also had a really cool whitewater wakeboarding show going on beside the feature between heats that wowed the crowd. This event turned out to be one of the biggest Freestyle events of the year in the southeast! 2010 N.O.C. G.A.F
The N.O.C. Guest Appreciation Festival Hometown Throwdown was HUGE FUN! We had 36 competitors join in for some fun & friendly freestyle competition at the NOC Wave. We had hundreds of spectators who watched and cheered on the competitors from all sides on the river and on the old steel bridge below the feature. We also had a really cool whitewater wakeboarding show going on beside the feature between heats that wowed the crowd. This event turned out to be one of the biggest Freestyle events of the year in the southeast!
2010 N.O.C. G.A.F. Hometown Throwdown Results:
Open Novice K-1:
1. Mike Dorsey (45)
2. Emerson Clauss (35)
3. Mitchell Bearden (27)
4. Alex Verson (21)
5. Gordy Davenport (18)
5. Walt Johnston (18)
Junior Men K-1:
1. Hunter Katich (149)
2. Elliot Berz (95)
3. Garrett Mays – Hand Paddler (87)
4. Miles Murphy (33)
5. Jack Orr (28)
6. David Jaben (22)
Open C-1:
1. Dane Jackson (271)
2. Tadd Dennis (257)
Expert Women K-1:
1. Rowan Stuart (68)
2. Alexis Grace (33)
3. Haley Popp (15)
Expert Men K-1:
1. Will Rudisill (139)
2. Ty Caldwell (113)
3. Brad Caldwell (112)
4. David Wei (106)
5. Kerry Porche – Hand Paddler (90)
6. Eric Hoffman (60)
7. Michael Biantchi (52)
8. Chase Simmons (47)
Pro Women K-1:
1. Emily Jackson (138)
2. Adriene Levknecht (97)
Pro Men K-1:
1. Eric Jackson (429)
2. Johnathon Shales (412)
3. Dane Jackson (375)
4. Michael Patterson (293)
5. David Fusilli (266)
6. Eric Bartl (211)
7. Casey Jones (184)
8. Stephen Forester (143)
9. Duane Gibson (131)
Click here for a copy of the 2010 G.A.F. HTTD Competition Results
Congrats to all of our division winners & thank you to all the competitors for their participation!
Event Photo Album Links:
Cheryl Killman’s GAF 2010 HTTD photo album#1
Cheryl Killman’s GAF 2010 HTTD photo album#2
Cheryl Killman’s GAF 2010 HTTD photo album#3
Event Video Coverage:
Thanks to David Wei and his lovely wife for these videos:
Whitewater Wakeboarding & Junior Men K-1
Click here to view the embedded video.
Open C-1
Click here to view the embedded video.
Expert Men K-1
Click here to view the embedded video.
Pro Women K-1
Click here to view the embedded video.
Pro Men K-1 – Heat #1
Click here to view the embedded video.
Pro Men K-1 – Heat #2
Click here to view the embedded video.
Don Frank’s Hometown Throwdown Slide Show
Click here to view the embedded video.
A big thank you goes out to all of our great volunteers for their assistance in the event:
Steve Moore – Technical & Style Judge
Wesley R. Bradley – Variety Judge
Shirley Tharp & Billy Long – Scribes
Francheska Barreto & Amanda McDaniel – Registration & Gofers!
Ian Watson – Time Keeper
Cheryl Killman – Photographer
A special thank you goes out to our World Kayak Program Partners listed in the banner at the top of this page & the local sponsors below for all the great prizes & support of this event! Thanks to them everyone who participated in the event went home with a prize!
That’s a wrap for me as host for the 2010 World Kayak HTTD Season… It’s been a fun one and look I forward to throwing down with folks next year; but until then drag the creek boats out and I hope to see you getting your boof on 
