Archive of Eli's letters:
Ottawa 2000
Practicing in Wausau 25 August 2000
South Bend Freestyle Championship
(NOWR) (Outdoorplay.com) August 2000
Augsburg Rodeo hosted over fifty canoes!
16 July 2000
Pre-Worlds
Sort, Spain July 2000
Roc Roi (pre world's) Prelims: 28 June 2000
Lofer Whitewater Rodeo Results: 25 June 2000
Plattling Whitewater Rodeo Results: 18 June
2000
12 June 2000: European Cup Regen,
Germany
04 June 2000: Potomac Whitewater Festival
May 2000: Ocoee Rodeo Report
April 2000: News
08 January 2000:
Videos of the World's have arrived!
10 December 1999:
Unwinding...
06 December 1999:
!!! WORLD CHAMPION !!!
03 December 1999:
Thanks Everyone
01 December 1999:
Round 1 (World Championship Preliminaries)
30
November 1999: Tomorrow is Here
28
November 1999: Life in the rain...
25
November 1999: Thanksgiving
20 November
1999: The Tasman Sea
15
November 1999: Taupo
Mid
November 1999: Arrival in New Zealand: Auckland, Taupo
I've had a great end of season...or at least, end of
the competition
season! After a great time playing on the South
Bend course on the day
after the rodeo, I traveled with Chris Manderson and
Brian Miller up to
Wisconsin. We had a few days before the water
released on the Wassau...so
we decided to go and check out the Menominee River
on the Wisconsin/Michigan
border. I drove the late shift and finally pulled
off the road about 10
miles from our destination. Brian and I collapsed
on the ground beside
Mando's van and Jake the Dog and Ender slept with
Chris on the inside.
The next morning, we headed
into the town of Iron Mountain where we
found a bowling alley that was serving breakfast.
We obtained directions to
the Piers Gorge and we excitedly headed up to check
it out. I had an odd
feeling of deja vu as we stretched in the morning
sunshine beside the river.
I suddenly realized that I had scouted this
run with Frankie Hubbard and
Richard Oldenquist two years earlier! I remembered
a sizable rapid upstream
from the point we were at...and we suited up for the
run.
The river would be even more
fun if the water was high, but we enjoyed
the opportunity to boat while our competitors were
playing at Six Flags.
The main rapid was a smaller version of Sweet's Falls
on the Gauley. At the
end of the run, we traded our boats around and played
in the flatwater by
our campsite. We then decided to spend our afternoon
fishing and relaxing
for the Wassau competition.
At Wausau, most of the paddlers
camped in the field just downstream from
the competition site. For the second year in
a row, Wassau's Big Bull Falls Blues
Festival coincided with the rodeo. This meant
that we were able to enjoy good music
and spectators were constantly stopping by to check
out the action on the river!
This event marked the finale
of the Outdoorplay.com series. The
overall title in all the events was extremelly close
(except for Javid
Grubbs who had the K-1 event sewn up!) In the
Canoe competition, Frankie
Hubbard once again proved why he is the man.
Frankie paddled his
TeamEdgeImports SpanishFly into the hole for big air,
time after time to
claim first place. Eli Helbert took second place
trying to start with a
spin and then throw forward into a cartwheel.
Unfortunately for Eli, his
move worked the day before the event...but not when
he needed it. Brian
Miller stayed consistent with a third place finish,
also trying for the
spin/big air combo. Joe Langman, who shared
his Dagger Aftershock with
Brian claimed fourth place in the event. In
the Expert OC-1 class, all
competitors paddled the SaVage Superfly. Except
for the winner, Teal Fygsen,
who added a spin to his ender routine...all competitors
went for Frankie's big
air strategy. Craig Smerda placed 2nd and Roy
Crimmons third.
Eli and Brian ended up sharing
the podium for the Outdoorplay.com series
OC-1 championship title...each having secured a 1st,
2nd and 3rd place finish in the series.
After a successful week in
Wassau, Chris Manderson and Brian Miller
returned to Asheville; I caught a ride with
Wave Sport's, Tom McKee to
Ottawa. We had an enjoyable ride to Ontario
(for once I was waved across
the border without delay!). Once there, we set
up camp on the Quebec side
of the river and prepared for a long week of playboating.
I borrowed a
centrifuge C-1 from Scott McCleskey and tried out
the hole. I then paddled
across the river to tow back my SpanishFly from the
Ontario side; many
thanks to Lisa Beckstead for having room for one more
boat on the way to
Canada!
I spent most of my week learning
to blunt on the Corner Wave just above
the hole and fishing with the Junior World Champion,
Mark Birkbeck and
Perception's Macy Burnham and Dave Grove. The
Ottawa is probably the best
fishing I have ever seen and even with a less than
ideal water level...the
play is fantastic!
My Dad, and Uncle Rod arrived
on Friday night for the competition. I
am constantly on the road and enjoyed the rare treat
of seeing some of my
family! My 24th birthday was on Saturday and
we enjoyed a lazy, rainy day
sleeping in and then touring the countryside.
On Sunday, I won my first
event in Canada. After being humbled two years
in a row...I was psyched to
finally come away victorious. Joe Langman placed
second, narrowly defeating
the Former World Champion, Marc Scriver; Marco
had us all nervous after
throwing a perfectly vertical cartwheel in his warm-up
ride. Ghyslaine “Gigi” Rioux
placed fourth in the event, disappointed that she
had to waste energy
winning the C-1 competition before competing in the
OC-1!
I am very pleased that I
met my pre-season goal of defending the NOWR
Point Series Title. I am excited to continue
my travels so I can spread the
joys of open canoeing! Tomorrow evening, I fly
to England to attend the
OC-1 Symposium in Scotland. I will be teaming
up with my SpanishFly
teammate and British National Champion, James Weir
to teach and show
everyone that this new canoe from Mobile Adventures
can cartwheel,
blunt and spin the days away.
Thanks to all my friends
for the encouragement and support they have
given me this year. I look forward to seeing
you soon.
Cheers,
Eli
Paddle Safely -- supported by: Second String
Bluegrass Band, Team Edge
Imports, Mobile Adventures, Lotus Designs, Watershed,
Powerbar, Robson,
Teva, Voyageur, NOC & over 500 friends
http://teamedgeimports.com, http://www.second-string.com,
http://www.lotusdesigns.com, http://www.drybags.com,
http://www.powerbar.com, http://www.teva.com, http://robsonpaddle.de,
http://www.noc.com
Eli Helbert (elioc1@hotmail.com)
World Champion Open Canoe Rodeo, 1999-2001
http://www.paddlelink.com
Hey Family,
To me, the beauty of the new address is I
can tell it to people and
there is a 25% chance they will remember it. The old one was
impossible...but still on my business cards. When is the
Ohiopyle race?
It would be fun to try and wavewheel it! I had great practice
rides this
morning...tomorrow we start the final competition for the outdoorplay.com
series. If I beat Brian Miller...I will win the overall deal.
I am five
points behind him in that. I am leading him by just over a point
in the
NOWR series.
I'll tell you how it goes once it goes.
Love,
Eli
Paddle Safely -- supported by: Second String Bluegrass Band,
Team Edge
Imports, Mobile Adventures, Lotus Designs, Watershed, Powerbar, Robson,
Teva, Voyageur, NOC & over 500 friends
http://teamedgeimports.com, http://www.second-string.com,
http://www.lotusdesigns.com, http://www.drybags.com,
http://www.powerbar.com, http://www.teva.com, http://robsonpaddle.de,
http://www.noc.com
Eli Helbert (elioc1@hotmail.com)
World Champion Open Canoe Rodeo, 1999-2001
http://www.paddlelink.com
Subject: South
Bend rodeo
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 19:28:06 GMT
From: "Eli Helbert" <elioc1@hotmail.com>
To: The usual gangue of idiots
Hey Everyone,
Life on the rodeo tour continues
to be exciting. This week the pros
competed in South Bend, Indiana. The East Race
Waterway on the St. Joseph's
river is the first artificial whitewater course built
in the US. The city's
Parks and Recreation department rents raft rides for
$2.00 and paddlers from
all over the midwest visit the area during the river's
release weekends.
The city has held slalom world cup events in the past;
this weekend we held
the first rodeo South Bend has ever seen.
A slalom race was held last
weekend. After the race, pro-rodeo boaters
converged from all over the country to help build
a competition hole.
Friday, we went head to head in the second event of
the Outdoorplay.com
series preliminaries. This is one of the few
chances for the "pros" to win
some money; we are very grateful! On Saturday,
we wandered around town on
the riverpark walkways, explored the bikepaths and
contemplating visiting
the College Football Hall of Fame.
Saturday night the finals
were held. The hole was riverwide, sticky,
and fun. Competitors were given two 45 second
rides in the finals...the
best ride to decide the winner.
In the open-canoe competition,
Steve Fischer of South Africa finished
4th and proved that anyone can get in the SpanishFly
and have fun! Team
Dagger paddler, Joe Langman finished 3rd paddling
his Aftershock. Joe had
some great vertical ends, but locked in for a side-surf
and lost valuable
time. Fellow Team D paddler, Brian Miller, winner
of the Pre-Worlds landed
a couple of pirouettes back in the hole, but flushed
early en route to his
second place finish. Brian got huge style points
and crowd approval; he
finished his ride with 4 barrel rolls (He was trying
to come up flashing the
peace sign). Teamedgeimports.com, Eli Helbert
finished the weekend on top
with another first-place finish. Eli locked
into the river left corner and
tried for the clean spin. Eli kept tossing his
SpanishFly all over the hole
and got a huge ender right at the buzzer.
The South Bend rodeo definitely
has a lot of potential. It is one of
the few spots in the Michiana region that has guaranteed
water. Many
families seemed to enjoy the nice weather and the
fun-filled atmosphere.
The river was easily accessible and enjoyable.
I look forward to next weekend
at the Wausau rodeo...my personal
favorite on the tour. I hope to see you there...
Paddle Safely -- supported by: Second String Bluegrass Band,
Team Edge
Imports, Mobile Adventures, Lotus Designs, Watershed, Powerbar, Robson,
Teva, Voyageur, NOC & over 500 friends
www.robson.de www.second-string.com, www.lotusdesigns.com, www.drybags.com,
www.powerbar.com, www.teva.com, www.noc.com
Eli Helbert (elioc1@hotmail.com)
World Champion Open Canoe Rodeo, 1999-2001
http://home.rica.net/phelbert
The Augsburg rodeo this weekend was incredible for open boating!
The weather was cold and raining all week…but over 50 competitors paddled
open canoes into the “washing machine” hydraulic to the delight of the
many spectators. Even the skies smiled on the open boaters with a
short glimpse of sunshine before reverting to clouds and more rain.
The Augsburg rodeo is unlike most rodeos Americans
are used to. The European paddling community gathers to have fun
and enjoy each other’s company as they celebrate the Iser River.
There is no set heat order, the music is uncensored and blaring loud and
the paddlers are more interested in having a good time than bringing home
a trophy (however, they do enjoy dousing each other with champagne if they
are lucky enough to win a bottle).
The Augsburg rodeo is held on the 1972 Munich
Olympics slalom competition site. The water is powerful and the riverbed
is a manmade paddling paradise. The rocks are all smooth, round concrete
boulders. The river is very safe for swimmers (so the Germans enjoy
pushing each other into the rapids at each opportunity).
Mobile Adventures advertised the fact that
World Champion Eli Helbert would be giving his new SpanishFly to the competitor
that finished 25th in the open canoe class. Robson gave away a paddle
to another lucky canoeist and the Young Pirates had a keg of beer exclusively
for the open boaters! This attracted the interest of 42 competitors
from seven countries who pre-registered for the event. As these 42
competitors one after another paddled into the washing machine the crowd
grew. Many of these spectators felt that they were missing out on
the fun and asked to be included. Each competitor was allowed a 30
second ride to impress the judges in any manner they chose.
The competitors represented a huge diversity
in skill levels. We were all in Augsburg to have fun so we didn’t
care if a paddler would roll or swim! The SpanishFly was the highest
performance canoe present, but the Savage Superfly, Dagger Legend and Quake,
Indian (Mohawk) Probes and Vipers of all sizes were also used. The
Augsburg rescue crew proved to be very adept at retrieving “ghost-rider”
canoes. They were also very generous by returning float toys to the
circus clowns who floated through the washing machine on them repeatedly.
The washing machine is a very retentive hole
for rodeo boaters. World Champion Eli Helbert wound up his 2000 European
Tour winning the event with a score of 264. Eli managed two separate
vertical ends as well as a loop to edge out Max Remmele of Germany (236
points). Max (normally a slalom boater) threw a three-point cartwheel
to claim the title of German National Champion. Max bumped defending
German National Champion Schorshi Schauf to a third place finish (186 points).
The Young Pirate definitely had more style than any other competitor (except
maybe Ies Foikiwa of the Netherlands and his SuperFly tandem superfloat).
Ies is now off on a month-long paddling expedition with the Fokiwa Team;
we can share their tales in August at www.fokiwa.com…I can’t wait to see
his newest pictures!
Gary Finlay of Australia claimed fourth place
by landing two backenders back into the washing machine for 177 points.
The Australians fielded a strong team and Brock Flowers barely missed winning
the SpanishFly, claiming 26th place. Team D’s Jayson Bowerman of
the USA rounded out 5th place with a strong showing and 168 points.
Katrin Prasse of Germany not only finished in 6th place with
147 points, but claimed the OC-1 Women’s championship title…watch out GiGi,
the Canadian women have competition!
USA’s Allen Braswell, two-time C-1 World Champion
and Peter Musch of Germany ended in a tie for 7th place with 141 points.
If Peter could have stayed in his boat longer, his SpanishFly decided to
throw two more ends while Peter was scrambling onto the shore! Knut Hanke
and Jobst Hahn of Germany rounded out the top ten with 114 and 111 points
respectively.
Many other excellent paddlers felt the draw
of the open canoe at this unique competition. European kayak champion,
Simon Westgarth would have had a much higher standing if he had thrown
his cartwheel before the buzzer instead of a minute later. Mark Birkbeck,
the Junior World Kayak Champion claimed the top spot for Great Britain
and Fresko Vujkov emerged as Yugoslavia’s open canoe champion. Ellis
Smith, 2nd in C-1 at the 2000 Pre-Worlds would have had a high ranking
if he had pre-registered and received a score. Half a dozen women
competed and several OC-2 teams also attempted to go vertical.
It was ironic that Robson…one of three men
with a SpanishFly in Europe finished 25th. After Eli and Mobile Adventures
awarded Robson the SpanishFly, he loaned his prize to the German National
Canoe Team. The Germans have awesome canoe playspots with Plattling
and Augsburg and at least 30 of the competitors were semi-local.
If you are going to be around either of these holes, contact Robson and
try out the SpanishFly.
I would like to give special thanks to the judges
who managed an incredibly difficult job. Thanks also to the organizers,
fans, safety crew and most importantly all the competitors that joined
together in bad weather to celebrate the river and the sport of canoeing.
My special thanks to Ies Fokiwa of the Netherlands and Fresko Vujkov of
Jugoslavia for being the first to represent their countries. My congratulations
and thanks also go out to Gary Finlay and the Australians who traveled
the furthest distance but still fielded a full team. I look forward
to seeing many of you next year!
The Pre-Worlds
Sort, Spain
3 July 2000I apologize for the delay in informing you of these results. I have lost
this document three times already today. After the competition, my ride
was pulling out for Germany and so I asked a friend to mail my report to
kayakmag.com. I can only assume that he is still on the road to England and
will post it once he arrives. In the meantime…this is an abbreviated
version.
The competition in Sort, Spain was an enjoyable event for all
involved.
This year was a practice run to ensure that next year’s event runs smoothly.
The competition was well organized and the locals were intriguing and
interested in us. The only disappointment was the playhole, which washed
away 2 weeks before the event. The town is planning to build 6 new
playspots before next year’s competition. If this occurs it will surely be
a great event!
The open canoes led off the knock out finals. The five competitors
that survived the preliminary round competed in reverse scoring order. Each
competitor was given a 30 second ride; the lowest scoring Paddler was
eliminated.
At the end of the first round, USA’s Brian Miller and Germany’s
Robert “Robson” Sommer were tied for fourth. Both competitors were given a
tie-breaking ride and Brian, paddling the lone Dagger canoe advanced
forward. In the next round, Great Britain’s national champ James Weir was
eliminated. This left UK’s Jamie Burbech, USA’s Brian Miller and Eli
Helbert assured of a medal. Eli shocked himself and the crowd by completely
missing the wave. Fortunately for him he was able to race back up the eddy
and execute a flat spin and a vertical end on the whistle. Jamie Burbech,
in his first international competition was awarded the bronze medal. Brian
Miller led off the final round with two vertical ends. Eli Helbert, who had
taken first in every round, missed his initiation and settled for the
silver. Brian Miller went on to win the C-1 competition and the OC-1
competition. Brian also posted the highest scoring ride of the week
(outscoring the kayakers with his superclean cartwheels).
Congratulations to Brian…and good luck repeating your success next
It is beautiful and hot in Sort, Spain this week. Today is
Wednesday, the 28th of June...the first day of competition at the 2000
Pre-Worlds. This morning at 11:30 the open canoes marked the beginning
of the competition. The C-1 paddlers also held their preliminaries
today and the squirt paddlers competed just upstream.
We have all migrated
to the Lleida province of Spain situated the axial Pyrenean area, bounded
on the North by France, on the South by El Pallars Jussa, on the East by
L'Alt Urgell, and on the West by La Val d'Aran and l'Alta Ribagorca.
It extends in an area of 1,355 sq. Km and has a population of 5,700 inhabitants.
The drive South was an
exhausting race between the USA's Team Edge and Dagger, Germany's Robson,
Young Pirates and the British Lads unveiling Mobile Adventures? newest
play canoe, the SpanishFly. This competition's showdown has been
anticipated since the Dagger Aftershock claimed the top two spots against
the SuperFly at the Ocoee Rodeo this spring.
The paddlers are all
living like rock stars in the downtown area. The hotel accommodations
are luxurious for those for those of us used to raft guide subsistence.
From our hotel room we can see the hotel swimming pool and the weekly bazaar.
The international paddling scene is out in full force following the mandatory
afternoon siesta. Schorshi and the Young Pirates kicked off the first
of many loser parties tonight. There is a festival atmosphere throughout
the town and life is good.
The church bells chime,
warning us of the pending competition. Practice rides begin; all
of the canoes and c-boats warm up enjoying the solidarity of the single
blade. After many attempts at modification, the hole still leaves
much to be desired. We are excited to compete, but look forward to
a more defined and stickier hole for the World's next year. We are
given four 30 second rides. Our top three rides are combined to determine
our starting order for Sunday's finals.
Eli Helbert, the present
world champion in OC-1, paddled Mobile Adventures? SpanishFly to keep his
European winning streak alive with a score of 81.6.
Brian Miller, in the Dagger Aftershock was close behind with 65.8.
USA's Brian and Eli were both able to combine vertical ends with flat spins
on the wave. Robert Sommer (Robson) claimed third place with big
air for Germany. Great Britain succeeded in keeping its paddlers
in the finals as Jamie Burbeck and James Weir were within a point of each
other at 57.5 and 56.4 respectively. These five paddlers will hold
a knock-out elimination round on Sunday.
The open canoe class
is enjoyable to watch. The moves these paddlers are achieving were
not considered possible just two years ago. The canoes bring much
needed variety to this event. After an entertaining first round...we
will all enjoy the parties leading up to finals on Sunday. Hopefully
the wave will be improved, but if not...we are still excited to cheer on
the moves these paddlers can pull!
There
was a lot of fun to be had this weekend in Austria.
While many of the International paddlers have been lounging in Spain,
many
others enjoyed the atmosphere at Lofer, AT. Team Edge hit
the road on
Thursday after a short visit in the Czech Republic. After
an exciting time
in the town of Salzberg, AT at the `Hard-Core´rodeo we moved
on to the
resort town of Lofer.
Lofer, Austria is a popular
tourist destination. The town is a
small medieval setting in the Austrian Alps. The church bells
ring out over the
river and pedestrians hike along both shores. The competition
is in the
downtown area and an enjoyable class IV\V run is immediately downstream.
The Lofer Mountain range extends over 10,000 feet and the skiing
industry
runs year-round. Sitting in eddies staring upstream at glaciers
is an
awe-inspiring feeling. I am happy to head south to warmer
water, but I
definitely enjoyed the camaraderie we all felt dancing the night
away in the
rain.
Lofer has often held slalom and wildwater races in the past,
the crowd was full of interested locals, paddlers and friends from
a dozen
countries. The competitors camped on the bank of the Lofer
and prepared
for the promised storms. Lofer has a reputation for cold,
drizzly
weather...this year was no exception. Lofer also has a reputation
for good
parties. This year the rains couldn?t quell the dancing and
mudsliding late
into the night.
The open canoes competed
on Saturday. The glacier melt was quite
cold, but the water flow was good. The temperature of the
water and the air forced
most of the open boaters to wear extra gear. Every practice
session
ensured that the paddler would be that much colder the next time
out.
Several of the normal OC-1 competitors weren?t up for the conditions
at game
time. After a solid rain poured on all the drying gear after
the
competition...few went back out for more on Sunday.
Each competitor was given
two 30 second rides with the combined
score winning the event. Eli Helbert of the USA continued
his drive to defend his
World Champion title next week in Spain with two solid rides and
a first
place finish. His exhibition rides following the event were
even more
impressive. A big surprise was Markus Hacker of Germany who
bumped USA team
member Frankie Hubbard to third after landing a pirouette back on
the wave..
Markus is presently in third place for the European Cup...but
obviously
training hard.
Markus Hacker and Thomas
Dinke ended up in a tie for the C-1
competition. I think that they should have had a tie-breaker
round...but they will wait
until the competition in Augsberg. That will be the next big
event for most
Bavarians. The lucky ones of us are drying our gear and getting
ready for
the 20 hour drive South to join the others in Spain...See you there!
This week was a spectacular week for the open canoes. Team
Edge's
newest design, the Spanishfly attracted a lot of attention.
Eli Helbert and
Frankie Hubbard camped out on the banks of the Isar River, on the
outskirts
of Plattling, Germany. They enjoyed themselves immensely playing
in the new
canoe design, produced by Mobile Adventures out of England.
The fun that
they were having was infectious. Over a dozen kayakers converted
temporarily to canoeists, most of them even learned to roll!
No one was
immune from the fun the canoeists were having. The US Freestyle
Kayak Team
President, Jimmy Blakeny tried out the new design, as did the 1999
European
Cup kayak champion, Simon Westgarthe.
The Plattling Rodeo is in a unique spot.
Located in South-Western
Bavaria, the hole is perfect for open boating. The hole stretches
70
meters (over 200 feet) and is friendly in its entire length.
The water is
warm, the grass is green and there is a huge eddy that will bring
a swimmer
and his boat back to his friends. Eli likes to say that the
spot is perfect
because "the hole is big enough to catch you, but not big enough
to thrash
you"!
This event brought four of the 1999 World
Champions back together. Deb
Penniger (K-1 Women?s), Paul (Cheesy) Robertson (C-1), Eli Helbert
(OC-1) and
Mark Birkbeck (K-1 Junior) all arrived ready to kick off the 2000
European
tour. They all performed true to form and the crowd enjoyed
the chance to
watch all of the competitors!
On Saturday, the Plattling Rodeo took place.
This event is the first
of three events that will decide the European Cup. Bavaria?s
proud
canoeing tradition continued as 8 Germans competed in this event.
Non-European competitors, Eli and Frankie bumped the class up to
10
competitors and everyone had a blast, as this became the biggest
canoe event
of the 2000 season (so far).
Seeing an open canoe spin in the hole is
no longer a novelty. Each of the competitors managed this
feat. Schorschi
Schauf, 1999 German Champion entertained the crowd with his original
style.
Robson's nephew, Gotthard Kramhöller had a very impressive
first ride, but
fell short on his second attempt and settled for fourth. Markus
Hacker of
the 1999 German Worlds Team claimed fifth and is presently third
in the
running for the European Cup.
The three finalists were the canoeists
that combined flat spins with
big air! Eli Helbert (World Champion), Frankie Hubbard (Team
Edge
Designer), and Robert Sommer (Robson) advanced to the finals.
By this
point, all daylight had been spent. The three finalists went
head to head
under a full moon. A spotlight flooded the hole to enable
the spectators to
continue to enjoy the event. Eli (who paddled most nights
anyway), went on
to have his most impressive ride of the event. He threw a
two-point
cartwheel to claim first place. Robert Sommer continued to
have strong
rides and edged Frankie out for second place. This was without
a doubt one
of the strongest showings the canoes have had this season.
We are all
looking forward to next weekend at Lofer, Austria followed by the
Pre-Worlds
in Spain!
The C-1 competition is always enjoyable
to watch. 5 competitors gave
it their all. In the end, Roland Davau of France edged out
one of Germany's
finest C-boaters, Thomas Fink by 30 points (in a combo of 2 runs).
Markus
Hacker had a strong second ride to claim the bronze medal.
The C-1's are
always impressive as they demonstrate that balance and technique
can
outmanuever aggressiveness and force. Congratulations to all
the paddlers
in Plattling...we look forward to watching next weekend.
Hey Everyone,
I am doing my best using a German keyboard
today. A few of the character keys are in the wrong spots!
My trip has been very enjoyable so far. Frankie Hubbard and I flew
into Frankfort and caught the train to Heidelberg. We spent the first
day biking around the trails surrounding Heidelberg. The town is
built surrounding a huge Midevial castle. I took a train to Amsterdam,
where I spent the night and went to two museums. The Van Gogh museaum
was very impressive. His paintings have much more depth in person.
I then went to the Netherlands Maritime Museum. I regret not being
able to read German, but I thouroughly enjoyed my visit.
From Heidelberg, Frankie, Stefi and I rented
a car to drive to Regen. We picked up the new boats and continued
on to meet up with Robson. Robson (Robert Summers) helped us to assemble
the new Spanishfly's and we were anxious to get on the water. Robert
Summers and his wife Molly have a 2 1/2 week old son, Conrad. Robert
has still found time to show us to his local playspot at the town of Plattling.
The Plattling hole is one of the best open
canoe playspots I have ever seen. It is river wide (70 meters), warm
and friendly. This weekend, Robson has organized a rodeo. I
have helped 1/2 dozen Germans to learn their roll. I have even gotten
my offside roll! The new Spanishfly loves to surf and spin.
The boat even throws ends after its driver swims out! I have landed
a few cartwheels and have really been enjoying my week. We are going
to set up camp out by the river in two days.
The food has been great. There is
a beer festival going on in the town of Regen. Everyone is dressed
in traditional clothes, dancing to lively music. I am learning to
get past the language barrier, but I look forward to more English speaking
places.
This week I am playing everyday, training
hard for a few more days. The sun has kept the temperature around
80 or 90. I hope that everyone is having as much fun as I am.
I'll be in touch after the Rodeo this weekend!
I'll talk to you soon,
Eli
Potomac Canoe Report - June 4th, 2000
This weekend the rodeo tour arrived in Washington,
DC for the Potomac River Festival. Virginia (river right) is a state
which boasts many great canoeists; several of whom arrived
to help celebrate the Potomac River a few miles upstream of its confluence
with the Chesapeake Bay. The Potomac River Festival was well
attended by paddlers from all over the USA, Canada and even as far away
as South Africa.
The water level was high on Friday but
dropping significantly each day. The rodeo competition was
held below Great Falls at a playspot called S-turn. The Potomac below
Great Falls rages in chaos, forcing paddlers to anticipate the river's
constant changes. This was a great event for all involved.
The Pro classes are especially grateful for the prize money sponsored by
Ford Motor Company.
In the Pro C-1 class, Alan Braswell once
again dominated with his usual mix of splitwheels and blunts in his Perception
Amp. Local paddler Luke Hopkins, paddling a WaveSport ForPlay, gave
Alan a run for the money with an awesome first ride. Unfortunately,
Luke flushed early on his second run and settled for a second place finish.
Eli Helbert borrowed a Riot Slice and squeaked into third place by 1 point.
The C-1 competition is definitely an enjoyable class to watch these days;
four World Champion paddlers from three different disciplines were competing
with stiff competition from the other C-boaters.
In the Pro Open Canoe Category, World Champion
Eli Helbert emerged on top in first place. Team Edge Imports designer,
Frankie Hubbard claimed a second place finish. Frankie ended up with
a higher style score to break a tie and knock Denny Kortze down to third
place. These three paddlers each took one ride in a SaVage Skeeter
and one ride in a SaVage Superfly. Our hopes for competition from
Dagger's new canoe were dashed as no Subaru arrived carrying an Aftershock.
All of the canoers are looking forward to the rodeos this fall for a showdown
between the Aftershock and Mobile Adventures new canoe, the Spanishfly!
The pros weren't the only ones having fun
this weekend. Nat Chalkley claimed a year's supply of bragging rights
with a first place finish in the expert C-1 competition. Pete Morey
claimed second place in the expert C-1 and is surely looking forward to
a rematch in 2001.
Mike Sloan claimed all the glory in the
C-1 freeriding competition. Mike then proved that he wasn't all flash
and tricks with a second place finish in the C-1 Downriver Sprint race.
Neal Fleenan claimed first place in the C-1 Downriver Sprint race and then
proved that he can just as easily race upstream. Neal finished top
dog with another first place finish, this time in the C-1 Attainment race.
Mike Sloan took home a matching second place medal in the Attainment war
by edging out Billy Hearn. The attainment race is a mass start
and is always a treat to see. Many thanks to all of the
organizers and spectators that helped to make this such an enjoyable event!
Hello All,
The following is a report I wrote for Kayakmag.
I am still at the Ocoee, but I will be working and getting everything ready
to leave for Europe in two weeks. Our new canoe, the Spanishfly (instead
of the Waltz) did not arrive from England. We hope to have the boat
for the Coosa this next weekend. I hope that you are all enjoying
the beginning of your summer! As always, if you want to add someone
or drop someone from my list...please let me know.
Ocoee Whitewater Rodeo
19, 20 & 21 May 2000
By Eli Helbert
This weekend, the Ocoee river served as
the US Pre-Worlds Selection site. This rodeo was also the first event
of the Outdoorplay.com series and the North American Cup. All athletes
seemed nervous and excited to compete in this three day event. This
was the first release on the Ocoee Olympic section this year. Paddlers
received two warm-up and two 45 second competition rides in Smiley hole.
On Friday, it was all Brian Miller as he claimed
the top spot in C-1 and OC-1. Brian's C-1 ride would have placed
him 2nd in the Men's Kayak. This is the third time this season that
Brian has placed in the top 3 of Men's kayak. Joining Brian in the
finals were Chris Manderson, Alan Braswell, Eric Jackson, Luke Hopkins
and Ellis Smith. 1999 US Team members Barry Kennon and Harry
Fields faced their disappointments as they were "bubbled out".
Saturday, the C-1's were more evenly matched.
Brian Miller shocked the crowd by falling short early as Chris Manderson,
Alan Braswell and Ellis Smith advanced to the final round. In the
end, Alan Braswell, showing his World Champion form claimed another Ocoee
rodeo. Chris Manderson finished 2nd, and Ellis Smith was 3rd.
At this time there is still controversy over
how many C-1 spots the US will take to Spain. On Saturday the competitors
left for the party thinking Brian Miller had finished 4th, Eric Jackson
5th and Luke Hopkins 6th. On Sunday morning, Brian was informed that
the scoring had been in error and he was actually 5th and not on the pre-worlds
team. The USFKA is looking into how many C-1 spots the US will bring
to Spain. The Pre-World's website describes the event and lists the
rules at www.rocroi.com.
Fortunately for Brian, he was able to hold onto
1st place in OC-1. In the Preliminary round, Joe Langman, designer
of the Dagger Aftershock (which proved it's ability in Smiley hole), placed
2nd. Both of these Dagger paddlers looked strong, as they landed
cartwheels back on the wave. Bo Wallace finished 3rd, Frankie Hubbard
4th and Eli Helbert squeaked into the 5th and final spot (paddling the
SaVage Superfly). Tensions were reduced in the finals as everyone
realized that they would attend the Pre-Worlds next month. Eli and
Joe had already secured spots in Spain (World Champion and Canadian National
Team invites, respectively).
The finals were exciting for all. Brian,
Joe and Eli each looked in control as they raced to throw their canoes
as high in the air as they could. In the end, the variety score decided
another rodeo; Brian, Joe and Eli's three technical scores resulted in
a tie. After a brief mix-up with scoring, Brian Miller was awarded
1st, Joe Langman 2nd and Eli Helbert 3rd.
This was an enjoyable event for all of the canoeists
involved. The top three spots were within 2 points of each other.
The tight competition left us all smiling and excited for our next meeting.
The Outdoorplay, NOWR Point Series and the North American Cup events are
up for grabs. The competitors are looking forward to getting together
again at South Bend, Indiana in August. In the meantime, we are all
excited about the Coosa next weekend in Alabama. This has the potential
to be the largest canoe event of the season...stay tuned!
Paddle Safely -- supported by: Second String Bluegrass Band, Team Edge Imports, Mobile Adventures, Lotus, Watershed, Powerbar, Robson, Teva, Voyageur, the Nantahala Outdoor Center & over 500 friends
Eli Helbert (elioc1@hotmail.com)
World Champion Open Canoe Rodeo, 1999-2001
http://home.rica.net/phelbert
The rains have been nice here. I teach at Wesser for three
of the next four days. I think that they are upper-level PI's
actually! I
am taking the Swiftwater Rescue Instructor Trainer class on the
weekend of
the New River Rodeo. I saw Will Leverette the other day and
he told me that
WWC would hire me if I had it!
The Nolichucky rodeo was a fun event...but I was the only canoe to
compete. (That was without doubt because the organizers
of the event neglected to include an OC-1 class. See Eli's further
remarks on this subject in the article below--ed).
They called the wave the half-james because it is a miniature
version of the Ful-James in New Zealand. There is a rock immediately
below
the foam pile that people hit if they flip...but it was a nice event.
Ranger Joe came out to support all his kids! I need to write
up an article
for Kayakmag.com as soon as I can. I am looking forward to
moving to the
Ocoee in the next couple of weeks. I am organizing myself
at the moment...I
have a new plan. I know it isn't what we were thinking was
a good
idea...but I think I can make it work!
Mobile Adventure, LTD was Europe's original Dagger importer.
They are
based in Leicester, England. Once Dagger started dealing with
other
countries individually...Mobile Adventures started building their
own
canoes. Colin, (the head of Mobile Adventures), has a complete
line of
recreational canoes. He makes tandem ABS boats called the
Symphony and the
Melody, he has smaller boats called the Minuet and Merengue.
We are
redesigning the Superfly and selling him the design. We want
to call it the
Waltz. It will only be available in Europe...except for the
ones for us.
We are also going to design a more versatile version of the Superfly
to take
care of the people like Dad...people who need the bigger boats,
but would
enjoy a happy medium.
So here's where I come in...Colin has purchased me a ticket to fly
over
for the European Cup! I will be flying out of DC after the
Potomac
Festival, on June 5th at 12:50p. I will arrive in Frankfurt
on June 6 at
8:50a. I will then get to put a boat together and compete
in the Plattling
Rodeo in Germany. I will then go to Austria for the Lofer
Rodeo,
Pre-World's in Spain, the Rabioux or Lyon in France, back to Germany
for the
Augsburg...and then back to Washington/Dulles on July 18th at 1:15p.
I will then have about 3 weeks to a month to work for NOC and put
together a video and a poster to take to the Outdoor Retailer Show.
I hope
to sign posters and show the video clips behind me...talking up
whichever
sponsors tent I am with at the time. From Utah, I will hitch
a ride to
South Bend, Ind...then to Wassau, Ottawa and back to work in September.
Hopefully, I will win some money. Hopefully, I can also get
good
support from my sponsors. I am trying to put together a proposal
at the
moment. Colin, obviously desires my presence in his boat in
Europe this
summer. Frankie and Larry are helping me to communicate with
Robson and
Young Pirates. I hope to ride along with these three companies
for a week
and a half each. I am sitting in a good spot for now...I feel
that I should
take advantage of my opportunity. I am putting together a
proposal now to
share with NOC, Watershed, Lotus, Teva, my 3 Europeans, and some
big name (I
haven't thought of, yet).
Paddle Safely -- supported by: Second String Bluegrass
Band, Team Edge Imports,
Lotus, Watershed, Powerbar, Teva, Voyageur, Touch Designs,
NOC & over 500 friends
Eli Helbert competing
The Nolichucky Rodeo was a great success this weekend. The modest crowd was blessed with beautiful Springtime weather. The wave just below the Greenville dam was selected for the competition site. This wave was previously a well-kept secret, enjoyed by a few in Tennessee. The "secret wave" is now being called the "Half-James", because it is a miniature version of New Zealand's Full-James site. The C-1 class came out in full force for this event. A dozen of the best C-boaters in the country blunted, spun, and cartwheeled for victory. This was the most impressive contest I have seen yet for the decked canoes. It is awesome to see the high caliber of rides all of the C-boaters are throwing down! Chris Manderson ended up the winner after an impressive high-energy ride. He managed to outscore Alan Braswell, who threw fewer in numbers but more spectacular full-body blunts. Brian Miller took third place with equally consistent rides. Eli Helbert flatspun his open canoe with the C-1s as an exhibition event. Canoeists are notoriously stubborn; many OC-1 paddlers stayed away from the event feeling snubbed by not being invited. This was a disappointment following last years strong attendance by local and international canoeists. In the US, the SouthEast is the traditional stronghold of Open Canoes. The Nolichucky is a great site and we hope to be back in the future. In the meantime, the OC-1 rodeo class is looking forward to the Ocoee, Coosa, Potomac and the more canoe friendly events around the country.
22 January: Video clip size and frame rate reduced, audio removed. Still slow loading.
20 January: The first video clip is now on the web in mpg format (see above). More to come. Video will be published for distribution once I learn a lot more about doing it.
09 January 2000 2318 GMT
Got the Hi 8 video converted to VHS last night. This is good stuff! Now I have to study up on video editors and see what we can do to cut down 4.5 hours to something you folks can sit still to watch!
08 January 2000 1437 GMT
Today's mail brought Eli's video cassette from New
Zealand. The custom declaration is marked as follows: "Documents.
A US Format, Sony Hi-8 Video cartridge full of paddlers @ the 1999 World
Kayak Championships in New Zealand-Irreplaceable. Total value NZD
619.00".
I wonder how that value was assigned! Today
I will see about getting this converted to VHS so we can see it.
Stay tuned...
Unwinding...
Fri, 10 Dec 1999 06:56:56 GMT
I wanted to express my appreciation once more for all of the support that I have received over this past year. I don't know what lies in the future for me, but I am confidant that I can achieve any goal with friends like you behind me. My correspondence will be gradually slowing over the next few months. I am looking forward to the opportunity to relax in this short off-season.
Pre-Worlds will be held in Spain next summer. I hope to be able to attend and then participate in the European Cup. I imagine that I may have to limit myself to East Coast Rodeos next season to allow this to happen...but I will keep you all informed of my schedule as it comes together. There is a new Head of Instruction at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Assuming all goes well, I will probably return there when the season resumes.
Since the competition ended, I have enjoyed the luxury of playing at the Fuljames wave without waiting in line. I have also been able to pick up a sunburn amazingly fast. I went deep-sea fishing with Chip Hogan's family on Wednesday. I may be a good canoeist, but I managed to lose 4 out of 5 fish!
Yesterday, we played at one of the most beautiful, spectacular, clean and sparsely populated beaches I have ever seen. It is called Hot Water Beach, and it is located on the Coromander Peninsula. After every high tide, people dig holes in the sand to relax in the hot water that comes bubbling up from underneath. The Pacific Ocean is cold, but the hot water will make you break out in a sweat!
Christmas music was playing in the streets and shops of Hamilton today. It seems strange to think of Christmas when one is sunburned and it is too hot to wear shoes.
I am thinking of you all and wish you a Merry Christmas.
I will see you next year.
Cheers,
Eli
Thanks again for all the support:
Paddle Safely -- supported by: Second String
Bluegrass Band, SaVage,
Lotus, Watershed, Voyageur, Teva, Powerbar, Orosi,
NOC & over 500 friends
Eli Helbert (elioc1@hotmail.com)
http://home.rica.net/phelbert
Hey Everyone,
I apologize for being out
of touch for a short while. Unfortunately,
tragedy struck at the Worlds. A young woman,
Niev, from the Irish team was
swimming without a pfd through the rapids at the worlds.
Niev
disappeared from view as the OC-1 finals were preparing
to go. She was
located within about 10-15 minutes, underwater, pinned
in some trees. CPR was administered, and she was evacuated by Jetboat
and helicopter. All games were stopped and the competition suffered
a deep loss. The Maori tradition called for the river to be termed
"sacred", and out of respect the river was not paddled
any more that day.
All teams voted, and we continued the games this morning
in Niev's memory.
Thanks to everyone that got
me here. I am now the World Champion Open
Canoe Rodeo Paddler!!! I had the best ride (possibly
ever) for an open
canoer...definitely my best since I came to New Zealand,
in the semi-finals
on Sunday. I managed to get vertical and retain
myself on the wave. I have
video which I look forward to sharing with everyone
when I return. This
morning I was able to defend my lead, and I emerged
victorious. Paul Eames
of New Zealand gave me a strong ride in the last round,
but I have
definitely learned more about wave riding. I
am the world champion for two
years now, and I have an automatic invitation to defend
the United States in
Spain (for the pre-worlds and 2001). Brian Miller
(USA) took 3rd, and James
and Chris from Great Britain took 4th and 5th.
Young Pirates clothing company
owners (and OC-1 Paddlers, Schorchi and
Ewe from Germany, gave the losers rides early in the
competition and the
winners rides today, on victory laps cruising the
festival. The USA ended
up winning overall...and I am on top of the world.
Thanks to everyone who believed
in me, and sent me well wishes that
swept away any doubts that entered my head.
I have thought of you all often
and I look forward to my return to the states.
However, I look forward to
relishing in my victory over the Millennium.
I am thinking that maybe the
hot springs Frankie Hubbard built on the Waikato River
(the Ful James) may
be the ideal spot for me.
I'll write more later.
I think that there is a big party at the local
discotheque, The Holy Cow...
Thanks again to everyone,
Cheers!
Eli
Prelims: Four rides on the wave of 30 seconds each. The lowest score gets dropped. Top ten advance to next round.
Semi-Finals: Two rides on the wave of 30 seconds each. The lower score gets dropped. Top five advance.
Finals: One ride on the wave of 30 seconds. The lowest scoring paddler gets dropped. Knock-Out of the last 5 paddlers.
FINAL RESULTS
| Place | Bib | Name | Country | Boat | Score |
| 1 | 208 | Eli Helbert | USA | Savage SuperFly | |
| 2 | 44 | Paul Eames | NZL | Savage SuperFly | |
| 3 | 215 | Brian Miller | USA | Savage SuperFly | |
| 4 | 275 | Chris Harrison | GBR | Savage SuperFly | |
| 5 | 276 | James Weir | GBR | Savage SuperFly | |
| 6 | 209 | Tom Fredricks | USA | Savage SuperFly | |
| 7 | 112 | Lyle Dickieson | CAN | Savage SuperFly | |
| 8 | 114 | Joe Langman | CAN | Dagger | |
| 9 | 111 | Mark Scriver | CAN | Savage SuperFly | |
| 10 | 115 | Tim Hummel | CAN | Savage SuperFly | |
| 11 | 198 | Markus Hacker | GER | Savage SuperFly | |
| 12 | 245 | Uwe Fischer | GER | Savage SuperFly | |
| 13 | 184 | TakamasaTakenaka | JPN | Savage SuperFly | |
| 14 | 144 | Marko Hakolahti | FIN | Savage SuperFly | |
| 15 | 113 | Paul Mason | CAN | Dagger | |
| 16 | 207 | Chip Hogan | USA | Savage SuperFly | |
| 17 | 3 | Ali Donald | IRL | Savage Skeeter | |
| 18 | 274 | Ian Duffy | GBR | Dagger | |
| 19 | 244 | Robert Sommer | GER | Savage SuperFly | |
| 20 | 242 | Schorschi Schauff | GER | Savage SuperFly |
Men's OC-1
(1) Eli Helbert (USA) GOLD 1 3 2 1
(2) Paul Eames (NZL) SILVER 4 2 3 2
(3) Brian Miller (USA) BRONZE 2 1 1 3
(4) Chris Harrison (GBR) 5 4 4 --
(5) James Weir (GBR) 3 5 -- --
Men's OC-1 TEAM
(1) USA
(2) CAN
(3) GBR
1 ELI HELBERT (USA) Savage SuperFly
2 PAUL EAMES (NZL) Savage SuperFly
3 BRIAN MILLER (USA) Savage SuperFly
4 CHRIS HARRISON (GBR) Savage SuperFly
5 JAMES WEIR (GBR) Savage SuperFly
OC-1 Semi Results December 5,1999 Top five to knockout finals
1 ELI HELBERT (USA)
51.15
2 BRIAN MILLER (USA)
29.03
3 JAMES WEIR (GBR)
28.35
4 PAUL EAMES(NZL)
26.78
5 CHRIS HARRISON (GBR) 20.69
6 TOM FREDERICKS (USA) 17.33
7 LYLE DICKIESON(CAN) 12.50
8 JOE LANGMAN(CAN)
10.50
9 MARK SCRIVER(CAN)
10.00
10 TIM HUMMEL(CAN)
4.5
OC-1 Qualifier round December 1, 1999 Top ten to Semi-finals
1. Brian Miller USA 113.93
2. Tom Fredricks USA 78.37
3. Lyle Dickieson Can 63.81
4. Eli Helbert USA 54.86
5. James Weir GBR 53.76
6. Tim Hummel Can 40.76
7. Joe Langman Can 39.91
8. Paul Eames NZL 30.61
9. Chris Harrison GBR 27.15
10. Marc Shriver Can 23.63
11. Markus Hacker Ger 22.1
12. Uwe Fischer Ger 16.6
13. Takamasa Takenaka Jap 16.4
14. Marko Hakolahti Fin 15.28
15. Paul Mason Can 14.9
16. Chip Hogan USA 11.4
17. Ali Donald Irl 8.
18. Ian Duffy GBR 4.1
19. Robert Sommer Ger 4.0
20. Schorschi Schauff Ger 2.1
Thanks everyone
Fri, 03 Dec 1999 09:29:07 GMT
Hey Everyone,
I want to thank you all for
the tremendous positive energy that you
have been sending into the future. I enjoy your
support and attention. I
certainly hope to continue to keep you proud.
The river turned on this
morning. I managed to catch about an hour and
a half before the competition got under way.
I am trying to find a spot in
the wave that consistently will throw my boat vertical,
but so far, spins
and shuv-its seem to be the safe move. I paddled
with 2 of the Canadian
open boaters (Joe Langman and Paul Mason) yesterday
on the Rangataiki
River. We had a great time training on attainments
(upstream) moves and
playing our way down an enjoyable class 3-4 river.
The atmosphere at the site
is enjoyable. There are 25 different
countries represented, and the combination of languages
is unique. I still
have a small smattering of Japanese, but I think that
I need to learn
Spanish.
I believe that I will be
helping the Worldkayak.com site tomorrow.
Hopefully I'll be able to aid in the building of exposure
for this tiny
sport. Thanks for everyone that expressed interest
in Open Boat Freestyle
Rodeo. I just got word from Tree (the man in
charge at OutdoorPlay.com and
from Jayne Abbott (head of the National Organization
of Whitewater Rodeos)
that OC-1 will be included in the first ever cash-prize
events for the US
(amount still to be determined). Maybe this
sport really will take off
soon.
I hope that everyone is doing
well, and I look forward to passing more
news along as I get it. Thanks to everyone for
refilling me with
confidence, tomorrow morning will be my last training
session before the
event.
Cheers,
Eli
Paddle Safely -- supported by: Second String
Bluegrass Band, SaVage,
Lotus, Watershed, Voyageur, Teva, Powerbar, Orosi,
NOC & over 350 friends
Hey Everyone,
I can't thank you enough
for all the support and encouragement I have
received. It is great to know that I have so
many friends cheering me on.
Fortunately, today I had people cheering me on over
here as well. I
finished 4th at the end of the preliminaries.
I now get to rest until
Sunday.
SaVage swept the 1st six
spots with the Superfly. Eight out of the ten boats
that advance to the finals are Superfly's. Brian
Miller took 1st, Tom Fredericks 2nd,
Lyle Dickinson 3rd. I'm sitting in the non-pressure
spot. Now I just need
to turn it up.
My practice ride went well
today. I only took one because I was
worried that I might waste it. Then my first
competition ride, I scored
really well. I got a clean-spin (huge variety
multiplier points...it's a
spin where I go 180 degrees without my paddle), as
well as a shuv-it and
another spin (I think...I'll watch the video later).
I feel like I'm on top of
the world already. All three of the paddlers ranked
above me, I have beaten previously. The world
champion, Mark Schriver, had
a tough day but snuck into the 10th and final spot.
Three out of the four
Americans made the cut, as did four out of the five
Canadians, two from Great Britain, and
one from either Germany or Sweden or somewhere close
to there...I'll know more
later.
Eric Jackson told me that
the video feed should be up on the
www.worldkayak.com site fairly soon. I'm going
to check it out soon. We
had US Team Pictures today. I look like Yankee
Doodle.
I look forward to sharing more later,
Exuberantly yours,
Eli
Tomorrow is here...
Tue, 30 Nov 1999 09:05:27 GMT
Hey Everyone,
I hope that you are all well.
On this side of the world, there are a
lot of nervous canoeists. Tomorrow morning begins
the opening ceremonies.
Open canoes probably go first, followed by squirt
boaters and then decked
canoes.
Today I had a good practice.
I have abandoned my entry move that I had
been playing with. I am now just surfing onto
the wave and trying to stay
on at all costs. I had originally been attempting
a shuv-it entry onto the
wave (180 direction change and back), but I was too
inconsistent. The US
team practiced for two hours...those that made the
team at the East Coast
trials went first, West Coast trials went second.
Chip Hogan videoed the
first session's canoers, and I videod the second.
I am charging the battery
for tomorrow.
There isn't much to do but
relax and wait for tomorrow morning. I got
my US Team Orosi helmet today, our Lotus lifejackets
are still held up in
customs. The atmosphere has really charged up.
They played music out over
the water all day today. I think that this helps
me relax into myself. I
hope to have good news to report tomorrow. We
think that we will be cut to
a field of 12.
I believe that www.worldkayak.com
will be airing the competition. If
you don't see the canoes, please e-mail Eric Jackson
at that site and
express your interest.
I really appreciate all of
your help, friendship and encouragement that
has helped me to reach this level.
I'll talk to you tomorrow,
Eli
Life
in the rain...
Sun, 28 Nov 1999 07:30:49 GMT
Hey Everyone,
I would
never complain about such a thing, but it doesn't look as if
the rain will ever stop.
It started raining yesterday as Tom Fredericks,
Chip Hogan and I drove to the
Kaituna River near Rotorua, New Zealand. The
rain didn't bother us as we
practiced cartwheels in the Kaituna hole.
We
met the Canadian canoe team, who had just finished playing for the
past two days; they warned
us of the high car break-in rate. Fortunately
we were spared from theft, but
not from the stories of the Canadian rides.
This fired us all up, and we
took turns as we went back and forth trying to
throw the best ride of the day.
This spot is probably the best canoe hole
we have ever played in.
Mark Schriver apparently linked 5 ends in his
canoe. We never linked
more than 3, but we rolled up in the hole over and
over, and kept throwing the
boat vertically in the air. Brian Miller said
that we were having the sickest
canoe rides he has ever seen.
After
we played for a couple of hours, Brian Miller convinced us to run
the river. I had run it
a few days ago with almost double the water volume.
Unfortunately, I went
deep off the biggest falls (Okere Falls) and swam
out from the undercut wall below
the drop. My boat stayed in the drop for
about 1/2 hour, so I think that
I made the smart decision. I was ok, but my
confidence was in jeopardy.
I didn't get my face wet yesterday as I
retackled the run, and I now
have my confidence back. I have been able to
laugh about my swim, especially
since many excellent paddlers have shared
the same experience.
Tomorrow
we have our next US Team practice at the Fuljames. The
Kaituna hole no longer matters.
The entire team is getting more and more
antsy as we try to remain calm,
relaxed and ready to throw everything that
we can into our rides.
I have my ideal routine planned out...all I have to
do now is hit it consistently.
I look forward to sharing more news as it
unfolds.
I hope everyone had a Happy
Thanksgiving,
Yours,
Eli
Happy
Thanksgiving!
Thu, 25 Nov 1999 03:39:40 GMT
Hey Everybody,
Just
wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. The US Team is
eating together in about 1/2
hour at Eric Jackson's house. The weather is
clouding up like rain, but we
had an enjoyable team practice for two hours
this morning. We get to
paddle tomorrow afternoon as well.
Last
night, there was a generator shining light on the hole until the
gas ran out. Brian Miller
and I kept on surfing until about 3 in the
morning by the light of a full
moon. I think that this really helped us
feel the hole, and we showed
noticeable improvement today while the entire
team practiced.
I paddled
on the Kaituna river two days ago and then we went to surf on
the South Pacific Ocean near
a town called Mt. Manganui. The waves were
pretty small, but we enjoyed
ourselves by rock hopping around an island (as
seagulls and crabs tried to
defend their territory.
Excitement
is building up, as we all realize how close the competition
is getting. I hope to
be able to continue to relay positive news...today I
had my best ride yet with 4
spins.
Enjoy
the Thanksgiving holiday once it reaches your side of the
world.
Yours,
Eli
The
Tasman Sea
Sat, 20 Nov 1999 04:26:07 GMT
Hey Everyone,
I've
had an exciting couple of days. Brian Miller, Barry Kennon, Andre
Spino-Smith and I left Taupo
for the Tasman Sea yesterday. We stopped off
in Rotorua to look at the Kaituna
River. It was releasing full capacity...4
flood gates and looked pretty
pushy. We decided to leave it for another day
and kept driving.
We
have been staying in Taupo, on the west side of the lake. We drove
to the town of Raglan on the
East Coast of the North Island. Raglan is a
world-renown surfing spot, popularized
by the movie "Endless Summer" in
1966. It is commonly referred
to as the longest left-hand break in the
world. While filming the
movie, a surfer apparently rode a wave for 10
minutes.
The
waves are not quite so good for us now, but we are waiting for the
tide to come in before we boat
again. Last night we stayed at a place
called the Raglan Railroad Lodge...or
something to that effect. It is an
interesting backpacker/surfer
hostel. The rooms are old railway cars that
have had their wheels removed.
There is also the standard
kitchen/shower/commons area.
We are probably going to stay there again
tonight.
We
surfed yesterday evening until the sunset. We also went surfing
this morning. Unfortunately,
we lost the key to our Nissan Pulsar.
Luckily, many boaters have traveled
to Raglan (since the competition site
has not been releasing water)
and a Frenchman showed us how to hot-wire our car. We are planning
to get a new key when we drive back through Rotorua.
Well,
my friends are ready to see if the tide has come in, so I will
write more later.
Take care,
Eli
Taupo,
New Zealand
Monday, 15 Nov 1999 07:44:38
GMT
Hey everybody,
I have settled in New Zealand now. The US Team has a few different
houses throughout the town,
and boaters are beginning to be seen in greater
Numbers. I am living on
the west side of Lake Taupo in a three bedroom
house with about 10 people at
the moment. I have pitched my tent outside of
the house in the seclusion of
a few trees with a small cliff behind me. This
house has turned into primarily
US team members from the Southeast.
My friend from Asheville, Brian
Miller, acquired a mini-Nissan car into which we
crammed 5 boaters (Brian, Alan
Braswell, Andy Bedingfield, Andrew
Spino-Smith, and myself) and
4 boats on the ride to the river this morning.
Driving on the right hand side
of the car is exciting. I have a bad habit
of using the turn-wiper.
(The windshield wiper lever in the position where
the turn signal should be!).
These little cars feel like go-carts with
sidecars attached. The
back roads are littered with potholes, puddles, and
lakes. The good line on
and off the river is crucial.
The
competition site is beautiful. The water is deep blue and powerful.
The wave itself breaks back
towards the surfers left in a pulsating pattern
that can be timed if you relax
into the wave itself. My best ride today
consisted of 2-3 spins with
some backblasts in-between. I am confident
that I will be able to continue
to improve at this spot. The rocks all around
are volcanic and beautiful in
a different way than I have seen before.
When I get out of my boat I
see sharp, fuzzy rocks floating on top of the
clear water.
I arrived
in New Zealand to a steady drizzle, and it has been raining off
and on ever since. The
days are long again. Today was the first day I have
worn shorts. It was slightly
chilly, but pleasant nonetheless. It was nice
to spend time in the Sunset
Backpacker's Hostel. I had the opportunity to
relax into the culture at my
own pace. I played the fiddle a fair bit and
biked much further than I intended.
I got to see the other end of town, and
meet many different people.
I played a game of hackey-sack with an
Australian and an English skier.
People are all extremely friendly and often
entertaining. My mutilation
of the Maori street names is certainly comical.
Well, I will try to be in touch
more frequently. I have established a group
of friends to write all at once
so I can save money communicating in these
cybercafes.
I hope
that you are all well,
Yours truly,
Eli
Hey Family,
All is well now! I found
Bryan yesterday...today was the first time I
drove his car (The Blue Bomber)...it is crazy being
on the wrong side of the
road. It is as beautiful as everyone says.
Taupo is situated around a huge
lake...today is a gorgeous sunshiney day and you can
see across the blue
water far into the distance...where you see snow on
the top of mountains.
The strangest thing that I have seen is probably that
they eat eggs on their
hamburgers (even at McDonalds). The weather
is definitely Springish...it's
slightly chilly wearing shorts, but sunburn is easy
to acquire...luckily I
brought some sunscreen (it's about 10 bucks a bottle).
Peanut butter is
about 5 bucks a bottle or more. Ramen is about
50 cents...I bought a few
days worth of rice meals, soups, bread and what not
for about 20 bucks...the
butter that you buy in the store here doesn't have
to go in the fridge!
Apparently the milk may be the same way...weird!
The hostel I stayed in was
pretty cool...I met a bunch of different
people that I wouldn't have otherwise. Now that
I found Brian, I am staying
with about 8 people in a house for us. I'm camping
outside for a little
freedom. Two members are getting married tomorrow
and we will all go to a
different place...perhaps I'll camp at the wave.
The wave is pretty cool...it's
extremely fast! I've been getting
better the more that I am on it. I am having
fun on it, but I need more
practice...I am able to do a couple of spins and backsurfs
and stuff. Two
of the Canadian open boaters were practicing today
also. Lyle Dickinson
(2nd behind me at the Ocoee the other year) was shredding
as I left to come
grab some lunch. I think that we are about equal...both
throwing really
good spins...but also sometimes totally flushing.
I bought a campstove with
a gas can for about 40 bucks...20 American.
It's pretty nice and compact.
Soon I'll be cooking food at the hole, and spending
the full day.
Well,
I'll write again later,
Love,
Eli
Taupo, New Zealand
Saturday, 13 Nov. 1999 22:41:57
GMT
Family,
I am
still staying in Taupo at the Sunset Backpackers Hostel. I called
this hostel, because they had a free pick-up service from the bus station.
It turns out that the US Team has rented this place out starting on the
20th, and there is a rumor that they have even hired a cook. I hope
so. The hostel has bikes that I can use, so yesterday I biked all
around the area. I was trying to find the Fuljames competition site.
I ended up biking about 10 miles or so and was heading back into town when
I flagged down a guy with a boat on his car. His name is Steve and
he is doing graphic design for the Ballistic Kayaks. He gave me a
ride out to the site, so I now know where it is. I ran into the two
open boaters that are here so far. Lyle Dickinson (who took 2nd behind
me at the Ocoee 2 years ago) and Tim Thomas (who has my Superfly that I
left in Canada). Both of them are Canadian team members and they
have been here for a couple of months. I haven't seen any of the
Americans yet, but I know that there are some over here. The water
level has not been competition level yet, so I am here in time.
The
Bad news from my trip is that my car died as I was entering Rome, Georgia.
I lost the pulley that was on the front of the engine (the lowest pulley).
This killed my fan and my car overheated. I think that there is more
to this problem then I know, because it had been running hotter than normal
for a good while. Anyway, the antifreeze/water tank gurgled over
and the radiator itself steamed severely from around the clamp on the right
at the top. It did not enjoy the trip, but the Griffins helped me
to limp it to the top of their mountain. Lloyd Griffin got me to
the airport in time, but I ended up getting shafted somewhat and I had
to pay double what I expected to get the boats over. Also they were
supposed to check them straight through to New Zealand, but I ended up
having to get from terminal 2 to terminal 8 in LA with my boats.
Thank goodness that is over!
It
is beautiful here in Taupo. I am about 2 kilometers out of town.
The Lake is within view, and the birds are quite noisy. Summer is
approaching quickly. I am going to have to go and buy some sunscreen.
I also need to find a larger grocery store, because the one closest to
here is more expensive than I am hoping others will be. There are
palm trees in the mountains here, and lots of flowers are in bloom.
Well,
I'm going to bike into town, so I will talk to you later,
Love, Eli
Auckland, New Zealand
Thursday, 11 Nov. 1999 22:41:51
GMT
Dear Family,
Love,
Eli