Collegiate Flatwater Canoe / Kayak racing started a mere
three years ago in the United States, yet because of some
very talented and dedicated students, a wonderful - East
Coast - West Coast rivalry has developed between Standford
and Georgia Tech. The third championships showed some amazing
depth in leadership as Stanford appeared with a support
staff of three and a team of 20 well trained athletes.
Georgia Tech continues to develop with a completely student
run and organized program that is as good as most competitive
clubs in the United States. Both organizations are well
run and organized. Hopefully more schools will follow
their lead and create programs for this wonderful sport!
The third annual USA Canoe Kayak Collegiate Sprint National
Championships were held at the Lake Lanier Olympic Center
May 9, 10 and
11. This was the first time the event has been held on
the East Coast. The first two championships were held in
Chula Vista at the ARCO Olympic Training Center. Georgia
Tech won the first championships while Stanford won
the second. For
the third face off, twenty athletes from Tech and twenty
from Stanford were joined by athletes from Indiana University,
Purdue University, William and Mary and Clemson. Members
of the Canadian National Team and U.S. National team took
part in exhibition events. Athletes from the Washington
Canoe Club, several small Florida Clubs and the home club,the
Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club, took part in a separate
competition -- the Southern Invitational. It was exciting
to see the athletes on the course head to head for the
first time since the winter training season. 2003 promises
to be an exciting year for Junior and Senior National team
trials.
The competition was nothing short of exciting. Several
races came down to a photo finish. You can see one of these
races at the Georgia
Tech Web site.
Here are the team results:
Top Women's Novice Team
- 1st Place: Stanford with
45 points
- 2nd Place: Georgia Tech with 31 points
Top Men's Novice
Team
- 1st Place: Stanford with
82 points
- 2nd
Place: Georgia Tech with
45 points
- 3rd Place: William and Mary with
12 points
- 4th Place: Clemson with
10 points
Top Female Open Paddler: Amelia
Kotte - Stanford
Top Male Open Paddler: Ty Hagler - Georgia
Tech
The USACK Collegiate National Championships Team - Hagler/Sanchez
Award
1st Place: Stanford with
273 Points
2nd Place: Georgia Tech with
204.5 Points
3rd Place: IUPUI with
17.5 Points
4th Place: William and Mary with
15 Points
5th Place: Clemson