ACOG - News - IBM

(26 July 1996; Day 7)

Ocoee River Course Proves Treacherous for Slalom Competitors

The flowing waters of the Ocoee River in southeastern Tennessee can offer a soothing, tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. But, as with most slalom courses, certain parts of the water are given nicknames according to either the level of difficulty or place on the course. With names like "Slam Dunk" and "Humongous," the mighty Ocoee is a treacherous monster for those competing in the 1996 Olympic slalom canoe/kayak events at the Ocoee Whitewater Center in Benton, Tennessee, just a short hop over the Georgia state line.

The Ocoee's treachery was apparent on Friday during the training runs in the four classification rounds. Though this was just a trial run, the real test begins on Saturday in women's K1 and men's C1 slalom events.

The 25-gate course begins by taking the racers past "Smiley Face," a large rock that greets each competitor with a painted "happy face" near the start of the 415m run. But from there, the difficulty of the course goes down hill, literally and figuratively.

First, racers must clear "Slam Dunk," then negotiate the upstream gates near "Callihan Ledge." Then its through the tricky gates -- numbers 18, 19, 20 before "Humongous." Many competitors had their troubles getting through these gates on Friday, and those who were successful finished at or near the top of the leader list.

The final troublemaker is old "Humongous," named after a character from the Australian cult film, "Mad Max." The man-made obstacle creates the biggest and most impressive rapid on the course. One miscalculation and athletes can have trouble making the final four gates.

The object of the race is to run the course in the fastest amount of time without hitting or missing a gate. Hitting a gate costs a competitor 5 seconds, but missing a gate entirely costs 50 seconds and an Olympic medal. Those making it through the course penalty-free have a "clean run."

Friday's four events saw very few competitors experience clean runs. In the women's K1 slalom event, for example, three of 30 competitors made clean runs. The men's C1 slalom class saw six of 30 competitors make successful runs, while men's C2 had just two of 15.

The Czech Republic and Germany appeared to have the most skilled competitors in Friday's training runs. Czechs Stepanka HILGERTOVA and Pavel JANDA both made clean runs in their respective events -- women's K1 and men's C1 -- to finish in the top spots. Germany had three representatives also completing penalty-free runs to finish near the top. Saturday's medal competition will surely indicate which competitors can master the mighty Ocoee.

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Mike Mead.


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