ACOG - Canoe/Kayak: Slalom - IBM

Spectator's Guide to Canoe/Kayak - Slalom

Slalom competitors will negotiate 25 gates (six upstream) along the 415m course. The boats with the three fastest times in each of the four slalom events will win medals at the Olympic Games.

Competition Format

The competitions are held on two consecutive days, with the first day for qualification rounds and the second for finals. The finals will be run on a course which is slightly altered from the course used for the preliminary runs. Both courses were designed by David Mitchell from the United States in conjunction with two coaches of participating federations.

Start order is determined by world ranking points accrued at World Cup events and preliminary events at the Senior World Championships. Competitors earn points corresponding to where they place.

Know Your Boats

Whitewater slalom racers paddle either canoes or kayaks.

Slalom kayaks and canoes are very similar. Both types of boats are made of composite materials and weigh approximately 20 lbs. Slalom racing boats have edges which enable them to slice through whitewater with precision. Both kayakers and canoeists wear a neoprene spray-skirt to prevent water from entering the cockpit. Canoeists use a kneeling stance in their boats, while kayakers sit with their legs extended in front of them. The easiest way to distinguish a canoe from a kayak is to look at the paddle used by the racer. Canoeists use a single-bladed paddle while a double-bladed paddle is used by kayakers. Kayakers generally have faster runs than canoeists because of the extra blade on kayak paddles.

The Race

There are two key elements in whitewater slalom racing: speed and control. Competitors race against the clock, not against each other. The racer's goal is to establish the fastest time with no penalty points. A running score is kept from start to finish, which includes both the time of the run in seconds and penalty points.

The average run is less than 3 minutes. The competitor's final time is the best of the two runs. Being fast isn't enough. Control is also important. Racers must use finesse as they wind their way through the gates along the course, similar to slalom snow skiing. Penalty seconds are added to the competitor's overall running time, depending upon mistakes made while negotiating the gates.

Scoring Slalom Runs

A run with no penalties is called a "clean" run. A 5-second penalty is added for touching a gate with the body, paddle or boat, and a 50-second penalty is added for missing a gate, passing through a gate while rolling or with the body underwater, or pushing aside a pole in an attempt to lessen a penalty.

Slalom Courses

Whitewater slalom competition takes place on a 350m to 600m channel featuring Class II to IV rapids. Racers maneuver through a series of 25 strategically placed gates. Slalom gates consist of two striped poles suspended over the water by cables spanning the river. Green-striped poles indicate that racers must go through the gates downstream, while the red-striped poles must be negotiated by paddling upstream. The design of a given course (all are unique) involves gates which require tight maneuvering for maximum speed, inviting penalty points.

Degree of Difficulty

An international scale of river difficulty was developed for safety and competition purposes. Elite slalom canoe/kayak competition like you'll see today takes place on Class IV rivers.

Class I: Moving water with a few riffles and small waves. Few or no obstructions.

Class II: Easy rapids with waves up to 3 feet, and wide, clear channels that are obvious with scouting. Some maneuvering is required.

Class III: Rapids with high, irregular waves often capable of swamping an open canoe. Narrow passages that often require scouting from shore.

Class IV: Difficult rapids with constricted passages that require precise maneuvering in very turbulent water. Scouting from shore is necessary, and conditions make rescue difficult.

Class V: Extremely difficult, violent rapids with highly congested routes, which should be scouted from shore. Rescue conditions are difficult, and there is significant hazard to life in the event of a mishap. An ability to roll is essential.

Class VI: Difficulties of Class V carried to the extremes of navigability — most likely impossible or unbelievably dangerous. This class is for teams of experts only — after close study has been made and all precautions have been taken.

Olympic Course

Olympians who have tested the course have observed that the water volume supplied by the Tennessee Valley Authority makes for a fast pace. They predict some swims as a result of the speed and number of holes to scramble. Some commented on how much they liked the way the competitive channel builds through the length of the course, which finishes with a bang. Neither the coaches nor the athletes know the exact configuration of the gates until 26 July.

Glossary

Bow: The front part of a boat.

Brace: Techniques used to stabilize a tipping canoe or kayak. The "low" and "high" braces are two common techniques.

Broach: Occurs when a canoe or kayak becomes caught in the current against an obstruction and turns sideways. Considered very dangerous. Often results in severe damage as the current's force wraps the boat around the obstruction.

C1: One-person canoe, decked over for whitewater river-running.

C2: Two-person canoe, also decked over. The paddler kneels in the boat and uses a single-bladed paddle.

CFS/CMS: Cubic feet per second/ cubic meters per second. Measurement of velocity of water flow at a given point in a river. Will vary according to the water level and gradi-ent of the riverbed.

Chute: Area where a river's flow is suddenly constricted, compressing and amplifying the current's energy into a narrow tongue of water.

Clean run: A penalty-free run during a whitewater slalom competition.

Eddy: Area behind or downstream of an obstruction in the main current, where water swirls in a direction different to that of the main flow, usually upstream.

Eddy Line: Transitional area between main current and eddy current. See Eddy.

Eskimo Roll: A self-rescue technique used to right an overturned kayak or canoe in the water without leaving the boat.

Ferry: A maneuver used to cross a current with little or no downstream travel. Utilizes the current's force to move the boat laterally.

'Fiftied' gate: Slang. Penalty for missing a gate, passing through a gate while rolling or with the body underwater, pushing aside a pole in an attempt to lessen a penalty, or negotiating a gate in the wrong direction (example: "Yeah, I fiftied a gate on that last run!").

Hydraulic: Water formation following a sudden drop in the river-bed or drop over an obstruction which creates a powerful circulating force at the base of the drop. Paddlers can use more benign hydraulics or "holes" for play. Also called a reversal or hole.

K1: One-person kayak.

Kayak: A self-propelled water craft in which the paddler is fully enclosed and paddles with a double-bladed paddle from a sitting position.

Pry Stroke: Turning stroke in which the paddle blade is turned sideways alongside the gunwale, then "pried" outward.

River-left: On the left side of the river facing downstream.

River-right: On the right side of the river facing downstream.

Rocker: Upward curvature of the keep line from the center toward the ends of a canoe or kayak. Lots of rocker means quick, easy turns.

Roller: Large, wide curling wave that falls back on itself, usually following a big wide rock or obstruction in the riverbed.

Stern: The rear part of the boat.

Sweep stroke: Used to turn the boat to the off-side by reaching out and ahead, then "sweeping" in a wide arc fore to aft.

Touch: Penalty for touching a gate with the body, paddle or boat during slalom competition.

Volume: Used to describe overall capacity of a given hull shape, expressed in cubic inches or cubic centimeters.

Whitewater: Turbulent, heavily aerated water caused by obstacles in and under the current.

Kevlar®: A DuPont aramid fiber used as a material for canoe and kayak construction. Considerably lighter in weight (30 – 40 percent), greater tear resistance and higher price than fiberglass.

Layup: Manner in which layers of fiberglass or Kevlar® matting are placed to make a fiberglass or Kevlar canoe or kayak.

Off-side: Side of the canoe opposite from the normal paddling side.

On-side: Side of the canoe that you are paddling on.

PFD: Personal Flotation Device. Commonly known as a lifejacket.

Reprinted from Canoe & Kayak's Guide to Canoeing and Kayaking 1994.

This is an official publication of The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Jennifer Knight.


Olympic Factoid
The volunteer staff of the 1996 Olympic Games totaled 50,152. They worked an estimated 850,000 shifts.