For Immediate Release
Contact: Jennifer Hearn
(301) 229-4304
Whitewater Slalom World
Champion Rebecca Giddens
Crowned National Champion in Kayaking
Dickerson, Maryland - Seventy-three whitewater slalom canoe and kayak racers
from across America challenged the turbulent and churning Dickerson Whitewater
Course, in front of a thousand cheering spectators, sponsors, media, and
volunteers for the first USA Whitewater Slalom National Championship event ever
held here.
Despite having trained on the Dickerson Whitewater Course only a few times,
World Champion Rebecca Giddens of San Diego, California handily defended her
K1W (women's kayak) National Championship title with a combined time of 222.72,
nearly 30 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor. Rebecca, overcome by
emotion after a special awards stand serenade by Abbie Endicott, thanked her
coaches, family and teammates for their overwhelming support.
Durango, Colorado
residents and former Bethesda Center of Excellence racers Mary Marshall Seaver
and Cathy Hearn earned silver and bronze medals, with scores of 252.43 and
258.61 respectively. Dana Chladek of Kensington,
Maryland, two time Olympic medalist in 1992
and 1996, stormed back from retirement displaying tremendous whitewater talent,
posting a score of 263.49 to edge out World Championship Team athletes Hannah
Larsen (263.88) of Georgia and Aleta Miller (264.07) of Tennessee.
Bethesda Center of Excellence racers and National Team members Scott Parsons
(202.44), Brett Heyl (204.37) and Jason Beakes (204.40) capitalized on the home
course advantage, soundly sweeping the men's kayak class, solidifying a BCE
victory to win and retain the coveted National *Club* Trophy.
In the men's double canoe class (C2), the team of Joe Jacobi (1992 Olympic gold
medalist and Bethesda native, now from Tennessee) and Matt Taylor (2000
Olympian of Atlanta, Georgia) posted a time of 235.26 to unseat defending National
Champions and fellow World Championship Team members Scott McCleskey and David
Hepp (293.53) of Dunwoody, Georgia and Cullowhee, North Carolina respectively.
Due to a 50 second penalty on McCleskey and Hepp's second run, the
Atlanta
junior team of Neil Quinn and Tad Dennis snuck in to capture the silver medal
with a time of 283.40. The local veteran BCE team of Bob Bofinger and
Brian Zimmerman were honored to be selected, along with other racers, for USADA
drug testing, for their score of 293.56, only 3 one-hundredths of a second from
the podium.
World Championship Team member Sam Davis of North Carolina
claimed the gold medal in the C1, decked canoe class, with a score of 220.84.
Sam gave a high five to David Hearn, Whitewater Coach and longtime
reigning C1 National Champion, as he joyfully danced his way up onto the medal
podium. Also gracing the award's stand was Bethesda Center of Excellence
and Junior World Championship Team member, Will Seeley (223.45) serving notice
to the senior Team members with his fast times down the course. Ryan
Bahn, former BCE racer now living in Durango,
Colorado,
edged out recently returning World Championship Team members with a time of
224.40 to earn the bronze medal.
A great day of racing concluded with a corporate sponsor raft race organized by
Outdoor Excursions, followed by a duck race. BCE athletes scrambled to
collect the tiny yellow, blue, and pink toy ducks after these confetti specks
made their way through the foaming whitewater. Some ducks had to be
scooped out of the hydraulics and eddies by the playful athletes who swam the
course. The first three ducks crossing the finish line earned the lucky
raffle ticket holders prizes from Potomac Outdoors, including a sit-on-top
kayak awarded to a very excited young boy.
Maryland's Montgomery County
Executive Douglas M. Duncan was on hand presenting the medals to the 2002
National Whitewater Champions, while also pledging his support to the slalom
athletes training for the 2004 Olympics here on the Dickerson Whitewater Course
located at the Mirant Dickerson Generating Station.
The Bethesda Center of Excellence wishes to thank
all of our race volunteers and sponsors for hosting such a great event, and to
the fans and media who enjoyed a day of whitewater racing along with us.
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