Team Captain Scott Mann Leads U.S. Through Europe

U.S. Slalom Team Heads to Germany for Final World Cup of Season

AUGSBURG, Germany – Men’s K-1 athlete Scott Mann (Bethesda, Md.) navigates the U.S. National Slalom Team through rapids and World Cups. As captain of team, Mann has led the way in and out of the water.

Captain America has been on and off the national team since 2003. He was voted by his peers to become the first slalom team captain in years. With two World Cups down in the three-stop circuit, Mann has recorded the highest finish on the team, placing seventh last weekend in La Seu de Urgell, Spain.

“It was a solid couple days of racing, which I was happy to have,” Mann said. “I was consistently putting myself in the mix and that was what I wanted to do.”

The team heads into Augsburg, Germany, July 2-4 for the final stop on the 2010 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup circuit, hoping for its first podium finish of the season. Each American paddler hopes to create fireworks on this Fourth of July weekend.

“I feel like it could happen at any time to any of us,” Mann said. “I feel like we’re all strong enough. In the past, Scott Parsons has been on the podium before. Last weekend, winning the qualification and being in the top ten a few times, I feel like that sort of sets the stage. I feel like the skill is there, it’s just the question of putting it all together on the right run on the right day.”

Spain was the last World Cup of the season for teenagers Hailey Thompson (Stevens Point, Wis.), Zach Lokken (Durango, Colo.), and Caroline Queen (Darnestown, Md.), who will all be competing at the Junior World Championships in France, July 8-11.

Mann will be joined in the Men’s K-1 race by two-time Olympian Scott Parsons (Sylvania, Ohio), 2004 Olympian Bret Heyl (Norwich, Vt.) and Jim Wade (Atlanta, Ga.). Parsons and Heyl have each recorded a top 15 finish so far this World Cup season. Mann led all racers after the first two heats in Spain.

“A lot of people have been doing a lot of good things,” Mann said. “I think that we have a strong team. The men’s kayaks, especially, have been throwing down times in the top ten regularly. So, I think the results are good and there’s definitely potential for a lot more.”

Women’s C-1, although not yet an Olympic event, features two Americans hungry for a podium finish. Carolyn Peterson (Austin, Texas) and Micki Reeves (Grand Junction, Colo.) have finished as high as ninth and 14th this season, respectively.

Casey Eichfeld (Drums, Pa.) and Benn Fraker (Peachtree, Ga.), two 2008 Olympians, will race for the U.S. in Men’s C-1. Fraker hopes to top his 13th place finish at World Cup No. 1 in Prague.

Women’s K-1 athletes Ashley Nee (Germantown, Md.) and Michelle Kvanli (San Marcos, Texas) are paddling hard to reach their first World Cup semifinals of the season. Both have come close and gain experience with each race.

Mann has done little sightseeing during his European tour. His eyes are set on one prize only: a World Cup medal. For complete results of the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup in Germany, visit http://www.kanu-schwaben-augsburg.de/.

“I always want to medal,” Mann said. “That’s always what I’m shooting for but that’s always the goal that you can’t control. So, I’m shooting to make sure that every run that I have is a run that I’m happy with and if I succeed in doing that, then I feel like the results will follow up.”

USA Canoe/Kayak is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Canoe Federation. It governs the Olympic disciplines of Flatwater Sprint and Whitewater Slalom and sanctions Freestyle, Marathon, Outrigger, Wildwater, Kayak Polo, Dragon Boat and Canoe Sailing in the United States. For more information about USA Canoe/Kayak, please visit us on the web at www.usack.org.