Paddlers Vie for Spot on U.S. National Sprint Team

USA Canoe/Kayak will be hosting a second set of Sprint Team Trials on Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, July 2-3, to add additional members to the 2010 Sprint World Championship Team. Some have recently come off the World Cup circuit and are already gearing up for the World Championships, set for Aug.19-22 in Poznan, Poland.

“USA Canoe/Kayak is looking forward to having a great Team Trials this weekend in Lake Placid,” National Teams Director William Irving said. “I know that there are a lot of athletes who have been training hard for this weekend and I wish them all the best. I know that there should be some great competition in every race, especially the men's canoe races.”

The event is the last chance for athletes to qualify for the remaining Olympic events that have not already been filled. The open events are C-1 200m, C-1 1000m, C-2 1000m in canoe and K-1 1000m, K-2 1000m, K-2 200m in kayak. Also on Mirror Lake this weekend will be the Lake Placid International Regatta, a large Junior-level race.

“I just started training full time last fall, and am excited about the opportunity to see how much progress I have made over the past year,” Kayaker David Petrovics said. “I have learned a lot from our two national team coaches, so it should be interesting to see how everything unfolds this weekend. My goal is to win the K1 1000m trials, and to do as well as possible in the K2 events. I have a brand new K2 partner, Darek Oborski, who just returned to training recently so we are not quite sure what to expect. But hopefully we will come away with a good result.”

Ten athletes have already locked up their slots on the World Championship sprint team through their performances at the first set of trials in Chula Vista, Calif and the three ICF World Cups. Those athletes are Carrie Johnson (San Diego, Calif.), Ariel Farrar-Wellman (Bethedsa, Md.), Maggie Hogan (San Diego, Calif.), Krisztina Fazekas-Zur (Dana Point, Calif.), Emily Vinson (Gainesville, Ga.), Tim Hornsby (Atlanta, Ga.), Morgan House (Gainesville, Ga.) and Ryan and Patrick Dolan (Kailua, Hawaii).

"I am really excited about the Women's K4 this quad,” Hogan said. “We have a very dedicated group of girls and an excellent technical coach that will be instrumental in our success overseas.  I think the World Cups were a good starting point and learning experience for this new crew, and I think we will just get better with time."

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.

Tags: Canoe Sprint, US National Sprint Team