Press Releases & News
2005 PAN AMERICAN WHITEWATER SLALOM CHAMPIONSHIPS, U.S. SLALOM NATIONALS, AND AMERICA’S SLALOM OPEN ON THE KERN
Come see why Olympians choose the Kern River as their training grounds.
On August 26-28, 2005, the Kern Valley River Council (KVRC) will host the 2005 Pan American Whitewater Slalom Championships, U.S. Slalom Nationals, and America’s Slalom Open at those same training grounds, the permanent slalom course at Miracle Hot Springs on the Lower Kern. This event marks the first time that these slalom races have been combined to a single location over a three-day period.
The top American athletes will compete at 9 a.m, Sunday, Aug. 28, at the U.S. Slalom Nationals, where 2004 Olympic silver-medalist Rebecca Giddens will be on hand for photos and interviews.
Teams from more than 20 member countries, from Canada to South America, have been invited to race in the Pan American Slalom Championships, also starting at 9 a.m., Aug. 26-27. The America’s Slalom Open, a race run concurrently with the Pan Ams, is open to all racers not on an official team.
Sanctioned by the Pan American Canoe Federation and USA Canoe & Kayak in association with the International Canoe Federation, under a special permit granted by the U.S. Forest Service, Sequoia National Forest; these races were combined to give the athletes from developing Central and South American countries a chance to participate in multiple, high-level competitions along with North America’s top athletes.
The Kern River Valley, a hidden treasure in the southern Sierra Nevada, is worth a visit in itself, with a rich history full of Western lore dating back to the mid-1800s. The area is also a recreational gem, with year-round activities including camping; mountain biking; rock climbing; birding; fishing for trout, bass, bluegill, crappie, and catfish; golf; hiking; motocross; photography; snow skiing at nearby Shirley Meadows and Sugar Loaf Peak; and water sports such as boating, canoeing, sailing, water skiing, jetskiing, windsurfing, whitewater rafting, kayaking, and fly fishing.
KVRC, a California nonprofit organization dedicated to river conservation on the Kern River, organizes the annual Kern River Festival each April. KVRC has also hosted other national and international racing events, including the 2000 U.S. Slalom Nationals and all six of the 2003 Wildwater World Cups. The 2000 U.S. Slalom Nationals, the first event to be held at Miracle Hot Springs, served as a great sendoff for the U.S. Olympic team on their way to Sydney, Australia. It was also the catalyst that allowed KVRC to obtain a Kern County Board of Tourism grant, which built the racecourse, located about 45 minutes east of Bakersfield on Highway 178 in the scenic Kern Canyon, adjacent to Miracle Hot Springs and Hobo Campground, near Lake Isabella and about 20-25 minutes from Kernville, Calif.
We invite you to publish and/or broadcast information announcing these Aug. 26-28 races, and to attend the super-spectator-friendly events themselves. For further details or to obtain credentials, please contact KVRC president Terry Valle at (818) 340-3083; Sierra South Paddle Sports at (760) 376-3745; and/or see the official website: www.kernslalom.com.
