Slalom 101

Article courtesy of the Nantahala Outdoor Center

Whether you're merely curious about slalom or dream passionately of running the gates on the Olympic Whitewater course this summer, why not start practicing now? Scott Shipley, 1995 World Cup Champion, Olympian and Nantahala Racing Club "Rhino" teams up with 1992 Olympic Alternate and fellow "Rhino" Eileen Ash to show us the moves. So, follow the leaders and you could end up where they are—on the Ocoee's Olympic Whitewater course!

"The Lads," NRC Executive Director Wayne Dickert and visiting coach, Jimmy Jayes, guide us through the moves. Dickert is a member of the 1996 Olympic team, former member of the U.S. Canoe and Kayak Team (USCKT) and a '92 Olympic Alternate in C-2, while Jayes, a former top paddler in Great Britain, has coached Finnish, Irish, and British teams for national and international competition.

Humongous: The Olympic Challenge
In September 1995 at the Ocoee Challenge, many of the world's best paddlers practiced their backstrokes for the first time out of their boats in Humongous, the final and largest rapid on the Ocoee's race course. Negotiating a fast and clean line through this challenging water will be the ultimate test of the Olympic paddlers' strength, stamina, and skill. Humongous is bound to provide the most intense action of the Olympic competition. Scott Shipley demonstrates "The Humongous Move"...

The Humongous Move
The objective is to maintain forward speed and carry it downstream and through the outside corner of the hole.

1. Exit the upstream gate trying to generate as much forward speed as possible to ferry across the top wave.

2. Turn the boat downstream while looking ahead to identify your line through the hole.

3. With the boat lined up, build your forward momentum with a strong forward stroke.

4. While descending the green water above the hole, maintain boat speed and angle while pushing forward with both feet to provide lift for the bow as the boat starts down the ramp into the hole.

5. Be the hole! Reach over the back of the hole with a forward stroke to pull the boat through and out.

6. Continue driving the boat out of the hole while maintaining boat angle and speed towards the next gate.

Off-Set Gate Ferry
Executed when two downstream gates are so far off-set from side to side that you need to turn the boat upstream and ferry between them approaching from river right.

1. Set up above the first gate, close to and facing the inside pole (the river left pole).

2. Continue the ferry using the wave to keep your speed as you move across the current between the two gates.

3. Approaching the second gate, drive the boat forward across the current and through the center of the gate while avoiding the poles.

4. Exit the second off-set gate with cross-stream speed as you approach the next upstream gate on river left.

Standard Upstream Gate
The key to negotiating an upstream gate is to take it fast because this is where you'll win or lose a race! Most speed can be made up on an upstream gate.

1. Your most effective approach is with the boat parallel to the gate line. Come in on an inside edge.

2. Pre-turn well before the gate, then plant the paddle in the eddy water to the inside of the turn and draw toward the bow while pushing the blade forward with an open blade face. By slicing the paddle up between the poles with the boat still traveling to the far side of the gate, enter the "pocket."

3. Continue the slice forward through the water and out away from the boat. By slicing the paddle forward with slight pressure on the power face of the blade, the boat turns upstream.

4. Bring your C-stroke in next to the bow and into a forward stroke, keeping the boat moving forward and driving out of the upstream gate.

5. Exit with a forward sweep stroke to pull the boat out of the gate and downstream.

6. Execute another forward stroke on the downstream side of the boat to accelerate to the next gate.

Special thanks to the Nantahala Outdoor Center for providing these pages.