The first slalom race of 2017!!

Well folks we had our first 2017 race at the NW Canoe and Kayak Race Center and we had GATES to paddle!  The level was 1200 cfs+ which is high water cutoff, but stoke was high and we went for it anyway.  The weather was gloomy, but not too rainy, so here in the PNW that means it was perfect :) The course designer put together a tough combination of moves for the racers and it was an awesome challenge!  There was a wide range of ages and abilities that showed up for the race. 

Day 1 had two wildwater racers and that race was over QUICK!  Those ladies and boats are FAST!

 Day 2 there was a C1 paddler, several slicey slalom boaters, a few whitewater boats out there, and a DUO!  I had never been to a slalom race or competed in one before, so it was fun to see it all go down.  Jennie put alot of effort into getting it organized with the course designer, timers, and gate judges. Thanks Jennie, the League of NW Whitewater Racers, and the Washington Kayak Club for supporting the event!

 A little C1 action for you:

 Jennie assigned me as the race starter for the men's races.  It was really fun!!!

 This young guy came all the way down from Canada to compete!  Not only does he have a very cool looking kayak, he knows how to use it.  It was awesome to watch him.  So fast!

 Here's a map of the course and the gates.  There are downstream gates and upstream gates.  You better make your gates or it's a 50 second penalty addition on your time.  Touching the poles is a 2 second penalty addition to your time.  If you swim, you get disqualified.  No swimmers this year!

Slicey slalom boaters!

The Duo in action!  This was the most impressive!!  Two people, one boat, and

some serious style!

Jennie giving Joni some pointers.  It was her first slalom race!

Joey is STOKED!!  She also got first in the lady's division, way to get after it!!

Results are yet to be officially posted.  Here's a snapshot:

Awards ceremony after!!  Fun was had by all!!  Thanks again everyone for the support, advice, and encouragement!!!  The slalom community is very welcoming and keen on teaching beginners!!!

The next race on the Cedar isn't until November!  This gives people plenty of time to come check out the course and get some knowledge under your belt!  First Saturdays are still going on.  I'll also be hosting a couple more work party's before then to continue on improving the course.  Cheers to everyone that has helped so far!!  This includes the slalom community, the League of NW Whitewater Racers, Kayak Academy, the University of Washington crowd, the University of Puget Sound crowd, and the Washington Kayak Club, and anyone else who just has a love for the site and came to help out!  The improvements on the Cedar couldn't have been done without you!!

http://www.nwwhitewater.org/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1851906545025511/

Slalom Course Guidelines

The NW Canoe-Kayak Race Center
Guidelines:


~ALWAYS pull the gate poles up OUT of the water after use.  River levels can rise and we don't want them getting ruined or washed away.

~If you don't understand the gate system, please don't use it.

~I am willing to teach anyone who wants to learn how to use the gate system.  Please read the blog post about how the gates work to help you understand how they function.  I am in the process of collecting illustrations and maintaining the blog to best explain how to use it.  There are currently instructions on each gate station on river LEFT.  I will eventually finalize these and laminate them when the 2017 project is complete.

~If any part of the gates, wires, or ropes fall into the river, PLEASE REMOVE THEM FROM THE RIVER.  We cannot leave hazards in the river.

~You can also email me at megspk@gmail.com to get instructions or if you have questions about the gates.

Updated 3/11/17

How The Gates Work as of 3-5-2017

I spent about 6 hours taking notes, walking the course, and paddling it a couple times too on Sunday March 5, 2107.  I ran into Dave Zimmerman who was one of the minds and designers behind the gates at the NW Canoe-Kayak Race Center.  HOW LUCKY IS THAT?!  I saw the gates moving downstream when I was taking notes upstream.  Someone had dropped the poles all the way into the river and I was wondering if they knew what they were doing.  So I ran over there and introduced myself.  Dave must have thought I was crazy.  When I realized who he was and what he was doing. I quickly grabbed a pen and my index cards and started taking notes on what he was doing to get the gates to work.  I stuffed my notes in the ropes to come back and rewrite.  Dave only had so much time to get the gates set and get a paddle in before he had to leave so I had to keep up.  I was literally helping him move gates, taking notes as fast as I could, and running around following Dave. He got gates I thought were broken and non fuctional working!!!  I took photos of all the notes I've taken so far.  There will be more I'm sure in the future.  I'm hoping to eventually laminate and affix directions on the posts so people can continue to use and learn the gate system.  Dave was also kind enough to give me some slalom lessons and we paddled a couple laps together.  He taught me how to work the river better for mastering the gates and gave me some great paddling technique critiques.  I'm so grateful I found him at the course randomly!

ORANGE TWINE is tied to the base of the nails on the gate stations to signify the POLE/SLACK line.  This is the line that will give and take SLACK and move the POLES UP/DOWN.  The twine is tied to the top and bottom nails to make it more obvious.  The plan is to replace it with another color duct tape (not gold or silver).

GOLD and SILVER duct tape are used when two different gates are managed at the same gate station.  Look for it wrapped at the base of the TOP nails on the stations.

All gates that function via river LEFT only have two ropes used to adjust them up/down and right/left.  I will refer to the line that moves the POLES as the POLE/SLACK line (orange twine indicator).  I will refer to the line that moves the gate right/left as the CART line.  

So for the gates that can be moved completely on river LEFT ONLY are Gates 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16.

If you are moving a gate that is directed ALL on the river LEFT side and you are wanting to move the gate towards river RIGHT, you must GIVE SLACK with the POLE/SLACK* line and you would TAKE up the slack of the other assigned rope* around the nails.  To move the gate river LEFT you would TAKE SLACK with the POLE/SLACK line and wind it around the nails and you would GIVE SLACK with the other rope assigned to that gate.

*Each gate is color coded GOLD or SILVER.  Only manage one gate at a time to keep ropes from being confused.

*QUICK TIP: Moving gates to river LEFT seems to be the easiest way to move them, river RIGHT seems to be more difficult.  When moving gates towards river RIGHT you will have to give a lot of SLACK in the POLE/SLACK line to take off enough tension on the CART (top gate board) to allow it to move.  Sometimes we had to lower the poles to river level to get enough slack the in the rope so we could get the cart to move.

-PLEASE ALWAYS LIFT POLES HIGH OUT OF THE WATER WHEN YOU ARE DONE.  THE GATES COULD GET SWEPT AWAY OR RUINED IN HIGH WATER EVENTS.-

Directions for the gates at the NW Canoe-Kayak Race Center:

GATE 2:

Gate 2 directions from river RIGHT.

This gate is NOT WORKING. (3/5/17)

Gate 2 is stuck in the bushes on river RIGHT currently.  We could attach ropes and get it river LEFT to switch it out and repair it. I'd like to attach rope for river RIGHT to the gate that's currently there and utilize it to drag the rope across for us.  We will still need a water assist to walk the gate across to the river LEFT so it can be worked on.

GATE 3:

Gate 3 Pulley Gate:

This gate uses a clothesline system with pole assist.  

This gate is adjustable via river LEFT.

Gate 3 directions from river RIGHT.

Gate 3 direction from river LEFT

This gate currently WORKS. (3/5/17)

Functions from river LEFT.

GATE 4:

Gate 4 directions from river LEFT.

This gate currently WORKS. (3/5/17)

Marked with SILVER duct tape.

Functions from river LEFT.

GATE 5:

Gate 5 directions from river LEFT.

This gate currently WORKS. (3/5/17)

Marked with GOLD duct tape.

Functions from river LEFT.

     

Gate 4 and 5 station.  What the poles look like currently.  I put the directions for each gate on index cards and put them in ziplock bags to keep them legible.  There is a marker in one of the bags at the Gate 4 and 5 station.  I left extra index cards in many of the baggies for communications.  Please leave the date and a note if you change, fix, or break something!  THANK YOU!

GATE 6:

Gate 6 directions from river LEFT.

This gate is WORKING. (3/5/17)

Functions from river LEFT.

GATE 7:

 Gate 7 directions from river LEFT.  Gate 7 shares and adjustment pole with Gate 8.  So Gate 7 is labeled with SILVER duct tape.

This gate currently WORKS. (3/5/17)

Functions from river LEFT.

GATE 8:

 Gate 8 directions from river LEFT.  

This gate currently is NOT WORKING. (3/5/17)

Gate 8 is a different gate.  The adjustment ropes are in two different places.  I labeled their nails (what the rope gets wound/unwound from) with GOLD duct tape at the base of the nail and it's also using orange twine instead of rope at this time.

 Gate 8 directions from river LEFT.

This gate currently NOT WORKING. (3/5/17)

Marked with GOLD duct tape.
Functions from river LEFT.

Gate 8 needs 2 people to work the easiest since the right/left and pole/slack lines are in two different places.

Gate 8 has issues!  The gate works for the most part, but there is a knot in the rope line that works the pole/slack line that gets stuffed in the eye bolt and won't slide through. The gate needs to be pulled river left and have the knot removed or retied.  Or perhaps replace the pole line with new rope. 

GATE 9:

Gate 9 directions from river LEFT.

This gate currently is NOT WORKING. (3/5/17)

Functions from river RIGHT and river LEFT.

Poles/slack adjust on river LEFT.

Gate 9 has issues.  There are directions tied to the tree with instruction on what needs to be done.  There is alot of extra rope on river LEFT.  You have to pull the gate from river RIGHT to move it RIGHT.  To move it LEFT it must be pulled from river LEFT.  The river LEFT rope needs to be pulled towards the tree closer to the roadside (trail road) and put through the metal loops up in the tree.  The metal loop portion may need to wait til the next work party.  If the rope can be tied to a tree for now the gate may become functional enough to use for the races with the temporary fix. The pole rope on the river RIGHT side needs to be restrung and retied.  The eye bolt was missed on the river LEFT side so the ropes are more likely to get tangled if left the way they are.

GATE 10:

Gate 10 doesn't exist.  

This gate is NOT WORKING. (3/5/17)

There's a rope crossing the river that marks where a wire needs to be placed and perhaps a new tree setting.  

GATE 11:

Gate 11 directions from river LEFT.

This gate is WORKING. (3/5/17)

Functions from river LEFT.

This gate has all it's original parts!

GATE 12:

Gate 12 directions from river LEFT.

This gate is WORKING. (3/5/17)

Functions from river LEFT.

GATE 13:

Gate 13 directions from river LEFT.

This gate is WORKING. (3/5/17)

Functional from river LEFT. (I think, could also be adjusted by river LEFT and RIGHT ropes-this needs to be investigated 3/8/17)

This gate does have a few problems though.

I ran  out of daylight to record notes on gates 14, 15, 16 that are right above the bridge.  These gates function all from river LEFT and appear to be WORKING. (3/5/17)  These gates do need work.

ORANGE TWINE is tied to the base of the nails on the gate stations to signify the POLE/SLACK line.  This is the line that will give and take SLACK and move the POLES UP/DOWN.  The twine is tied to the top and bottom nails to make it more obvious.  The plan is to replace it with duct tape.

GOLD and SILVER duct tape are used when two different gates are managed at the same gate station.  Look for it wrapped at the base of the TOP nails on the stations.

So for the gates that can be moved completely on river LEFT ONLY are Gates 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16.

How I found out about the NW Canoe-Kayak Race Center

One day I was browsing through Facebook.  I'm connected with multiple kayaking groups online, local and far away and

I came across "First Saturday Slalom" get togethers.  The post was on the NW League of Whitewater Racers Facebook page.  Here's a link for their group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/152102868187311/

First Saturdays are a group of people that show up to the Cedar River at Landsburg Park and paddle the course for fun, exercise, and to learn to slalom on the first Saturday of each month at 10am.  Joey Yeaple has been bringing the group together.  Typically there are some slalom paddlers there and plastic boats there.  The local college groups like to come out and practice as do many local paddlers.  

I attended my First Saturday in January of this year.  It's been a cold winter and water levels were low.  I had been looking for something different to do and slalom was it!  When I got to the Cedar River I was disappointed to find out the gates didn't really work and they were falling apart.  Even though the gates didn't work, we still pretended they were there and made up our own course.  I had a ton of fun trying to make the moves we chose and wanted to learn more about slalom.  I also really wanted to fix up the course and make it work again.

Right around the same time I started working at Kayak Academy in Issaquah.  Barb and George own the shop and I told them the story about the gates and how they didn't work.  I told them about the crew I had met at First Saturday and how much fun we had "pretending" to slalom.  They graciously and enthusiastically offered to help me get the supplies needed to repair the course.  I was really surprised and really excited!

Then it was on to the planning stages.  First of all, I don't slalom.  I don't know anything about it except from videos I've watched of Nouria Newman racing, the Olympic races, and the North Fork Payette race.  I started emailing Joey Yeaple to find out who I should talk to about this idea.  I started going to the Cedar River more often to try and understand the gate system and to practice on the "pretend" course.  I started reading about slalom and learning moves from the paddlers I've met at First Saturdays.  Slalom boaters are keen to teach a new generation!!  I got in contact with Jennie Goldberg who's in charge of the League of  NW Whitewater Racers.  She put me in contact with so many great people with a lot of great ideas and suggestions, and  she has contributed much of her own knowledge.  Check out their page.  There's lots of info on the local races and a lot of great information on slalom kayaking.  

http://www.nwwhitewater.org/index.htm

I also had a riverside meeting with George Gronseth, Jennie Goldberg, and Steven Exe to talk about the course and how it's typically used.  We went over what works and what doesn't.  I got a crash course on slalom racing from Jennie in the back of the Kayak Academy van because it was freezing outside when we were at the river.  I took notes in my phone because there was so much information about the history and the people that have paddled at the Cedar River.  This made me want to work on the course even more.  This made me want to bring more people here to utilize this great training ground and to get the gates working better again.

After that I spent more time measuring the current gates and trying to figure out the system.  The rope system is very confusing if you don't know how to use it.  It requires working two ropes at the same time from river left to get the gates to work back and forth and move the poles up and down.  Kayak Academy bought the wire, ropes, and hardware.  They also lent me all the tools and equipment I needed to make new boards and to do the work party.  Clay Ross gave me the pallet wood to work with.  Jennie Goldberg had a stash of PVC pipe poles for the gates that she donated.

Now it was to gather volunteers and wait for the hardware to come in the mail.  I also needed to prep and paint the wood.  There was plenty of pre-work party work to do!

Check out the Cedar River Slalom Project 2017 Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1851906545025511/

2017 Cedar River Project

NW Canoe-Kayak Race Center

Located at the Cedar River, Landsburg Park, Maple Valley, WA

A permanent whitewater slalom course that was first built about 15 years ago (maybe 2001) by some local slalom enthusiasts.  I'll add names and dates as I learn more about the history of the course.

Initially the Cedar River had a river wide cement weir feature at the very top before the slalom course was in place.  Local paddlers helped form the idea of the slalom course, helped design the river features, and eventually placed the gated course that's still there today.

The section of river in which the course is placed is class 2.  The Northwest Slalom Cup is held on the Cedar River every year in the spring and again in the fall.  This year the first race is March 11th and 12th.  The Northwest Slalom Cup offers slalom and downriver races.   All boat types are welcomed.  There is a small fee for the weekend and lots of fun!  Come check them out and participate.  Here's a link for more information on the races: 

http://www.nwwhitewater.org

Over the last 15 years the gates have started to deteriorate a bit, but still work pretty well.  The goal over the next year is to work on replacing the wires, ropes, gates, and poles.  We may potentially add or change some of the current gate positions for course improvement.  We are working on a plan for a beginner course below the bridge too.  

In the past their was a project going on along the Cedar River and the now popular hiking trail used to be road.  There used to be a beginner course below the bridge, but it had to be taken down for the trucks to get through on the road.  Now the project is long over, we can add the beginner course back below the bridge!