2012 U.S. Olympic Trials for Whitewater Slalom
Event Info:
What: 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials for Whitewater Slalom and 2012 Canadian Olympic Trials
Where: U.S. National Whitewater Center
Dates: Thursday, April 12 – Saturday, April 14
Spectator Schedule: Official runs from 3 – 7 p.m. each day of competition
Athlete Registration: Visit the Slalom Page for more information.
Music & Fireworks Finale: Live music by Donna the Buffalo and fireworks to close out the evening
Cost: Free and open to the public.
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Event Details:
Athletes will compete from 3 – 7 p.m. each day of the competition. The competition winners will be announced as part of a finale featuring live music by Donna the Buffalo and a fireworks display on Saturday night.
About the Olympic Selection Process
Whitewater Slalom athletes will compete in the Olympic disciplines of men’s and women’s Kayak (K1M and K1W) and men’s single and two person Canoe (C1 and C2). Based on an athlete’s placing in races throughout the year, including the U.S. Olympic Trials, points are assigned to rank the athletes within their disciplines. The athlete (or team of athletes for C2) with the highest point total in each qualified discipline will be nominated to represent the U.S. at the Olympic Games. Thus, a maximum of five U.S. athletes will have the chance to compete in London.
About Whitewater Slalom
In Whitewater Slalom, athletes have to navigate their canoe or kayak through gates as they work their way through 300 meters of whitewater rapids in the fastest time possible. Hitting one of the hanging gates or missing one completely results in time penalties which are added to the paddler’s time at the end of his or her run. A 2-second penalty is given for a touched gate, and if the gate is missed completely there is a 50-second penalty. There are approximately 18-24 hanging gates for each course. The gates are color-coded to indicate which direction the paddler must pass through. Green gates are negotiated heading downstream while red gates require the paddler to reverse direction and pass through them heading upstream.
Whitewater Slalom made its Olympic debut during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich and did not reappear until the 1992 Games in Barcelona. The Olympic program includes Men’s and Women’s Single Kayak (K1M and K1W), and Men’s Single and Double Canoe (C1 and C2).
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[...] Olympic qualifier, will be held March 8-11 in Charlotte. This key event will be followed by the US and Canadian Olympic Trials for canoe slalom, taking place April 12-14. Finally, the eventful spring will conclude with the Charlotte [...]