The Canoe Slalom and Kayak Cross Olympic Team Trials took place over the weekend in Alabama’s capital city.Saturday, fans packed the banks of Montgomery Whitewater to cheer on world-class kayakers and canoeists as they raced down the rapids.Jed Hinkley, competition director for the American Canoe Association, said this support means a lot to the Olympians and Olympic hopefuls.”Oftentimes these athletes are competing, you know, at venues where it’s largely just coaches, officials and their parents,” Hinkley said. “It varies from location to location, so I know for them it’s really special and really exciting to be able to compete in front of, you know, hundreds of people, thousands of people.” Hinkley said he hopes the competitors will inspire the younger generation, which is exactly why Keri Carlson brought her family.”My husband and I have three boys and we wanted to bring them out, show them what the Olympics are about, what sporting is about, persistence and hard work, and what it takes to get to this level of competition,” Carlson said. She and Kate Taliaferro reflect on these life lessons as they sit just feet away from all the excitement.”To be able to sit right next to the water and to just cheer on these amazing athletes that we didn’t really know a whole lot about, we’re learning about a whole new sport today, which is really exciting,” Taliaferro said. Charity Borg and her husband are in the same boat. They were excited to spend quality time with their family while learning more about Canoe Slalom.”It’s really awesome,” Borg said. “Great to see the Olympic trials, definitely not something we’ve seen before.”Borg said her family loves water sports and wanted their young kids to see these top athletes.
The Canoe Slalom and Kayak Cross Olympic Team Trials took place over the weekend in Alabama’s capital city.
Saturday, fans packed the banks of Montgomery Whitewater to cheer on world-class kayakers and canoeists as they raced down the rapids.
Jed Hinkley, competition director for the American Canoe Association, said this support means a lot to the Olympians and Olympic hopefuls.
“Oftentimes these athletes are competing, you know, at venues where it’s largely just coaches, officials and their parents,” Hinkley said. “It varies from location to location, so I know for them it’s really special and really exciting to be able to compete in front of, you know, hundreds of people, thousands of people.”
Hinkley said he hopes the competitors will inspire the younger generation, which is exactly why Keri Carlson brought her family.
“My husband and I have three boys and we wanted to bring them out, show them what the Olympics are about, what sporting is about, persistence and hard work, and what it takes to get to this level of competition,” Carlson said.
She and Kate Taliaferro reflect on these life lessons as they sit just feet away from all the excitement.
“To be able to sit right next to the water and to just cheer on these amazing athletes that we didn’t really know a whole lot about, we’re learning about a whole new sport today, which is really exciting,” Taliaferro said.
Charity Borg and her husband are in the same boat. They were excited to spend quality time with their family while learning more about Canoe Slalom.
“It’s really awesome,” Borg said. “Great to see the Olympic trials, definitely not something we’ve seen before.”
Borg said her family loves water sports and wanted their young kids to see these top athletes.
