July Was A Blur: A Look At Women's Weekend, Race Series Results, ICF Jr. Wildwater World Championships and Deep Thoughts About Fountains

Six months ago we were walking around the course, talking about what this place would look like once we were in full swing. I paused for a moment last week and thought, "so this is what it looks like." Boats filled with happy rafters, the climbing wall fully animated at all levels, families walking around, groups in the conference center, the retail shop packed with souvenier seeking tourists, the patio filled with happy restaurant patrons, all the flatwater boats being used on the Catawba river and bikers a plenty out in the woods.

The second women's weekend of the season took place July 14th and 15th. The Dirt Divas were back hosting mountain bike clinics for all abilities. Here's Jen Dilworth going over some good beta about bike maintenance, trail etiquete and appropriate gear.

Anna Levesque returned for another Girls At Play weekend.
It is always so cool to see more women get into kayaking.





Pyranha was on hand to host another part of our race series. The brought an entire fleet of Speeders for us to race down the comp channel. This was one of the most entertaining races we've held to date. Lots of carnage, lots of sneaky game to gain the lead. Both Kevin and Dinver from Pyranha showed amazing skill and athleticism as they stomped some of our younger locals. I'll add in the exact results once I find the waded up piece of scrap paper I wrote it on which I think is still in a pair of jeans somewhere in the closet.
Some Charlotte locals love the race series so much they've been jumping out of their boats to say so.



The Jr. Wildwater World Championships was the first Internation Canoe Federation event we've held here at the USNWC. It was so impressive to see sixteen different countries represented here in Charlotte.The fans were amazing. Lots of national pride, lots of support for these athletes. I hope we get to continue having these international events if only to continue to bring awareness to the sport of kayaking here in the US.
Taking pictures of wildwater boaters is a challenge. These kids fly!



Last weekend I had the chance to visit Philadelphia. Although it is nowhere near the city of brotherly love like they try to make you believe (I almost got mugged in broad daylight), Philadelphia has one really cool feature; it is legal to play in all public fountains. And after walking around the Constitution Center and various other neat historical attractions, that is exactly what I did. As I watched the droves of folks young and old enjoying the respite from the heat, I began to understand that I am not the only one who has a keen, inherent attraction to water.
City fountains are just one way people can enjoy water. Aren't we lucky to have what we have here in Charlotte to meet our inherent needs. Of course, we don't have cool statues just yet.