Lachie Milne
Representing Australia in the Canoe Slalom.
Event date: 19 August 2004
Hi from Athens!
I thought you would all like to find out some information about my sport of canoe slalom. At the Olympics, we will be competing at the Athens Whitewater Stadium, at the Hellinikon complex which was the old airport. Also on site are the baseball, softball, hockey, handball and basketball stadiums. The canoe slalom events start later this week (17 to 20 August). My heats are on the 19/8 and hopefully I will also be competing in the finals on the 20/8 - wish me luck!
I have only been competing in the double canoe for the past 18 months, but my goal has been to make top 10 at the world cups this season. Our results have been improving and while we are definitely not favourites for the Olympics, anything can happen and we are hoping that we can surprise the other competitors with a good performance. Who knows what will happen!!!
Just in case your class is doing some research on each of the sports, here's a little bit more information about my sport.
The canoe slalom events involve negotiating a canoe or kayak through a series of 18 to 25 gates suspended over a stretch of whitewater around 300 metres long. Six of the gates will be red and white, and these must be negotiated in the upstream direction, while the others are green and white and must be negotiated in the downstream direction. Each competitor paddles the course alone and must complete two runs in the fastest time possible. This is usually between 100 and 120 seconds. However, penalties are incurred if an error is made. 2 seconds is added to the time if the boat, paddle or body touches a gate, and 50 seconds is added if the competitor misses the gate altogether! As would be expected, the winner is the competitor who finishes with the lowest overall score.
There are four classes that are raced at the Olympics and World Championship level. They are single kayak for both men and women, and single and double canoe for men only. In the kayak events, the competitor sits in the boat, and uses a double bladed paddle to control the boat. In the canoe events, the competitor kneels in the boat and straps themselves in with seatbelt webbing, using a single bladed paddle to control the boat. Everyone does the same course, so you can imagine how difficult it is to get the double canoe (two people) through the gates that normally only one person has to fit through! This is the event that I compete in with my partner, Mark Bellofiore.
If you are interested or need additional information, I have included some links that may be useful below.
International Canoe Federation Slalom Web sites: http://www.canoeicf.com/slalom/committee/news.php
Australian Canoeing Inc: www.canoe.org.au
Penrith Whitewater Stadium: www.penrithwhitewater.com.au
UK paddler's website: www.stuartmcintosh.co.uk
Cheers
Lachie Milne
