Tasmania to Host National Whitewater Champs

Organisers from Canoe Tasmania and Canoeing WA are pleased to announce that in one month’s time, Tasmania will provide the three venues for the 2016 Australian Canoe Slalom and Wildwater Championships run in cooperation with Australian Canoeing. The 2016 event will be held between 1 and 12 January 2016 at three, natural whitewater courses in Tasmania’s picturesque North West and Central regions:

1. 1 to 7 January: Upper Mersey – Australian Wildwater and Slalom Champs 2016
2. 8 to 9 January: Brady’s Lake – WW Rapid Sprint and Slalom Training
OR: Forth River – All Schools Slalom and Wildwater practice
3. 10 to 12 January: Forth River – 2015 Australian All Schools Wildwater and Slalom Champs

Talented Tasmanian paddlers will be strong contenders for national selection with 20-year-old Daniel Watkins (the youngest member of the Australian Canoe Slalom Senior Team in the 2015 World Cup series) and, 18-year-old Kate Eckhardt who achieved 3rd place in the C1 section of the Junior World Canoe Slalom Championships held in Brazil, April 2015 both in the running. They will be competing against the best in the country with high-profile athletes such as Olympic silver medalist and reigning Women’s C1 World Champion, Jessica Fox and, Lucien Delfour ranked 3rd in the world for Men’s K1 expected to join January’s lineup.

Race Director, Lucy Williams expects to host more than 200 participants, support teams and visitors from across Australia for the ten race days.
“We are expecting competitors from every state with most intending to stay on afterward to enjoy the very best of Tasmania’s many tourist activities, Lucy said.

Full details of program are online – http://canoe.org.au/events/2016-australian-ww-and-slalom-and-schools-championships/

Media enquiries: Moya Deigan 04000 75202
 
2016 Australian Canoe Slalom and Wildwater Championships Background

Fast Facts

1 to 7 January
The Mersey River cuts a gorge up to 600 m deep into the face of the Central Plateau where its steeply falling water is harnessed for hydroelectric power. Lake Rowallan, the main storage reservoir, marks the start of the National Championships Wildwater course that ends 4.5km later at Parangana Dam. This incorporates the 500m National Championships Slalom course of technical and rocky grade 2-3 whitewater.
Wildwater Course length: 4.5 kilometres Slalom Course length: 500 metres
Difficulty: Grade 2/3 Difficulty: Grade 2/3

8 to 9 January
Brady’s Lake whitewater course sees Woodward’s Canal (a man-made section of water) join Bronte Lagoon to Brady’s Lake taking water from Nive River through to the Tungatinah Power Station. It has been used for many Australian Championships and selection races since for over 40 years. In October 2009, a World Cup Wildwater Rapid Sprint was held from below the ‘cruncher’ to the lake as a part of the World Cup wildwater races held in various venues around Tasmania. It is used extensively by Tasmanian Slalom paddlers, recreational paddlers and also for National training camps.
Course length: 600 metres
Difficulty: Grade 3 to 4

8 to 9 & 10 to 12 January
The Forth River white water course is the site for the National Schools Championships. This course has numerous, easy grade 2 rapids with fast green chutes, small waves and good eddies used extensively for teaching moving water basic skills and slalom techniques.
Course length: 3.3 kilometres
Difficulty: Grade 2
Moya Deigan