I spent some time this morning watching the US Olympic team training at ASCI on the whitwater course. WOW! They're fast and incredibly skilled. Long & Foster Real Estate Inc is a proud sponsor of ASCI, and on behalf of everyone at L&F, we are pulling for these guys to have a strong showing in China at the Olympics next month. I have some video via YouTube below and a photo gallery of the session. My good friend Brian Homberg is deeply involved and had this to say in an e-mail to me earlier this week:
"Come and see them paddle, for they are true masters of whitewater sport. They will be demonstrating a dicey game of inches in an obscure and very physically demanding sport which takes years to master and about which they are very passionate. Their significance is that they are Olympic medal contenders visiting the whitewater haven of Garrett County on their way to Beijing, China.
Scott Parsons in particular has an excellent chance to finish for a medal and accomplish what no other male American kayaker has ever done, to be the first to win a medal at an Olympic Games. Dana Chladek of Bethesda, MD did it twice. She claimed the silver medal in both ?92 and ?96.
Scott has a chance to propel whitewater sport to a whole new level of public awareness with a medal finish. He placed 5th in the previous Athens Games. It has taken decades of the ratcheting up of all previous U.S. Teams to be able to compete in a European dominated sport, where whitewater kayaking and racing is popular and skiers, rock climbers and kayakers are national sports heroes and household names.
I will be rooting for him. Scotty (and his parents) trusted me to lead him down his first class 3 rapids at Nantahala Falls in NC when he was 9 years old many years ago.
Back in my younger days I competed with some of these athletes as a member of the U.S. Team in the 1990?s as I came close at the Olympic Trials on the Savage River in ?92 and even closer in ?96 to go to the Olympics in men?s singles kayak. My fantastic consolation prize is my two kids, Garrett County, and it?s beautiful whitewater treasures.
I know these team members personally and know how much of a shoe string you live on to be at a world-class level in whitewater slalom racing. Meet them and give them your support this Thursday at the Santa Fe Grill in McHenry from 12:30-2:00 pm! Wish them well in the coming weeks ahead!
They are very familiar with Garrett County's spectacular rivers as one of the premier whitewater sport destination areas in the country, where residents warmly and skillfully hosted the 1989 World Championships on the Savage River. They are true ambassadors of a more amateur side of the Olympic Spirit.
But the real showcase is the public awareness side of preserving and conserving our free flowing rivers and streams as recreation areas. Get involved. Join our newly formed local paddling club www.youghpaddlingclub.org or be a volunteer for upcoming national and international events. There just might be a future Olympic Champion among the ranks of Garrett County school students. Scott Parsons didn?t have the Youghiogheny River or a whitewater training course in his town when he was younger. We both originate from Ohio and had to drive hours to get to whitewater rivers and races. There is a fantastic opportunity right here for learning and enjoying a fun and physical sport. Plug in at www.adventuresportscenter.com!"
Happy Paddling!
Brian Homberg
Whitewater Programs Manager
301-501-0131 cell
bhomberg@adventuresportscenter.com
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