Tradition continues this weekend as Ledyard Canoe Club holds the 32nd annual Mascoma White Water Race, the nation's oldest collegiate white water competition. Running both Saturday and Sunday the event draws "some of the area's top racers," according to Race Chief Jamie Shandro '98.
Performances at the competition, which is sanctioned by the American Canoe Association, count toward national rankings and toward the New England Cup, a series of races which began last weekend on the White River.
Ian Stewart '96 is a prime competitor in Sunday's down-river white water event. Stewart finished third last week.
Stewart characterized down-river racing as a "point to point race over white water," saying that results are usually determined by a "mix of skill and reading the white water and training."He also said that this weekend's event "will bea tougher race," than last weekend, bringing together a better overall field.
The Mascoma River is a class III river, and the down-river course stretches for three and a half miles.
Down-river racing uses longer and thinner boats, than the classical kayaks used in the slalom event.
On Saturday competitors will compete in the slalom event; requiring the negotiation of 25 gates suspended above the river. Each gate consists of two vertical bars, 1.6 meters apart. Competitors are required to pass through every gate in a predetermined order during their run. Time penalties are added to the competitors elapsed time for infractions.
Shandro said that for the top racers, it is the "usually the base time, maybe a touch or two" that determines the winner. Each competitor circumnavigates the course twice.
Shandro said that as of Wednesday night approximately 50 racers had signed up for the event, split into a number of classes including the 'plastic boat class' in which many members of Ledyard Canoe Club will be competing.
Ledyard also provides many of more than 40 volunteers needed to organize the event. Shandro said she is also receiving help from members of the Ski Patrol.
Saturdays events begin at 11 a.m. Sundays racing will begin at noon.
