Editor's Note: "In Focus" is a new weekly section that will run on the back page each Tuesday. The section is intended to give readers an in-depth look at events and issues that might not normally be covered in the news section. This week's In Focus takes a look at an unusual kayak race that took place at the Dartmouth Skiway over the weekend.
Dartmouth students, kayakers and ski patrol members gathered this past Saturday to participate in the first-annual downhill kayak race, a high-speed event in which contestants maneuvered their boats around slushy moguls and through icy pools of water to earn money for charity.
As kayaks careened down a specially designed course at the Dartmouth Skiway, spectators laughed and cheered at the racers' various mishaps, crashes and splashes.
Russel "Rusty" Cheney '03 , an active Ledyard member, took first place and won a season pass to the Dartmouth Skiway. Cheney's paddling skills translated flawlessly from the water to the snow, as he managed the bumps with an ease that escaped the other contestants.
Kerry Guptill, a kayak shop owner from Barnstead, won second prize and a pair of ski poles. The third prize winner was a Dartmouth student known only as "Patrick," " his last name on the release form was illegible. Fourth and final place went to the contestant with the best crash, which event organizer Vaugh Stites described as "spectacular."
Although the event attracted relatively few people, 18 racers and about 20 spectators who were mostly ski team and Ledyard members, Stites said he was pleased with the outcome.
"It went well for a first event that didn't get much media coverage beforehand. We planted some seeds for the future, had fun and raised awareness for a pretty good cause," Stites said.
This is the fourth year that Stites has organized a downhill kayak race for charity, but the first time he has done so at Dartmouth. A kayak instructor and a ski patrolman for 18 years, Stites combines both of his passions in this event.
"The first time we tried this, people were launching twelve feet in the air off the first burn, then we put up some fences," Stites said.
He continued, "Our course has obstacles to control speed. It simulates white water river without the nasty rocks."
Racer Chris Plehal '04 expressed a common sentiment when he said, "I don't even kayak. I just thought this is something I shouldn't miss. I mean, how many chances do you get to kayak down a ski slope?"
Another racer, Joe Hanlon '05 said of the course, "It's really fast, you hit the snow hard and get wet, but it's really fun."
Ben Zabar '03, who is also active in Ledyard, mentioned that downhill kayaking was not completely new to some Dartmouth kayakers.
"In the past we've actually built an illegal [downhill kayak] jump at an undisclosed location. Ledyard people could actually get a good 10 feet of air," Zabar said.
Watching the event, one cannot help wondering about the health risks involved in this slippery, albeit entertaining, event.
"There is a high potential for hurting myself, of course, mostly because there is a lot less control," Zabar said.
About the possibility of downhill kayaking becoming an Olympic sport, Zabar said, "we're still waiting for ultimate Frisbee to go Olympic."
The $300 collected from entrance fees and hotdog sales will help support Lebanon's, Women Information Service.
This nonprofit organization offers support for women and children who have survived domestic and sexual violence. Since 1971, WISE has been doing crisis intervention and community education.
The decision to donate the money to WISE came from Stites, who said he wanted to help a local organization for battered women.
"One of the hardest things about being in an abusive relationship is that many women have nowhere to go to get out. Unfortunately, they often can't turn to friends or family for help, so these shelters are very important. They give women a safe place to start their lives over again," he said.
"In the future this event will hopefully make enough money to help build new shelters for battered women," Stites concluded.
