EVENT DESCRIPTION:

This weekend clinic, which this year is being co-organized by KCCNY and the ACA Atlantic Division Open Canoe Slalom Committee, is intended to introduce novice and intermediate paddlers to slalom competition as a means to enhance their whitewater skills and assumes some river paddling competence. Special emphasis is placed on youngsters and women at this event. The clinic will be held on the Class 1 to 2- whitewater of the Housatonic Canoe and Kayak Squad's (H.A.C.K.S.) slalom practice site at the River House in Falls Village, CT. This river section is slightly more difficult than the Class 1 of the original 10 Mile River Clinic site.

The competition is divided into novice and expert divisions with the emphasis on instruction rather than competition. The race is further broken down into classes that are defined by the number of paddlers (solo or tandem), their sex, their age, and/or the type and length of their boat. The race will include classes for "recreational" (REC) whitewater boats, separate from the specialized slalom boat classes. While a limited number of open and decked slalom boats may be available for participants to try out, if you have a whitewater boat of any type, please bring it so that there will be no waiting lines for boats when the clinic is in progress. Be sure to indicate on the entry form the type of boat that you'll be bringing.

Whitewater canoe and kayak slalom is a timed event over a prescribed course, not unlike ski slalom, but with some notable differences. The gates, which are numbered, must be run in order. Some of the gates, with green and white poles, require the paddler to paddle downstream through them, while others, with red and white poles, require upstream negotiation. The clear gate number shows the side to approach the gate and the red slashed gate number is the exit side of the gate. It is permissible to run a gate in a reverse, or stern first, attitude to make the gate easier to negotiate. In addition to time, penalties are assessed for touching or missing the gates. These penalties are added to the time in seconds to form a total score for the run. For this clinic, both open and closed boats will use the better of their two runs for the final ranking.

SCHEDULE:

Saturday
	08:00 am to 10:00 am		Late Registration
	08:00 am to Noon		Course Set-Up
	12:30 pm to 03:30 pm		Slalom Clinic
	03:30 pm to Dark		Open Practice

Sunday
	Dawn to 09:45 am		Open Practice
	10:00 am to 10:15 am		Competitor's Meeting
	10:30 am to Conclusion		Slalom Race
	Immediately after race		Course Take Down
	After course take down		Awards

REGISTRATION FEES:

Registration fees for the Clinic are per person charges regardless of the number of race classes entered. Pre-registration fees for entries received by the Wednesday before the race are fifteen dollars ($15) per person for novices and five dollars per person for experts (who will be asked to help with clinic instruction). An additional five dollar ($5) late registration fee will be charged for any entries received thereafter, including on-site registrations Saturday morning, 8 to 10 AM.


ENTRY PROCEDURE:

Mail completed entry form and signed ACA waiver, including a check for the correct amount made payable to:

KCCNY Slalom Clinic Registrar
7 Newbury Place
Huntington, NY 11743-3240
631-351-3099

Entries should be mailed no later than the Saturday one week prior to the event to ensure receipt prior to the pre-registration deadline. Late entries will be accepted at the race site from 8:00 to 10:00 AM on Saturday, the first day of the event, for an additional five dollars ($5) per person.


DIRECTIONS:

From the Mass Turnpike, I-90: Get off at Exit #2, near Lee, MA, and take Route 102 south and east about 5 miles to US Route 7. Go south on US Route 7 for about 23 miles to the CT/MA border. Continue on US Route 7 for another 7 miles to Falls Village, CT.

From I-84: Take exit #7 near Danbury, CT, and go north on Route 7 for about 45 miles to Falls Village, CT.

At Falls Village: Go west on Route 126 about a half mile to the "T" intersection and turn left on Point of Rock Road. Go a short distance, then turn right under the railroad tracks and go down the hill and across an iron bridge over the Housatonic River. Turn left immediately onto Dugway Road, and left again in a few yards onto a dirt driveway into a small park situated across the river from the Falls Village Hydro Plant. If you miss the first drive, there is another about 150 yards farther down Dugway Road. This park is the put-in for the H.A.C.K.S. slalom practice course and the headquarters for the clinic. If you pass the H.A.C.K.S. RIVER HOUSE (third house on the right across the road from a small barn, typically with a bunch of kayaks stored on outdoor racks) and/or you see gates hanging over the river to your left, then you're just past the put-in.


CAMPING:

While camping is NOT available directly at the race site, primitive camping (no amenities) is available in a nearby open field. Directions will be provided upon check-in Saturday morning. If directions are needed in advance, contact the race chairman at jcoraor@optonline.net or 631-271-3909.

In addition, you might consider more developed camping facilities at either of the following locations. Please remember that, as this is Memorial Day weekend, reservations well in advance are advisable.

HOUSATONIC MEADOWS STATE PARK - CAMPSITE: Click here, (No Alcohol Allowed), (860) 672-6772.


LODGING:

HILL TOP HAVEN B&B: Click here, West Cornwall, CT, (860) 672-6871.

GOSHEN MOTEL, Rt. 4, Goshen, CT, (860) 491-9989.


CLINIC:

The clinic on Saturday will be broken down at the discretion of the organizers into at least three groups (e.g. kayaks, solo canoes and tandem canoes) and will last about two hours. Practice on the course during the clinic will be reserved for clinic participants.


RACE CLASSES:

Classes will be divided into Novice and Expert divisions as required. A paddler who has finished in either the top three in an NESS class of five or more boats or the top 50 percent in Slalom Nationals in either open or closed boat will be considered an expert. The race chairman reserves the right to reassign any competitor to the other division in order to maintain fair competition. Experts may enter up to three classes in the race and may be asked to help with instruction in the clinic. All others may enter two classes in the slalom race and one in the clinic.

OC-1 Short (13') for men, women, masters (40 or over*), and juniors (under 19*); OC-1 Medium (15') for men, women, masters, and juniors; OC-2 (15') for men, women, mixed, masters, cadet/senior, and juniors; C-1 for men, women, masters, juniors, and cadets (under 15*); C-2 for men, women, mixed, cadet/senior, masters, juniors, and cadets, and, K-1 for men, women, masters, juniors, and cadets. Separate REC classes for recreational whitewater boats of any length will be held in each class as required. (*Age as of December 31 of the calendar year of competition.)

NOTE: For decked boat paddlers under 19*, this race is a qualifying event for the 2008 USACK Whitewater Slalom Junior Olympic Championships to be held in Wausau, WI, from July 7th – July 14th. For further information visit http://www.wausauwhitewater.org/.


RACE OPERATIONS:

Open boats will use the 2007 ACA OC Slalom Racing Rules, with 10 penalty seconds per gate touched and the better of the two runs count for final ranking. Closed boats will use the 2007 ICF Slalom Racing Rules, with 2 penalty seconds per gate touched and the better of the two runs for final ranking. Awards will be given to the top three boats in each class. All competitors will be expected to perform a work assignment during the race.