Canoe and kayak slalom athletes competed in Oklahoma City this weekend for their chance to represent the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The team trials coincided with the opening of Oklahoma City’s Riversport Rapids whitewater rafting and kayaking center. The new $45.2 million Riversport Rapids center at Oklahoma City’s Boathouse District is part of the MAPS 3 one cent municipal sales tax.
Casey Eichfeld is going to the Rio games in the single canoe event, and is competing for a spot in canoe doubles. It will be his third time at the Olympics. He said the Oklahoma City facility is elite and challenging.
“One of our natural enemies tends to be wind, which unfortunately, Oklahoma is full of,” Eichfeld said. “But I actually see it as an opportunity for us to train in an environment that is less than ideal for us because if we can learn how to paddle and train and race efficiently in conditions like this, then that’s going to be an advantage we can bring to a later competition, maybe even the Olympics.”
Eichfeld said going to multiple Olympics has been helpful because he has been able to build knowledge and experience. In Rio de Janeiro, he is setting his eyes on the gold.
“I am looking for the top of the podium,” Eichfeld said. “That’s where I want to be. That’s been the dream all along.”
The Oklahoma City whitewater site is one only a handful of Olympic-quality man-made whitewater training facilities in the United States.
Joe Jacobi is an Olympic gold medalist in whitewater canoe slalom, and the former CEO of USA Canoe/Kayak, the sport’s governing body. He said the training center’s unique location - in a downtown urban area - provides opportunities for athletes who want to train for Olympic sports as well as go to college.
“Norman is 18 miles south of here. You have Stillwater that’s an hour’s drive from here. You have tons of colleges to choose from right here in Oklahoma City,” Jacobi said. “Athletes don’t have to decide, ‘Do I want to go to college or do I want to train in whitewater for the Olympics? I can do both.’ They don’t have to give away one to do the other. They can both complement each.”
Athletes at the weekend trials ranged in experience and age. Some, like Eichfeld, are veteran Olympic athletes. Others, like Jacobi’s 15 year old daughter, are still learning the sport and gaining experience through the competition.
“For everyone, it’s your relationship with the water is completely unique to you. That’s what whitewater is all about. There’s a lot of force, there’s a lot of energy out there, there’s a lot of obstacles out there. Everyone has a very unique fingerprint in how you navigate that and, ultimately, how you define success,” Jacobi said.
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