A Paddle to Paris: RIVERSPORT to Host U.S. Olympic Team Trials

RIVERSPORT, one of the premier rowing venues in the United States, will host the U.S. Olympic Team Trials this April. Top canoe and kayak athletes will vie for the chance to represent Team USA at the upcoming Paris Olympics. The trials will take place April 26-28. 

"We are thrilled to be partnering with RIVERSPORT to select our Team USA athletes for Paris,” said Beth Spilman, executive director for the American Canoe Association. “The Olympic Trials are always a great opportunity to showcase our amazing sport and athletes, many of whom are among the best in the world. This year, we have the added bonus of being able to introduce the American public and the next generation of paddlers to the exciting and accessible sport of Kayak Cross." 

Kayak Cross is a thrilling and relatively new discipline in the world of kayak racing. Unlike traditional slalom kayaking where athletes take turns navigating a course, Kayak Cross sees four to six athletes racing together from start to finish. 

Competitors must navigate through a series of gates, which are usually inflatable and marked as red or green, similar to slalom racing. The course layout demands quick maneuvering, strategic paddling and the ability to handle rough water. The primary goal is to be the first to cross the finish line. Missing gates, hitting gates or committing fouls can lead to penalties or disqualification. 

Kayak Cross is popular for its adrenaline-fueled action and spectator-friendly format. The excitement of head-to-head racing, combined with the unpredictability of whitewater, makes it an exciting spectator sport. 

Canoe Slalom is a timed event where competitors navigate a challenging whitewater course marked by a combination of upstream and downstream gates. The distinctive single-blade paddle for canoeists and double-bladed paddle for kayakers add an extra layer of skill and strategy to the competition. Time penalties further intensify the challenge, making precision and speed critical for success. 

“We are honored to be hosting U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Canoe Slalom and also qualifying athletes for the first time for the new Kayak Cross discipline making its debut in Paris,” said Mike Knopp, executive director of RIVERSPORT. “We welcome the opportunity to showcase the sport and encourage everyone to come out and enjoy this exciting weekend of racing.” 

RIVERSPORT, a U.S. Olympic and Paralympic training site, provides a state-of-the-art artificial competition channel—a standard now adopted for Olympic Slalom and Kayak Cross events.