The wasteland that thrived with sport

What could have become a wasteland post Sydney Olympics has turned into a thriving tourist sport destination. Penrith Whitewater rafting is just one of the many adventure sports on offer at the International Regatta Centre that hosted the whitewater slalom, rowing and flat water sprint at the 2000 Olympics. It was set up by the Penrith City Council. “It was always the aim that this would be something for the people after the Olympics,” Penrith Whitewater marketing coordinator Simonetta Lo Po’ told The Daily Telegraph. “We are the only rafting in Sydney and we are the only man-made course in the southern hemisphere. It’s more local but people come from all over the world to train here.” essica Fox, who picked up silver at the London Olympics, is one of the regulars at the facility. And the international junior world championships were also recently held here. The facility is open 10 months of the year, closing for the cooler months of July and August. On average 20,000 visitors make use of ...more

Breckenridge’s Ark Shark rafting team bound for World Championships

 

For the 13th year in a row a team from the Colorado High Country claimed the U.S. Raft Association’s National Rafting Championship title. But for the first time in 12 years, it wasn’t the Vail Valley-based Behind the 8 Ball men’s whitewater team.

Breckenridge’s Ark Sharks rafting team took top honors earlier this month at nationals on the Cal Salmon River in Northern California. With the win the four-man team earned a chance to compete in the World Rafting Championships scheduled to take place in Foz de Iguacu City, Brazil, this fall.

“It’s great. We put in so much time over the last four or five years,” team co-founder John Anicito said. “This is the...more

Floods in Serbia!

 

Due to extremely high rainfall, and flooding over the last few days, the Serbian government has declared a State of Emergency.

The Ministry of Youth and Sport has issued a request tonight (May 15.) to cancel or postpone all sport events until further notice. Therefore, even though everything is ready for EC Serbia-Nis 2014 and the Third Open University Championship, we have to cancel these events.

We will for sure organize these events on a different date when the State of Emergency is ...more

South Croydon woman dies in Peru rafting accident

 

Elisa Ly, 25, of South Croydon, drowned after falling into the River Vilcanota in Cusco, southeast Peru, after a strong wave hit her inflatable raft.
The former Wallington High School for Girls student was rafting with a guide and five other tourists at the time, Peruvian media reported.
Her family told the Advertiser: "Elisa was always full of love, life and energy. She was the joy in our lives and will always be in our hearts. We miss her dearly."
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said it was liaising with authorities locally over the incident, which took place shortly after 4.30pm local time on April 14.
Friends have also paid tribute to Elisa, a keen sportswoman who worked as a tax advisor for BDO LLP after graduating from Warwick University. Writing on social media, a colleague described her as "full of energy" and "a joy to be around".
The colleague added: "We both had a passion for fitness and were helping each other train for the London Marathon and Tough Mudder by going for our Friday morning runs around Regents Park. (...) I am grateful that I was able to get to know her."
Peruvian media reported that Miss Ly was rafting with ...more

Companies keep a close eye on conditions as commercial rafting season opens

Lots of snow means big runoff and the potential for a good rafting season, but there's a thin line before too much snowmelt makes conditions unsafe.

The season on the Poudre River opens Thursday, after a winter where snowpack levels across Colorado reached 120 percent of average. The North Platte River basin reached 142 percent of normal and the South Platte reached 148 percent, according to the natural resources conservation service.

For rafting businesses, the hope is that the snowpack melts fast enough to keep the rivers flowing swiftly but not so fast that conditions become unsafe, as they did in 2011.

"The water level was great yesterday. It's only going to get higher and higher as the season goes on," said Pat Legel, of Wanderlust Adventure.

Typically, peak runoff usually starts in early June.

Last year, 37,214 customers rafted down the Poudre River. That business is considered average, but was also ...more

White Salmon River rafting

This ice-blue river cuts through the dark alleyway of a collapsed lava tube, thunders across numerous Class III and IV rapids and even drops down a 10-foot waterfall on what’s been called the best half-day river trip in the Pacific Northwest.
Many outfitters offer rafting trips on this 44-mile tributary of the Columbia River, guiding clients through rapids with names like Maytag, Sharks Tooth, Corkscrew and Rattlesnake.
Some outfitters have started bringing clients into ...more

Farooq Shah re-elected Prez JK Rafting Association

 

Srinagar, Dec 12: Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Farooq Ahmad Shah was today re-elected as President of Jammu & Kashmir White Water Rafting Association.
As per a statement, the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the association was held here on Wednesday which was attended by general and executive body members apart from its office bearers. The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Shah who is also the President of the Association.
Elections were held in the meeting itself and eleven members of the association were elected to its executive committee.
Shah was re-elected as President of the Association while as Shaukat Putoo was elected as Secretary General, Riyaz Amin Shah as Vice President, Mansoor Hassan as Treasurer, Tariq Khan as Secretary and Ahsan Banday as Organizer.
On the occasion President, Farooq A Shah stressed upon the need to create mass awareness among students and general public about the fragile ecosystem and biodiversity “and how to take care of the water bodies and reduce carbon foot prints”.
“December 11 is celebrated globally as International Mountain Day, designated by the United Nations. Mountains are crucial to life. Whether we  ...more