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Man-made whitewater in Reno |
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Written by Alex Close
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Wednesday, 31 May 2006 |
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 As 11-year-old Reno resident Jason Craig paddled his tiny Jackson Kayak frantically into the freestyle wave feature at Reno’s Wingfield whitewater park, his little boat bounced around in the wave and looked as if it might get flushed right out.
But Craig had other plans and he plunged the nose of his boat into the rushing wave. As it shot up out of the water, he flung it around for a front loop — freestyle kayaking’s version of a forward flip. As the crowd exploded with cheers Craig spun his boat around and did the same thing backward.
The crowd exploded again as Craig let himself flush out of the feature and paddled, with a smile from ear to ear, over to the bank where he received a high five from numerous pro kayakers waiting for a competition – part of the Reno River Festival – to start.
Eric Jackson, one of the top freestyle kayakers in the world, and owner of Jackson Kayaks whistled from the banks.
“That’s the future of kayaking right there,” Jackson said.
That is the allure of Reno’s Wingfield Whitewater Park, situated on the Truckee River just as it enters downtown Reno.
Wingfield Park was constructed in 90 days for just under $2 million. It consists of the Truckee River,split into two channels, separated by two large grassy areas and an amphitheater. The north channel is designed for the freestyle competitions, containing two wave features for surfing. The south channel is basically a slalom course with gates and random boulders in the water. Seven thousand tons of flat rocks are piled on the banks of the river in the park to serve as spectator seating for competitions.
The river was manipulated in a way to create class two and three rapids and 11 drop pools, making it a perfect place for beginners to learn.
According to Jackson, kids like Craig who spend their time in whitewater parks popping up all over the country is where kayaking is going.
With a balanced combination of beginning flow and gentle pools, as well as medium sized wave features, slalom gates and middle class rapids – and being located right in the heart of downtown Reno, Wingfield is an ideal place to explore the sport of kayaking.
There are no hikes to drop-off points, shuttling back to cars or remote rapid locations.
And for kids who are in school or don’t have time to dedicate a whole day to getting to and from good rapids, Wingfield is the place to go.
That’s why young Craig has been practicing in Wingfield park. He says it’s a great place to learn. He said it has a lot of the basic things you want in a park, which according to him are both beginner and advanced features.
“It’s also close to your car, if you get cold you can just take out,” Craig said.
Photos:
Top: 10 year old Dane Jackson showing the pros how it's done. Dane was one of the few, if not only doing 'backflips' in the rapid. Everyone was impressed. Photo by Court Leve/Tahoe World
Middle: Eric Jackson, a pro kayaker on the rodeo circuit, performs a helix in the rodeo hole at Reno's new Truckee River Whitewater Park during Friday's grand opening. Photo by Brian D. Schultz.
Bottom: Kayakers wait their turn at the Truckee River Whitewater Park. Photo by Court Leve
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 June 2006 )
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