By virtue of winning two days of the US Team Trials, Fraker won the overall title in the canoe class.  Larimer won Saturday’s race and finished second, and Crane was third.

The US Team Trials were staged over three days of racing, with each paddler completing two slalom “runs” each day.  The combined time plus penalties for touching or missing gates gave the paddler their daily race total.  Only two of the three days’ races counted towards the paddler’s final result, as each paddler dropped their worst day’s time.

Sunny and warm temperatures Sunday at the East Race Waterway in South Bend, Indiana capped off a weekend of wonderful weather.  Spectators turned out in the hundreds to watch the best slalom racers in the United States compete for spots on the US National Team.

In the men’s kayak class, Brett Heyl (Bethesda, Md.) put down two blistering runs, winning by just over a second.  Scott Parsons (Bethesda, Md.) had the fastest run of the day on his second run but it was not enough to come back and he finished second.  Scott Mann (Bryson City, N.C.) also had a good race on Sunday and finished third.

Heyl’s victories on Friday and Sunday in the men’s kayak gave him the overall title in the class.  Barely behind him was Parsons in second, with Jim Wade (Boise, Id.) joining the two Maryland natives on the podium in third.

In the women’s kayak class, Zuzana Vanha (Dillsboro, N.C.) came back from a disappointing Saturday to win the race on Sunday.  Her two run total was over five seconds better than second place Jamie Tidmore (Bryson City, N.C.).  Finishing third for the second consecutive day was Molly Stock (Potomac, Md.).  The overall standings for the women’s kayak class were exactly as the women finished in Sunday’s racing.

In the men’s double-canoe class, the team of Shaun Smith (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Ben Kvanli (San Marcos, Texas) topped the father-son duo of Devin and James McEwan (Lakeville, Conn.) by eleven seconds on Sunday.  Eleven seconds behind the McEwans was the boat of Aaron Sarver (San Francisco, Calif.) and Bryant Grigsby (Mount Hamilton, Calif.) in third.

By virtue of winning on both Saturday and Sunday, Smith/Kvanli won the overall title in the double-canoe class.  Sarver/Grigsby finished a close second, and McEwan/McEwan finished even closer in third.

Also competing in South Bend are a few members of the Canadian National Team.  While their finish does not matter for making the US Team, their times are reported in the full results as they finished.

Athlete Quotes:

Tidmore, on making the US National Team – “I’m relieved.  It was a stressful week and I’m happy to be on the team.  I would have liked to perform better but I’m just keeping it real.”

Heyl, on winning the men’s kayak class – “Making the team, no matter which position, is always great, but it’s nice to finally finish first.”

Vanha, on winning the women’s kayak class – “I owe it all to my beloved coach Rafal Smolen.”

Kvanli, on winning the double-canoe – “We love to paddle.  It’s great to be back together paddling.  We (Kvanli & Smith) started our careers together and we’ll probably finish them together.”

Sarver, on making the US National Team – “It’s something we planned on doing for the last fifteen years.  It’s good to see that plan coming to fruition.”

Grigsby, on making the US National Team – “It’s our first time going to World Cups or World Championships since ’92.  Yesterday we rode the undertow but today we were so high we whacked all of the gates.”

Smith, on winning the double-canoe – “I’m glad we put it all together.”

Fraker, on winning the men’s canoe class – “Half of my motivation for doing well was to get the final quote.  Now that I have it I’m at a loss for words.”

Sunday’s Results:

Men’s Canoe (C-1):

Place, athlete, total time, penalty seconds

1. Benn Fraker, 242.70, 0

2. Austin Crane, 244.23, 0

3. James Cartwright (Canada), 244.69, 2

4. Jeff Larimer, 246.05, 4

5. Tom Hewitt (Canada), 247.43, 0

Women’s Kayak (K-1W):

1. Zuzana Vanha, 264.17, 2

2. Jamie Tidmore, 269.89, 6

3. Molly Stock (tie), 270.56, 0

3. Paris Robinson (tie), 270.56, 0

5. Jessica Subido, 274.28, 4

Men’s Double Canoe (C-2):

1. Smith/Kvanli, 285.73, 6

2. McEwan/McEwan, 296.46, 2

3. Sarver/Grigsby, 307.86, 14

Men’s Kayak (K-1):

1. David Ford (Canada), 219.34, 0

2. Brett Heyl, 219.35, 0

3. Scott Parsons, 221.11, 0

4. Scott Mann, 224.17, 0

5. Danny Stock, 224.90, 0

Final Results of US Team Trials:
Men’s Canoe (C-1):

1. Benn Fraker

2. Jeff Larimer

3. Austin Crane

4. Erik Amason

5. Casey Eichfeld

Women’s Kayak (K-1W):

1. Zuzana Vanha

2. Jamie Tidmore

3. Molly Stock

4. Paris Robinson

5. Jessica Subido

Men’s Double Canoe (C-2):

1. Smith/Kvanli

2. Sarver/Grigsby

3. McEwan/McEwan

Men’s Kayak (K-1):

1. Brett Heyl

2. Scott Parsons

3. Jim Wade

4. Scott Mann

5. Eric Hurd

Complete results, write-ups and photos of the event are available at www.usack.org. 

USA Canoe/Kayak, headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is the National Governing Body for nine canoe and kayak racing sports, and is a member of the US Olympic Committee and the International Canoe Federation.  For more information, please contact Luke Dieker at (704) 348-4330, or visit our website http://www.usack.org.