We were ther and witnessed undeniable success, all around…including competition performances on the course designed by MWDG:
Nantahala Bryson City, N.C. (September 12, 2013)—After the closing ceremonies of the 2013 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships on the Nantahala River, event organizers hailed the championships — which boasted 178 athletes from 30 different countries — as a triumphant success, predicting the event will bring more major outdoor events to Western North Carolina in the future. The event was hosted by a public/private partnership of small businesses, tourist attractions, destination marketing organizations, federal and state agencies and US Canoe and Kayak with support from a broad array of national, regional and local sponsors.
Over the course of the week an estimated 30,000 spectators enjoyed the competition site, with 20,000 of the attendees visiting between Friday morning and Sunday evening. The main event was the Saturday night semi-final round, where 4,000 spectators crowded into bleachers and stood along the river banks to see the men’s and women’s professional kayak classes under the lights. The crowd created an electric atmosphere as the athletes strained to qualify for finals and a shot at a medal on Sunday. (Shown in photo: Silver: Tad Dennis, United States;
Gold: Jordan Poffenberger (former MWDG intern!), USA: Bronze: Dane Jackson, USA) See the 2013 Freestyle Worlds website for details.
A video of Worlds highlights will be available Spring, 2014. Stay tuned!
(Source: http://www.freestylekayaking2013.com/news-updates.html)
