It is hard to imagine only 1 1/2 months ago I was exploring the Siberian wilderness, with Nikki Kelly, raising money for the Russian Children’s hospital. Now in 12 days I will put on my country colours and compete ferociously against her in the 2005 World Rafting Championships taking place in Ecuador.

Nikki will steer a raft for Teva New Zealand, the current world champions, and I will steer for Australia. Yes there has definitely been some bantering between us! In reality though, we are both representing the southern hemisphere. If either of our teams make the podium we will still be proud considering the strong competitors including the US.

One of the most amazing aspects of competing in The World Rafting Champions is it brings together like-minded females from all corners of the globe. Women that share the same passion and drive for racing on intense white water. You work as a team rather than an individual and this allows you to share every moment, both good and bad together.

As my teammate Sandy explains, raft racing is the most fun you will ever have racing white water!

Picture sitting in a raft with five amazing females all of who rate as the best from their country. These women share the same exhilaration your experiencing. If something goes wrong they’re watching your back. Then add the pounding of your heart as adrenaline starts filling your body while listening to the roar of the first drop. Anticipating the starting gun, knuckles turning white as you grip your paddle just that little bit tighter. Giving your crew a quick nod acknowledging your ready for what ever the river brings, then you hear the starter and it all begins. ‘Ten hard, 1, 2,3…10, long, find the rhythm” Tanya yells. The race is a blur of thrashing paddles, big white water with rocks scattered everywhere. Someone’s hand on your shoulder pulls you back into the boat, just in time to hit the next drop. No one else will ever understand the feeling unless they were sitting in the raft right next to you.

Who knows what the outcome will be and what country will take the title for 2005. But one thing is for sure, no matter what language you speak, or what country you learn how to be a raft guide in, once the race is over there is no longer competition. Only an amazing experience waiting to be shared with others who understand your drive to compete in the International rafting championships.

I hope to bring you daily up dates of interesting stories of the event.

World Rafting Championships, October 12th to 16th 2005
For more information Log onto
www.2005wrc.org
www.raftingecudor.org

Event Details

The INTERNATIONAL RAFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS are taking place from Oct 12-16 on the amazing Quijos River located in ECUADOR, South America. Women from every continent will converge to make for the fiercest competition the IRF (International Rafting Federation) has seen to date

Racing includes three main events
SRINT, also known as “head to head”, is maybe one of the more aggressive events as two teams battle it out to see who is the first to complete a rapid and cross the finish line to secure their way through to the next round. Things such as; flips, members who end up swimming after taking big hits, or when the river decides it will swallow your raft into a hole all slow your raft down leaving the gap for your raft to sneak through causing your competition to be knocked out of the race.

SLALOM, Most technical of all the races. Years of experience reading white water comes into play as each raft must negotiate 12 gates. The gates must either be passed through from an upstream or downstream direction depending on which way the gate has been marked. This is where a crew must work well together as a touch of a poll, missing of a gate hold massive time deductions. Two runs are made and best time taken to produce the winner.

DOWN RIVER, the entire technicality combined with endurance pushes the limits when your mind and body must stay switched on through both class IV rapids and flats for close to an hour’s time. Rafts set off in groups of five to see who can not only make it through raging rapids, but by using strength and endurance through the flats as well, to make it across the finish line with the fastest time.

Points from all three events accumulate to give an overall score to see who takes out the 2005 world title.

Written by Tanya Faux, Sandy DiCiero, and the TEVA Australian raft team members. Sponsored by Teva, Rudy Project, Astral Buoyancy.