The 2013 ICF World Freestyle Championships got underway on September 2nd, in Bryson City, North Carolina, where over 300 of the world’s top athletes will compete for the K1, C1 and Squirt World Champion titles over the next six days. This year’s event kicked off with the Opening Ceremonies, which included a parade of the athletes, Big Air Show and a performance by Warriors of AniKituhwa, a traditional Cherokee dance group.
New for the World Champs this year is an automated scoring system, created by the Nantahala Outdoor Centre, which allows for real-time results, athlete information and playback potential, making the event extremely spectator-friendly. Athletes will have a set time to perform as many tricks as possible, with additional points being awarded for style. The moves fall into three categories: Entry Moves, Basic Moves, and Bonuses. The type and number of tricks and how well they execute them ultimately determines the score at the end of their ride.
Competition officially began on the 2013 Wave today (September 3rd), when K1 Junior Men took to the wave in the morning and afternoon. Hunter Katich (USA) currently sits in first place going into Semi-Finals after two amazing rides, earning him a staggering total of 1, 979 points. Not far behind him are Max Karlsson (SWE) with a score of 1, 206 points and Alec Vorhees (USA) with a score of 1, 204. The top 10 from the Junior Men will continue on to Semi-Finals, which take place on Saturday September 7th. See all the K1 Junior Men results here.
The OC-1 Men also took to the 2013 Wave today in what should have been the preliminary round, but due to small numbers became the Semi-Finals. Jordan Poffenberger (USA) topped the competition, with his first ride earning him 93 points, and his second 203 points. Coming in second was Dane Jackson (USA) with 140 points and in third Matthew Godsoe (CAN) with 50 points. The top five will continue on to Finals on Sunday September 8th. See all the OC-1 Men results here.
Spectators will also be entertained by various raft races, SUP races and live musicians around Bryson City throughout the event. For more information and event times, check out the event schedule.
Tomorrow, the fun continues as Men’s and Women’s Squirt classes get underway, along with the K1 Junior Women’s heats. You can catch all the action live at the following link: http://www.freestylekayaking2013.com/worlds-live-feed.html.
Be sure to check out our article about the top contenders for Worlds, which appeared in Rapid, Summer/Fall 2013. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
