By Terry Fleurie
Eganville Leader
BEACHBURG — The Ottawa River’s reputation as one of, if not the best, whitewater paddling opportunities in the world will be showcased later this summer as Whitewater Region Township plays host to the 2015 ICF (International Canoe Federation) Freestyle World Championships.
Scheduled for August 30 through September 5 on a section of the Ottawa River near Beachburg, the event will showcase the acclaimed waterway as well as the nearly 300 international athletes from across the globe expected to compete.
Last Thursday, members of the host committee were joined by representatives of Whitewater Region council and staff, staff from the County of Renfrew and two members of the Canadian team as they publicly announced the hosting of the competition at a sign promoting the event on the outskirts of Beachburg.
Paula Troutman and Matt McGuire, the leads for the organizing committee, were ecstatic the bid to host the prestigious competition was accepted by the International Canoe Federation (ICF).
The world championships are held every two years and in 2006 all the national federations for freestyle paddle sports decided to join the ICF which is under the umbrella of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“In order for a sport to compete in paddle sports in the Olympics, they have to be under the ICF because that is the only governing body the IOC recognizes,” Mr. McGuire said.
He met with ICF officials last Tuesday and they are striving to showcase the sport to the world.
“And our event is a really big step to show the ICF to shoot for four possible extra medals in the Olympics for freestyle kayaking,” he said. “It’s a really unique venue because it is one of the larger features in the world that they host it on.
“And all of the eyes of the various federations will be here on the Ottawa River this September to really showcase the sport of freestyle in the hopes we will get medals in 2020,” he added.
Ms. Troutman said the committee would not have had a chance of pulling an event of this magnitude off without the many partnerships it has developed including with Whitewater Region Township and the county.
“I’ll tell you, we’ve got true Canadian spirit,” she remarked. “It’s great to see the support of everybody.
“The word is out there and although this is the official launch, the word is out there that this is coming to our township,” she added.
As the mother of a world-class competitor, Nick Troutman, who captured gold in Switzerland, she has had the opportunity to travel to other world championships where they make a very big deal of it.
“They put on quite a show in these other countries and we can either let it go under the wire or step up and showcase what we’ve got here,” she stated.
Ms. Troutman expects the athletes to be very impressed with the venue, noting in many other countries the courses are man-made whereas the Ottawa River features challenges they will never have seen before.
“When I’m away at other competitions, I’m thinking wait till they see what we have in Canada. Now that it’s here, we’re really excited.
Invitations have been sent to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the president of the IOC and many other dignitaries.
“We’re shooting for the moon and may land among the stars but we’re really going to try to put on the Ritz,” she stressed.
Mr. McGuire said anyone can apply to host the competition but the ICF has the final say. As well, the host must have the support of their national federation for paddle sports which in this case is Canoe Kayak Canada based in Ottawa.
The sign, which features a banner identifying the dates of the competition, is mounted above a welded model of the earth with an arrow pointing towards the river where the competition will be held. The sign is another example of the partnerships as the banner was donated by Sunsign Graphics in Pembroke, the world was created by students at Fellowes High School in Pembroke with materials donated by Pemco Steel and the land was offered to erect the sign on.
Mr. McGuire said a partnership that really allows the event to take place is the one with Ontario Power Generation and Quebec Hydro who control the water levels on the river for the purpose of power generation. He said both companies are totally on board and have assured their full co-operation in providing the required water levels.
Alastair Baird, manager of economic development at the County of Renfrew, said the county is supporting the event in whatever way it can assist. He said the county promotes itself as the whitewater capital of Canada so this is the perfect opportunity to both promote and live up to that title.
Ms. Troutman said a large army of volunteers are needed and stressed people of all ages are required.
She and Mr. McGuire were quick to point out that of 15 members of the Canadian kayaking team, 12 are from Renfrew County.
Third Time Ottawa River Has
Hosted Worlds
Ms. Troutman is unsure if the general public is aware of the “gift” they have locally with a world-class opportunity like the Ottawa River for paddling opportunities.
“It’s an amazing thing for economic development,” she noted.
Mr. McGuire said this is the third time the competition has been held on the river.
“No other river in the world has ever hosted the world championships more than once and it’s a real testament to the gem that the Ottawa River is and the caliber of features that we have here.”
Ms. Troutman said competitors must qualify for the competition.
“And we’re hoping to get anywhere from 28 to 42 countries,” she noted with excitement.
“Other world championships have had as high as 10,000 spectators,” she noted. “The township worked all last summer to put in all the fibre-optic lines to provide a live feed that will hit a viewing audience of 58 million people.”
She said when the competition is held in a big city, it’s easy to accommodate 10,000 spectators but when they’re in a more rural setting it requires extra planning.
Andrew Kenny, entrepreneur co-ordinator in the township, is confident the committee will be well prepared.
“This is a really big opportunity for Whitewater Region and all of Renfrew County,” he said.
WW Mayor
Delighted
Mayor Hal Johnson is delighted the township is hosting the competition.
“This is our big chance to showcase, along with this event, what we have in our municipality, and showcase it to the world,” he said. “We feel it is going to be one of our biggest boosts for economic development.
“We have one of the nicest places in the world, we have some of the best sports, we have everything in Whitewater Region,” he added. “And these people are going to give everybody in the world an invitation to come and see us.”
Ms. Troutman said there is a protocol to follow regarding certain elements of the competition, like opening and closing ceremonies, parade of athletes, medal presentations, etc., and she guarantees there will be Canadian flavour at all events. The opening ceremonies are being held at the Beachburg Fairgrounds and the closing ceremonies at Wilderness Tours which is providing shuttle service to and from the Ottawa airport for the athletes and shuttles to and from the competition site.
