2008 Provincial Team Trials

• There is one Provincial Team Trials in 2008.
• It is a three race event held on Saturday May 31st and Sunday June 1st.
• The first race will be two runs on Saturday.
• The second race will be two runs Sunday morning.
• The third race will be one run Sunday afternoon.
• This happens to coincide with the National Team Trials also being held at Kananaskis on the same weekend, at the same time.
• Overall Ranking will be based on the best two out of three races. The points will be 30 for 1st, 29 for 2nd, 28 for 3rd, etc
• Ties are broken by the first run of the first day.

Alberta Provincial Team

• Top three boats in each class – K1,K1W,C1,C1W,C2,C2W  – Plus anyone making the above percentages, penalties included, in any single run at Provincial Team Trials or Senior National Team Trials.
• Provincial Team members must attend Provincial Team Trials, the Provincial Championships and Nationals (see exclusions in Notes).
• Alberta Travel Team – Any Alberta athlete who attends Nationals, or another Out of Province Competitive project as a part of the Provincial Program.

Notes on Provincial Team Criteria:

• Where ranking between classes is necessary the following class adjusted policy applies.
• The athletes percentage = Athlete’s Adjusted Time / Fastest Albertan’s Adjusted Time X 100%
• C1 Times divided by 110% K1W and C2 divided by 115%. Note: Adjusted K1W, C1 or C2 may be the fastest time.
• Exclusions - Athletes may receive a bye if Provincial Team Trials or the Provincial Championships conflict with National Team commitments. Notification of this should be sent in writing to the WSAA President prior to the first Provincial Team Trials. Other reasons for a bye, including injury, will be considered by the WSAA executive.
• Regulation slalom boats (or plastic slalom boats) required except for Cadets.

A special Note to Juniors, Cadets, Midgets and Parents:

The results of all Novice and Whitewater Races will be posted on the WSAA website as well as the percentages. This objective criteria will help paddlers of all levels to set goals and see their improvement.

Athletes at all levels who are able to compete on whitewater are invited to be part of the Alberta Travel Team  and compete for Alberta at the National Championships.

WSAA hopes to have a significant number of athletes wearing our Provincial Team Uniforms at the National Championships. We want to see all of you as part of the Alberta Team accepting the Brian Creer Trophy this year for the top province.

Please remember:

• if you were out there on a whitewater slalom course, that is an accomplishment to be proud of
• if you train regularly, you will improve
• you will do better at some races than others
• you can always learn from your mistakes
• you have lots of years of paddling ahead of you
• and you will only meet your potential in those years if you train regularly
• have fun!

AB Team Selection for American Junior Olympics (JO) Events

June 28-July 13 Wisconsin, USA. (Based on adequate numbers of athletes/coaches)

Two goals of the American Junior Olympic Program are:

• To promote youth participation in slalom racing beyond local and regional competition.
• To provide slalom competition in which Junior and Cadet athletes who are successful at qualifying races can measure themselves against top young slalom athletes in the United States.

In recent years, USACK (American canoe and kayak governing body) has generously included Canadian athletes in JO. Canadians are required to qualify at Provincial Team Trials to represent their provinces at the JO slalom event.

The Junior Olympic (JO) team for Alberta will be selected based on ranking at Provincial Team Trials. The JO team will consist in each of Junior, Cadet and Midget:

• 4 K1 Men
• 3 K1Women
• 3 C1
• 2 C2

If anyone declines their spot, then the next boat will be eligible, and so on down the order.

The USACK JO committee has expanded their events to include wildwater races and freestyle events to encourage cross training and greater participation.

Alberta Cup Series

• Three individual race series – run by clubs
• 2008 – June 21,22 Alberta Cup #1 Old Man Dam (POC), August 2 Alberta Cup #2 Red Deer River (Cottonwood), August 23,24 Alberta Cup #3 Kananaskis (Waterwerks/ROC)
• Alberta Cup Individual Overall, best two of three races, each class gets an overall award. Points - 30 for 1st, 29, for 2nd etc.
• Club Cup – Best overall club at this series plus Provincials. Points = 3 for 1st place, 2 for 2nd , 1 for 3rd in each class. 07
• Provincials Aug 30, Sept 1,2 (Bow Valley)