Charles City gears up for seventh Whitewater Challenge

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

In its seventh year now, the Charles City Whitewater Challenge is starting to become part of the fabric of the community.

“It’s really become an event that, regionally, people are aware of,” said Ginger Williams, tourism coordinator for the Charles City Chamber of Commerce. “We continue to take feedback and strive to improve on that.”

When Riverfront Park and the kayak course opened in 2011, people started thinking of ways to make it a tourist attraction.

“We thought, we had this nice kayak course and Riverfront Park, maybe we should have an event,” Williams said. “There’s a little bit of a learning curve with something like this. We knew how to do events, but a whitewater event is different.”

The annual event, which takes place Saturday, features competitive activities for spectators and water enthusiasts. Williams said organizers have taken feedback over the years from the paddlers and kayakers themselves, and have adjusted the event based on critiques from those who participate.

“I’ve been getting a lot of comments lately from paddlers who are excited to come to Charles City,” said Williams. “It’s a fun competition and a great way to spend the day.”

In 2016, the Charles City Challenge received a tourism award from the publication Travel Iowa.

“When that happened, we noticed more requests for information and more curiosity, not just in the event, but in the community as a whole,” Williams said. “That’s very good for Charles City.”

The categories for the Challenge this year include Boater X, SUP X, Rodeo, SUP Surf, and The Orange Race. The day will end with an SUP River Surfing Clinic. For those not completely versed in whitewater terminology, “SUP” stands for “stand-up paddleboard.”

One of the events, the Inner Tube Intermission, is in its second year.

“That went over really well last year,” Williams said.

Teams can enter the Inner Tuber Intermission for free and win prizes. The goal is to float the fastest down the course with a group of three to five teammates. Competitors can bring their own tubes or use those supplied by Rapids End Outfitters.

“It’s something where you don’t have to be a competitive paddler,” she said.

Williams said that locals can participate in that, and register same-day, by noon. Participants must be 12 years or older.

Williams said there are several family-friendly events going on in conjunction with the Challenge this year, so that “kids can come down.” Included among those are a book walk, hosted by Friends of the Library, and a scavenger hunt for children. She also said there are several painted rocks hidden around town with “CC Whitewater” painted on them, and anyone who finds one can bring it to the Challenge and turn it in for a prize.

“We have fun on the water for our competitive paddlers, and a lot of activity on shore, for the people who don’t want to get wet,” Williams said.

Black Dog BBQ will have a truck on site selling food, and another new wrinkle this year will be the Riverfront Vendor Show, starting at 11 a.m. and lasting until 2 p.m. The show will be in the parking lot behind city hall, next to Hot Shots.

“It’s a new addition this year to get more people to come downtown,” said Jacie Garden, who is helping to set up the vendors. “It’s something you can do if you’re not particularly good at kayaking.”

Garden said there would be more than a dozen vendors on site, set up in the parking lot, mostly home-based businesses. Included are Scentsy, Pampered Chef, Lipsense, Tupperware, Fingers & Toes, ColorStreet, Riverside Candle Studio, Norwex, Damsel in Defense, LuLaRoe, Keep Collective and others to be added.

“It’s a really good variety,” Garden said. “It helps get more involvement with the community, and it helps some of the vendors get their names out there.”

Registration for the Challenge starts at 9 a.m. Saturday. The registration fee includes competition entry, an event T-shirt and a chance to win one of many prizes.

Boater X races will have divisions for youth and adult and men and women. Racers will eddy out on the river left side below Exit Exam and physically touch the finish target marker with a hand.

The Rodeo races will also have divisions for beginners and intermediate/advanced. Boaters will be divided into groups for their two-minute ride.

The Orange Race is a relay-style race, with teams of two people, each in their own craft of choice.

The day will end with an SUP River Surfing Clinic, with Hannah Ray J. She and her team of river assistants will guide people in all they need to know about SUP river surfing; equipment selection, SUP river surfing techniques, safety, and surfing on Charles City’s Double D Wave. No SUP river surfing or whitewall paddling experience is necessary, but it is helpful.

CHARLES CITY CHALLENGE

Schedule of Race Events — Saturday, June 23

(All times are approximate)

9 a.m. — Registration

10 a.m. — Boater X – Adult/Youth

11 a.m. — SUP X

11:30 a.m. — Rodeo – Beginner

12:30 p.m. — Tube Race

1 p.m. — Rodeo – Intermediate/Advanced

2 p.m. — SUP Surf Comp

2:30 p.m. — The Orange Race

3 p.m. — Awards/Prize Giveaway

4-6 p.m. — SUP River Surfing Clinic