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Whitewater action returns to Charles City for Iowa Games this Saturday

Whitewater action returns to Charles City for Iowa Games this Saturday
The Iowa Games Whitewater Slalom competition, scheduled for Saturday, June 28, can offers fun for the whole family, as in this photo from the 2024 games. Press file photo by Travis Fischer
By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The Cedar River will be churning with activity again this Saturday, June 28, as Charles City once again hosts the Iowa Games Whitewater Slalom events at Riverfront Park – if river conditions allow it.

Open to athletes from across the state, the local competition is part of the Summer Iowa Games series and includes whitewater slalom, downriver sprints, raft races, riverboard events, swim challenges and rescue throw rope contests.

But with rain in the forecast and the river already running at more than 4,000 cubic feet per second at the beginning of the week, organizers are watching the water closely.

“If the level’s in the lower 3,000s or less, I’m not especially worried,” said Piper Wall, whitewater coordinator for the Iowa Games. “If it’s in the upper 3,000s or more, then my Friday decision-making will be a lot more interesting as to we might actually have some restrictions.”

Wall said the slalom competition – where kayaks, canoes or stand-up paddleboards navigate a course of gates hanging from cables stretched across the river – requires precision and maneuvering that become more difficult and risky as the water speeds up.

“The things where you’re in a single boat all by your lonesome … then it’s some more interesting conversations about who maybe shouldn’t do that if it’s in the upper 3,000s or higher,” she said.

Safety measures can mitigate risk in events like rafting, where organizers can assign experienced partners to boats carrying novice participants. But other events, such as the swim-across-the-river challenge, may be canceled entirely if conditions warrant.

“If it’s in the 3,000s, I’m not sanctioning anyone doing that event,” Wall said. “I’ve swam in that river at those features in the low 3,000s, and it’s really quite tiring. I don’t really want to risk having someone who isn’t well experienced at that kind of swimming. That’s not the time to test your swim-across-the-river skills.”

A final decision on how the events will be conducted – or whether they will be postponed – is still pending. If the river is too high to safely stretch gate wires across the channel, the entire event will be called off.

“If the water is too high to run cables, it’s too high to have the events,” Wall said. “That’s just too high.”

In that case, the whitewater events would likely be rescheduled for a weekend in July, depending on coordination with Charles City groups such as the tourism department at the Chamber of Commerce and the city Parks and Recreation Department.

“The Iowa Games materials – the T-shirts, the medals – all of that already exists,” Wall said. “So it would get postponed, not canceled.”

Even in typical years, most competitors wait to register until the morning of the event, Wall said.

“Paddlers just don’t pre-register,” she said. “They want to see what’s the flow, what’s the weather, be able to change your mind.”

Events are open to Iowa residents and out-of-state visitors, although only Iowans are eligible for medals. Wall said organizers typically see 25 to 30 competitors at the whitewater events.

Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. near the public library, with a paddlers meeting at 8:30. Competition is scheduled to run until around 5 p.m., although it often ends earlier depending on the number of entries. The entry fee is $35.

Spectators are welcome and encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for the best viewing along the riverbank.

Usually scheduled events are:

  • Slalom races, where kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) navigate a series of hanging gates.
  • Downriver sprints, racing the full course from upstream to downstream.
  • Raft races, with teams of two to four maneuvering through obstacles.
  • Riverboard races, using boogie boards and fins.
  • Swim events, including paddle swim and swimmer tow challenges.
  • Throw rope competitions, simulating rescue scenarios.

Medals are available to be awarded in eight age groups from under 12 to over 70, and in male, female and coed divisions. All participants must wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets and whitewater-rated helmets.

Charles City has hosted the Iowa Games whitewater events since 2011, when the Riverfront Park whitewater course opened. The local event is organized through the Charles City Parks and Recreation Department and supported by the Charles City Area Chamber of Commerce.

Wall said she hopes conditions allow the event to proceed – and welcomes anyone interested to come watch or participate.

“I hope people will come and watch,” she said. “And if it’s too darn high, we’ll be putting the word out that it’s too darn high, and we will postpone into a July weekend.”

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