2008 Western Whitewater Championship Series

Sponsored by the Oregon Rafting Team LLC (ORT)
Endorsed by the United States Rafting Association
(USRA)
The WWCS was designed to promote the sport of whitewater paddle raft racing in the western United States. All paddlers and supporting boating communities are encouraged to participate therefore kayak, cataraft, and an unlimited category of racers will be amongst the competitors. It is the intent of this series to reward the most well developed overall skill sets of each team and individual participants, while fostering interest and generating cohesion amongst our associative river communities.

Points will be awarded to the competitors for the overall WWCS title in their respective divisions (Men’s paddle raft, Women’s paddle raft, Men’s kayak, Women’s kayak, Cataraft, Unlimited).

In best determining the overall skills sets of the competitors, the following events will be rated as:

Mandatory- this event must be attended if you perceive that your team or self is indeed the best boater in this region.
Optional- points can be attained towards the overall points lead, yet to actually win your overall division you must have attended each of the mandatory events.
Weighting – some events will be weighted more heavily than others regarding points. This may be at least partially attributed to the importance of developing/supporting this particular event and river community. Factors taken into account include; longevity, organization, accuracy of timing, generating interest, ability to bring communities together, accuracy in recording results, etc.

POINTS SCALE : (1-5)
Example 1 : The event is weighted a 5. This means the 1st place boat will earn 5 points, 2nd place 4 points, 3rd place 3 points.
Example 2 : The event is weighted a 3. 1st place earns 3 points, 2nd place 2 points, 3rd place 1 point.
March 22nd, 23rd
Upper Wind River : Carson, WA
Coordinators : Oregon Rafting Team (ORT)
IV+, 3 mile downriver.
Paddle rafts, kayaks, catarafts, unlimited.
Optional, 5


April 12th
Canyon Creek Extreme Race : Southwestern Washington
Coordinators : Next Adventure
V, .5 mile waterfall sprint.
Kayaks, inflatable kayaks, paddle rafts, unlimited.
Optional, 5


April 19th, 20th
Upper Klamath River : Keno, OR
Coordinators : ORT, Northwest Rafter’s Association (NWRA)
IV+, 7 mile downriver.
Paddle rafts, kayaks, catarafts, unlimited.
Mandatory, 5


May 2nd, 3rd
Cal-Salmon River : Orleans, CA
Coordinator : Paul Gamache, Caliproducts
IV+, 5 mile downriver.
Paddle rafts, kayaks, catarafts, unlimited.
Mandatory, 5


May 16th-19th
Upper Clackamas River
Coordinators : NWRA, Next Adventure
III+, V : 1 mile downriver, slalom, boatercross.
Paddle rafts, kayaks, catarafts, oared rafts.
Mandatory, 4


May 31st-June 2nd
North and South Fork Payette Rivers:USRA National Whitewater Championships
Coordinators : Sam Goff, Bill Driscoll, Payette Boise River Festival (PBR)
IV+ 4 mile downriver, slalom, sprint, boatercross, kayak rodeo.
Paddle rafts, kayaks, catarafts.
Mandatory, 10. (Double points awarded at this event only)

June 13, 14th
Wenatchee River : Wenatchee, WA
Coordinator : Paul Gamache
III, 4 mile downriver, kayak rodeo.
Paddle rafts, kayaks.
Optional, 3.


October 10, 11th
Burnt Ranch Gorge
Coordinator : Paul Gamache
IV+, 2 mile downriver.
Exhibition. Great event but currently outside of the racing season.

Of the 7 events only 4 are required to attend (Mandatory).

CONTACTS
Tim Brink (ORT)
President USRA
503-830-0630
yellownomad@yahoo.com

Sam Goff (PBR Festival)
208-859-8343
pbr.revival@hotmail.com

Paul Gamache (Cal-Salmon, Wenatchee, Burnt Ranch)
707-484-8370
Paulgamache@gmail.com

Bob Mosier (NWRA)
503-235-9940
rmosier@msn.com; rmosier@wwarchitects.com

Luke Spencer (Next Adventure)
503-341-4268
eddyhopperluke@gmail.com

Kerry Walsh (NWRA)
503-705-5367
kwalsh@tms-usa.com

Monika (CA Women)
530-414-1839
caliwomen@gmail.com Continued next page.
Gary Schoeneker
541-382-1514
hdrogary@yahoo.com

Sam Drevo (eNRG Kayaking)
503-887-5033
sam@eNRGkayaking.com

Boats – Kayaks, no requirements but must be deemed safe by event coordinators. Rafts, must not exceed 14 feet in length and have 3 thwarts.

Teams – not to exceed 6 paddlers unless in unlimited division, co-ed teams will be scored in the men’s category.

Safety gear required, at a minimum; Type III-V pfd, helmet, spare paddles or oars for rafts/catarafts, first-aid kit in each boat, rescue rope in each boat.

Race coordinators have the right to inspect all competitors (looking for competent skill level and sobriety only) and their gear prior to the race. If one cannot comply with safety requests they will be dismissed from the competition without refund.

Paddle raft races will be ran in a head to head format conditions permitting. Adherence to International Rafting Federation (IRF) rules will be attempted whenever possible and/or if a dispute arises that cannot be immediately resolved by event coordinators. http://www.intraftfed.com/

For more information to include point series standings go to:
http://caliproduct.blogspot.com/2008/01/wwcs-2008.html