Posted on Thu, Apr. 24, 2008

IN MY OPINION

Ride brings out inner water boy

Trip down whitewater rapids wild, wet, worth it

SCOTT FOWLER

Staff Photographer

04/34/08 Charlotte Observer sports reporter Scott Fowler, a novice canoeist, rides at the front of a tandem canoe down the rapids at the Whitewater Center. In the back of the canoe is experienced paddler, David Hepp, who spent nine years paddling C2 on the US National Team. DANA ROMANOFF - dromanoff@charlotteobserver.com

I bent in ways that no 43-year-old man should have to bend Wednesday.

I wore a skirt for the first time in my life.

Worse than that, another man helped me put on that skirt.

And still, I rank Wednesday as one of the best work days of my career. I got to go down the same whitewater rapids that American Olympic hopefuls will navigate starting Friday in the U.S. Olympic trials at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte.

I spent about an hour Wednesday in the front of a two-man canoe. In the back was David Hepp, a dead ringer for Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme and a former member of the U.S. national team in whitewater kayaking.

At the end, we crashed. And flipped. And held our breath underwater as we tried to find a way out of the mess. More on that later.

But man, what a rush the afternoon was. I now totally understand why paddlers give up their lives to pursue this sport, which basically ensures temporary poverty. For thrill seekers who love the outdoors and like to live on life's knife blade, it's perfect. Every day you get to hitch yourself to an unpredictable roller coaster and see where you wind up.

I had been to the National Whitewater Center several times before Wednesday, but never had gotten wet. I was interested in how a total canoeing novice like me would react to whitewater.

The center hooked me up with Hepp, a 34-year-old father of three who has retired from competitive racing and now works at the center as its paddlesports manager.

When we talked on the phone Tuesday, Hepp asked my height and then assumed a friendly but cautious tone. "You may not even be able to get in a canoe," Hepp said. "You're 6-foot-2? That's at least four inches too tall to be comfortable. We've never had a drowning death out here, and I don't want you to be the first. So if you do get in, we should steer away from the competition channel."

The competition channel is the Olympic course. I wanted to do it. But first, I had to get in the canoe. It was Hepp's. He said it had been "crushed" in another canoeing wreck, but a man named Butter had fixed it. That sounded ominous.

Hepp outfitted me with a yellow splash jacket, a helmet and a separate lifejacket. Then he helped me pull on a rubbery black skirt, which was highly embarrassing but didn't look half-bad. It attached to the canoe to keep the water from getting inside.

Getting into the canoe was like going to an advanced yoga class when you've never touched your toes before. You have to kneel with your legs folded underneath you in a space designed for a skinny 12-year-old. Putting that into action made my legs and size-14 feet scream with pain.

But then suddenly I was in, and we were off.

We went down the wilderness channel first. Hepp did all the work. I paddled a little, but all I really had to do was keep my balance.

"Wow! Wow! Wow!" I kept saying, as one face full of water after another kept hitting me.

We stayed upright. It was wonderful.

"Can we do the competition channel now?" I asked Hepp as we rode the conveyor belt back to the top.

"I don't know," Hepp said. "I'm nervous about that."

I would say I got on my knees and begged, but I was already on my knees. Eventually, Hepp relented.

We made it to the next-to-last set of rapids. Then we went left when we should have gone right. Hepp said "Uh-oh," and that's never good. I yelled "Aaaaghh!"

We hit the wall. In slow motion, we turned over.

Hepp tried to right the canoe several times while we were underwater. But I was no help, and eventually we had to eject ourselves.

When I stepped on dry land again, I felt like I was 10 years old and had just ridden Thunder Road at Carowinds for the first time.

It was all great -- the swirling water, the anticipation, even the crash. I'd do it all again in a second.

Even if I had to wear the skirt.

IN MY OPINION

Festival, race highlights

FRIDAY

10 a.m.-6 p.m.: YMCA Kid's Zone

10 a.m.-7 p.m.: Energy Lounge

11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Slalom races

7-10 p.m.: Live music

SATURDAY

11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Slalom races

4-9 p.m.: Climbing competition

4-7 p.m.: Live music

4:30 p.m.: Pan American Championships awards

8:45 p.m.: Fireworks

SUNDAY

11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Slalom races

4:30 p.m.: Awards ceremony

MORE INFORMATION

Call 704-391-3900 Scott Fowler