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Kayakers take on the Rogue Mail Tribune / Jim Craven The intensity of the Rogue River's Nugget Hole shows on the face of Brandon Knapp, 25, Jacksonville, during his run at the freestyle preliminaries in the Oregon Kayaking Championship Saturday. The competition continues today. For those seeking the Oregon title, the sport is a rush and a workout By MEG LANDERS "It's another day at the office for Tao Berman," Jim Castellano announced Saturday to 100-plus kayakers and spectators perched on rocks overlooking the Rogue River's Nugget Falls. Berman paddled his kayak aggressively into the "hole" of the turbulent standing wave. He not only dared to resist the river's desire to spit him out and shove him downstream, but attempted cartwheels, flips and pirouettes before a cheering crowd. Berman, a professional freestyle kayaker, is one of 45 competitors at the 19th annual Oregon Kayaking Championship, which continues today. Last year's champion, the 22-year-old Washington resident holds the world records for kayaking down the highest waterfall (98.4 feet), speed altitude descent in a kayak, and vertical distance descent in a kayak. Sponsored by local businesses and outdoor equipment companies, whitewater rodeo attracts amateur and professional men and women from all over the West Coast. For these competitors, this extreme sport is an adrenaline rush as well as a workout. "It's just who can perform the most moves in 45 seconds," said Brandon Knapp, this year's event organizer. With tricks such as cartwheels, split wheels, front loops, reverse loops, "tricky wuus" (a combo split wheel and pirouette), and "space godzillas" (front flip with half twist), boaters are judged on difficulty, style and variety. Knapp began competing when he was 16. Now 25, the Jacksonville resident still frequents Nugget, a class 4 waterfall, for hourlong practices. "I come down every day," he said. Castellano, 23, Jacksonville, said he's drawn to whitewater kayaking because it's fun. "You get the same feeling of weightlessness when you're doing your tricks that you look for in other sports," he said. "It's that feeling of floating." If the river's current catches the kayak and flushes the boater out of the hole, it can be all over for that run unless the competitor struggles to paddle back up into place. "Ultimately, the water's going to win," said Castellano. "That's why they call it the rodeo." Protected by helmets, waterproof tops, spray skirts and noseplugs, boaters line up along the edge of the run in their plastic whitewater kayaks. "The boats are like skis: Every year something new comes out," said Castellano. "The boats get shorter, edgier. The shorter boats are really popular right now because they make it super easy to achieve the vertical rides and the aerial rides." Castellano explained that the judges are looking for aggressiveness, not someone who just hangs out in the hole. "You want to link tricks back-to-back without any time in between," he said. Berman, who has been competing for 10 years, said the challenge for him is staying focused on his plan. "I already know what I'm going to do before I go in," he said. Berman likes the sport for two reasons. "I love the competition," he said. "And the friends, there are a lot of great friends." If you go What : Oregon Kayaking Championship. When : 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today. Where : Nugget Falls, Rogue River. Directions: On Interstate 5, take Exit 40 at Gold Hill. As you approach town, you'll see a wooden railroad trestle and a road that goes under it. That's Upper River Road, which you need to follow about two miles. Just before Upper River Road crosses the railroad tracks, a dirt road takes off to the left. Follow it about a quarter-mile, or until you find a good place to park. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.