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P/CLOUDY Temp: 48 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend October 7, 2002 Derek Beitler spins his kayak in the Nugget Falls on the Rogue River near Gold Hill during the finals of the professional class of 20th Annual Oregon Freestyle Kayaking Championships. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman The two-day whitewater rodeo included four events on the Rogue River By GREG STILES Mail Tribune GOLD HILL — The rules are few and their interpretation left virtually to the combatants. So as paired kayakers flail madly toward Nugget Falls and ultimately the finish line about 200 yards down the Rogue River, just about anything goes in the head-to-head racing capping two days of activity during the 20th Annual Oregon Freestyle Kayaking Championships. The mostly 20-something kayakers can’t spar with every ounce of strength, sometimes tumbling over the 13-foot fall backward. It’s not unusual to see boaters turn into swimmers as they battle to get through the churning hole beneath the falls. "You can’t hold the other person’s boat with your hand, and you don’t really want to bring your paddle across someone’s chest," said Ben Stookesberry. "If you make it through the first two boulders that constrain the whole river, you’ve got a pretty good chance of winning. But that first person has to stay to the left." Even before he climbed into an 11-foot boat, the 24-year-old Ashland filmmaker bested dozens of other freestylers in boats ranging from 6 to 7 feet. Coupled with a first-place performance in Saturday’s sprint, he placed second overall in the four-event whitewater rodeo. Medford’s Trevor Tanhoff was the victor, taking first in Saturday’s big air event and taking second in the head-to-head. Merlin Hananer of Forks of Salmon, Calif., was third. Hananer learned his lesson from a dismal outing in 2001 and got off to a sparkling start en route to a third-place finish. "It’s a trashy hole and hard to keep control of the boat," Hananer said. "I stopped paddling too early. But I scoped out the lines from last year." He targeted his run to the left of a rock where the water pours into the hole. But twice his opponent and the rapid water thwarted his will. "Plan B is cutting just to the right of the rock," Hananer said. "You want to avoid the right, because you slow down right before the finish." The racers at times pushed and shoved over the rapids like water-borne sumo wrestlers before plummeting over the class 4 fall. "Sometimes, it’s a full-contact sport," said Derek Beitler, a 20-year-old University of Oregon student from Medford. Beitler views the head-to-head competition and the trick oriented freestyle competition as part of a transition in the sport. "The shorter boats allow you to come out of the water for aerial loops," Beitler says. "It’s definitely new school with new blood." On the Web: For additional Oregon Freestyle Kayaking Championships results go to www.oregonchampionships.com Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail [email protected] . Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S