Reno River Festival May 10 – 13
World’s Most Accomplished Kayakers Compete
RENO, NV, May 5, 2007. The $1.5 million Truckee River Whitewater Park and downtown Reno will soon host thousands of spectators and the world's top kayakers at the 4th annual Reno River Festival. Top kayakers from America, Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand and Norway are set to compete next week in the men's, women's and junior's open freestyle competition. The festival will also include a downriver race and a boater cross competition. The paddling contests will be highlighted by play-by-play announcements, and admission to the events is free.
The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA) produces the Reno River Festival and expects increased international participation this year because the Freestyle World Championships in Canada conclude on May 5, shortly before the festival.
Among the top competitors are Tennessee resident Eric Jackson, the 2005 and 2006 Reno River Festival men's freestyle champion and three-time world freestyle kayak champion, and Jay Kincaid, the 2004 Reno River Festival champion who hails from Reno. Training at the Truckee River Whitewater Park has helped Kincaid win pro events in six countries. Challenging Jackson and Kincaid will be another freestyle winner Stephen Wright of Washington D.C., along with Bryan Kirk of Charlottesville, Va., Ben Guska of Palm Bay, Fla., and Maurice (Mo) Kelleher of Ireland.
The returning 2005 and 2006 women's freestyle champion is Australia's Tanya Faux. The 32-year-old will compete with 17-year-old Emily Jackson, another member of the Jackson 'first family' of kayaking, and the youngest female to navigate the Zambezi and Nile Rivers. Challenging Faux and Jackson will be Ruth Gordon of Canada and New Zealand native Nikki Kelley.
The junior's competition will see a battle of best friends, as Reno native Jason Craig and Dane Jackson, son of Eric Jackson, go head to head. Now 13-years-old, Dane is the youngest member ever of the U.S. Freestyle Kayak Team, named to the team in 2004.
"It's always a tight field, and podium placement usually comes down to performance on one or two tricks," said Jim Litchfield, principal of Fluid Concepts and competition producer for the Reno River Festival.
A true festival, the Reno River Festival celebrations include a whitewater/kayak expo, a charity raft race, demonstrations, clinics, a food and beer garden, live music, and promotions and activities sponsored by the restaurants, lounges, shops and galleries along the River Walk in the heart of downtown Reno. The festival begins with an opening ceremony on Thursday, May 10 and competitions begin on Friday, May 11 running through Mother's Day on Sunday, May 13.
More information, including directions and a printable parking map, are included at www.RenoRiverFestival.com. For more information on activities in America's Adventure Place, go to www.VisitRenoTahoe.com, or call 800-FOR-RENO (800-367-7366).
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