Ben Peters Reports on a Successful Weekend

MK Ambassador and extremly talented young kayaker Ben Peters checks in from Wisconsin:

My first slalom race of the year was a very cold one.  28 degrees and whipping wind made for an interesting race.  It was my first time in my new slalom boat, the iTomco APS, and I had a blast.  I placed first in Men's K-1 Race boat, first in Men's OC-2, and first in Men's C-2 race boat.  I had the overall fastest course time and I had a blast.  A great competition with many good kayakers.  As soon as I was done racing I warmed up in my MKs.  This is the first of many races this year and I hope it is the start to a great year of competitions.

I have added two new rivers/creeks to my list, the Pine River and the Eau Claire River.  I had a blast paddling these new rivers and meeting new people.  The Eau Claire had a Dells section that was class 4+.  After consulting with my fellow paddlers we determined it was unsafe to run, there were too many consequences such as recirculating holes, pourovers, huge tree trunks and no place for safety ropes.  I am very glad that I made the decision not to do this rapid.

Now I'm training intensely everyday for Junior National Slalom Team Trials in Golden, Colorado.  The race is on May 31st and June 1st.  Wish me luck!