Whitehorse’s Hunter Vincent was in Montreal to compete in the annual Montreal Eau Vive, a two-day whitewater kayak event consisting of big wave freestyle on day one and big water boater cross on day two.
This was Vincent’s second time competing at the event and his experience shone through in finishing third in the pro junior men category.
In the freestyle event, pro category competitors ride two different waves on the St. Lawrence River — athletes ride one wave three times and the other twice — for two and a half minute runs with the best eight tricks from each ride counting towards the athlete’s score.
The top score for each athlete on each wave is then added together for the overall score.
Tricks used in competition on waves differ greatly from those used in “holes” — features created by water flowing over an obstruction — meaning athletes need to develop two different sets of tricks in order to compete in freestyle competitions.
The boater cross is a race where competitors start in the middle of the river on a jet boat. Six to eight racers per heat then launch from the boat and race against each other downstream to be the first to touch the boat, which has since relocated downriver.
Vincent, a member of the junior Canadian national team, now turns his attention to the 2019 Canoe Kayak Whitewater National Championships in Minden Hills, Ont., from Aug. 12 to 18. Vincent is set to compete on Aug. 16.
Contact John Hopkins-Hill at john.hopkinshill@yukon-news.com