GRAND PRIX: Final Thoughts

In a well-lit room on the ground floor of the flashy Hotel Montagnais, the Grand Prix wrapped up its two-week tour of competition, putting a stamp on paddling history as perhaps the most ambitious—and successful—whitewater competition series ever held. Competitors and organizers who have grown extremely close after the grueling schedule of travel and whitewater, gathered around in a giant cluster as all eyes fell upon event creator Patrick Camblin as he read off the results. Starting at the bottom of the overall finishers, the crowd gave exuberant and honest cheers for those who finished out of the top-ten. As the names were read off, humbled athletes not accustomed to finishing so far out of contention raised quick hands in acknowledgment, some biting their lips wishing the taste of victory would replace the metallic numb feeling of defeat. Most were simply content to have finished.

Moving through the top-ten Camblin paused before reading off the top three. “In third place…. Rush Sturges,” cheers, high-fives, a release of carbon dioxide. “Second place… Ben Marr,” explosion, chaos. But no one even heard him announce the first place winner because at this point everyone already knew, and Dane Jackson, 17-year old winner of the Grand Prix had already been swarmed by the rough hands of the crowed as bodies began to pile on him in celebration of the crowning of a champion.

“I am already thinking about next year,” said Tino Specht following the awards ceremony, voicing a thought running wild through the minds of everyone, competitors and organizers alike. Although this year’s Grand Prix has officially come to a close, there are numerous moments, snapshots in time that will be forever pressed into the psyche and the history of competitive kayaking: 25 + kayakers waiting for their turn in the eddy above Gladiator; the struggle of kayakers jostling for position on the Rouge River mass-start race; competitors waiting anxiously atop the Petite Bostonais as swim reports crackled over the radios; Tyler Curtis’s styled run through the enormous rapid on the Mistassini; Ben Marr’s massive kick-flip off of Hawaii Wave on the Mistassibi; Katya Kulkova’s huge air-screw; 17 year old Dane Jackson crowned champion.

The morning the Grand Prix crew split ways was not unlike the day after ending a love affair; you wish it would go on indefinitely, but reality has its limits, as does time. “I wish the Grand Prix would never end,” said female champion Lou Urwin. Many felt the same as bags were packed and the GP family began returning to the many corners of the globe from which they emerged. Can a series of competitions nurture a niche culture, empower the best to be better, and present an accurate representation of top-level kayaking?  Why yes it can and the Grand Prix…. it's here to stay. Huckers and dreamers, Big-wave gurus and whitewater fans… stand by for next year.

- Aaron Capo Rettig