USA Canoe/Kayak

USA CANOE/KAYAK

2012 U.S. Olympic Team Media Guide


www.usack.org

Facebook.com/usacanoekayak

Twitter @usacanoekayak


To download the 2012 USA Canoe/Kayak Olympic Media Guide in its entirety click here.


The 2012 U.S. Olympic Canoe/Kayak Team will consist of seven athletes competing in seven events. Those events are:

WHITEWATER SLALOM

Venue: Lee Valley White Water Centre

Dates: Sunday, July 29 - Thursday, August 2


FLATWATER SPRINT

Venue: Eton Dorney

Dates: Monday August 6 - Saturday August 11


olivier

NICHOLAS OLIVIER

U.S. Press Officer

nick@usack.org

UK: 077-1414-1406

US: 210-386-9013


CANOE/KAYAK 101


There are two Olympic disciplines within canoe/kayak: flatwater sprint and

whitewater slalom. Flatwater sprint races are often held at the same venues as

Olympic rowing. The London 2012 sprint venue is at Eton Dorney, 25 miles west

of London. Whitewater slalom courses involve paddlers making their way through

rapids around gates, similar to slalom skiing at the Winter Games. The London

2012 slalom venue is the Lee Valley Whitewater Centre, 20 miles north of

Olympic Park. Both sprint and slalom involve canoes and kayaks, although

women’s canoe is not currently part of the Olympic program. Paralympic

Canoe/Kayak was recently voted in for Rio 2016, but will not be part of the

London Games.


ABOUT USA CANOE/KAYAK


USA Canoe/Kayak is a non-profit membership organization based in Oklahoma

City, OK, promoting canoe and kayak racing in the United States. A member of

the United States Olympic Committee, USA Canoe/Kayak is the national

governing body for the Olympic sports of Flatwater Sprint and Whitewater Slalom

and the official U.S. federation of the International Canoe Federation. Other

paddling sports sanctioned by USACanoe/Kayak include Marathon, Freestyle,

Wildwater, Stand Up Paddleboard, Canoe Polo, Canoe Sailing, Outrigger, and

Dragon Boat. For more information about USA Canoe/Kayak, please visit us on

the web at www.usack.org, on Twitter at @usacanoekayak and Like us on

Facebook at Facebook.com/usacanoekayak.


THE QUALIFICATION PROCESS


The first 2012 Olympic boat quota slots were earned for Team USA by kayakers

Scott Parsons and Caroline Queen at the 2011 Slalom World Championships in

Slovakia in September, which was the first Olympic qualification event. The rest

of the U.S. boats were earned at last chance qualification events. The U.S.

earned two sprint kayak slots for London while at the 2011 Pan American Games

in Mexico in October. Only a Gold medal at the 2012 Slalom Pan American

Championships in Brazil in March would do for the U.S. to earn Olympic slots for

singles and doubles canoe. Team USA did just that, qualifying the maximum

number of slalom boats - four - for the 2012 Games.


THE SELECTION PROCESS


Sprint kayaker Carrie Johnson was the first canoe/kayak athlete named to the

2012 U.S. Olympic Team. She booked her ticket to London with a first place

finish in the Women’s Kayak 500m race at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in

Oklahoma City on April 20. Tim Hornsby was faster than Ryan Dolan in the

Men’s Kayak 200m at World Cup No. 2 in Duisburg, Germany in May, to earn the

lone men’s sprint spot. All four 2012 Olympic slalom boats (and five athletes)

were selected at the Slalom World Cup No. 1 in Cardiff, Wales in June.


OLYMPIC FORMAT


Click here.


OLYMPIC SCHEDULE


Click here.


FUN FACTS


STORYLINES


Sprint to the Finish: The 200-meter distance will be making its Olympic debut

for men’s sprint kayak and canoe, replacing the 500-meter races. It brings the

“fastest paddler in the world” element to the sport, similar to track and field. Also,

the spectators can see the race develop from start to finish, usually lasting 35

seconds.


Competing with Crohn’s: Carrie Johnson, 28, was diagnosed with Crohn's

disease in 2003, while rehabilitating a elbow injury. The illness left her unable to

train in the 2003 and 2009 seasons. Johnson was accepted into the UC-Davis

School of Veterinary Medicine and will begin the four-year program immediately

upon returning from London. She has decided that the 2012 Games will be her

last.


Is Third Time the Charm? Scott Parsons, 32, hasn’t decided yet whether the

2012 Games will be his final run at an Olympic medal. He placed 6th at the

Athens 2004 Olympic Games and one crucial error knocked him out of medal

contention in 2008. He emerged as the most consistent U.S. slalom paddler

during the 2012 Olympic selection process. Men’s Slalom Kayak is one of the

most competitive disciplines in the U.S. but Parsons outlasted a number of

challengers. The veteran paddler hopes his steady hand will lead to the elusive

Olympic medal.


Going It Alone: Casey Eichfeld, 22, returns for his second Olympic Games. But

this time, he’ll be paddling solo as the U.S. representative in Slalom Single

Canoe (C1). In 2008, an 18-year-old Eichfeld competed for Team USA with

partner Rick Powell in Doubles Canoe (C2). Prior to both Olympics, Eichfeld

waited until the last possible race to take the lead in U.S. Olympic selection

points and clinch the spot on the Olympic Team. He finished second in the 2012

Olympic selection process in C2.


A True Student-Athlete: Caroline Queen, 20, is a sophomore at Davidson

College in North Carolina, a short drive from the U.S. National Whitewater Center

and site of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Slalom Team Trials. She took the Spring 2012

semester off from school to focus on Olympic qualification. She plans to enroll in

medical school after completing her undergraduate studies. She cross-trains as a

member of the Davidson club field hockey team. She attempted to qualify for the

2008 Games at 16 years of age. Even now, she’s 13 years younger than Olympic

teammate Scott Parsons.


Like Fathers, Like Sons: Eric Hurd, 26, and Jeff Larimer, 31, are both following

in the wake of their paddling fathers, Mike Hurd and Mike Larimer. The elder

Hurd and Larimer trained with each other on the Chattahoochee River just north

of Atlanta. Mike Hurd was also a high school All-American basketball player.

Mike Larimer narrowly missed out on paddling for Team USA at the 1992

Olympic Games, but he was able to coach the U.S. Canoe/Kayak Team at the

Atlanta 1996 Olympics. Surprisingly, their sons have only recently joined forces

in doubles canoe. But the duo quickly established themselves as the best C-2

boat in North and South America with a Gold medal at the 2012 Pan American

Championships.


Four Years Wiser: Tim Hornsby, 26, attended the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

as a training partner for U.S. Olympian Rami Zur. Hornsby, 26 returns to the

Olympic stage - this time as an Olympian - after outlasted teammates Zur and

Ryan Dolan in the long 2012 selection process. Joining Hornsby in London will

be his girlfriend Becky Holliday, who qualified for her first Olympics in pole

vaulting. Hornsby is the first Olympian produced by the Lanier Canoe and Kayak

Club, which has won 10 National Championships. Lake Lanier hosted the

canoe/kayak and rowing events at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games.


Others to Watch: Slovakia has been dominant in slalom paddling of late. Both

the men’s doubles and single canoe boats will look to continue their dominance

in London. Twins Pavol and Peter Hochschorner hope to earn their fourth straight

Olympic Gold medal, while Michal Martikan will race for his fifth Olympic medal in

five Games. Sprint kayaker Tim Brabants, from Great Britain, plans to ride the

home course advantage to his fourth medal in three Olympic Games. In between

Games, Brabants took time off to complete medical school and is an emergency

room doctor.

ALL-TIME OLYMPIC MEDAL COUNTS

Canoe/Kayak - Both Sprint and Slalom

Click here.

ATHLETES

carrieCARRIE JOHNSON


TIM HORNSBY


carolineCAROLINE QUEEN


scottSCOTT PARSONS


caseyCASEY EICHFELD

ericERIC HURD

jeffJEFF LARIMER


STAFF


silvanSILVAN POBERAJ  2012 U.S. Olympic Slalom Team Coach: 


Poberaj is the longest tenured national team coach that USA Canoe/Kayak has ever had, signing on with Team USA in 1994. London 2012 will be his fifth Olympics as coach of the United States. Born in Slovenia, he coached the Slovenian Olympic Team in 1992, adding a sixth Games to his resume.


rafalRAFAL SMOLEN  2012 U.S. Olympic Slalom Team Coach: 


Smolen joined USA Canoe/Kayak in 2011 as its Slalom National Development and Coaching Manager. In that capacity, he worked with Poberaj to coordinate training camps, selection procedures and adherence to the high performance plan, all with an eye toward success at the international level. The Polish-born coach previously coached the Nantahala Racing Club in Western North Carolina. He coached numerous U.S. Senior and Junior National Teams, including the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team. He coached the Canadian National Slalom Team in 2005 and the 2008 Chilean Olympic Team. His 18-year-old son, Michal, is competed for the U.S. at 2012 World Cups No. 2 and 3.


steinSTEIN JORGENSEN  2012 U.S. Olympic Sprint Team Coach: 


The two-time U.S. Olympic kayaker will coach at his first Olympic Games in London. He coached the U.S. National Team during the 2008 and 2010 seasons and has served as 2012 Olympian Carrie Johnson’s personal coach on and off since 2005. Jorgensen didn’t begin paddling flatwater sprint until his late 20s, but within seven years, he won the World Championships in 200m Kayak Doubles in 1995. He raced 500m Kayak Doubles at the 1996 Games and at the 200 Games, he raced 500m Kayak Singles and placed fourth in 1,000m Kayak Fours. Jorgensen currently works full-time as a firefighter with the Chula Vista Fire Department.


shaunSHAUN CAVEN  2012 U.S. Olympic Sprint Team Manager/Coach: 


A native of Castle Douglass, Scotland, Caven coached the 2008 British Olympic Canoe/Kayak Team, which featured a gold medalist in kayaker Tim Brabants. Before that, Caven coached the Scottish National Team from 1997 to 2001 and the British Junior Team from 2001 to 2005. In 2009, Caven set up shop in Oklahoma City, where he serves as head coach for the OKC National High Performance Center and the Oklahoma City University varsity kayak program. He coached Team USA at the 2009 World Championships.


WILLIAM IRVING, Olympic Team Leader/National Teams Dir.


GERALD BABAO, Operations Director

JOE JACOBI, Chief Executive Officer

To download the 2012 USA Canoe/Kayak Olympic Media Guide in its entirety click here.