• INDIAN ISLAND – The Penobscot Nation was recently awarded the bid for the 2015 Whitewater Open Canoe National Championships. The event will begin with a day of practice on July 22, followed by downriver and sprint races July 23-26. The weekend will include the Maine Whitewater Championship, open to kayaks, decked canoes and SUPs.

    Races will start in Old Town, with the longer downriver races ending in Eddington. This section of the Penobscot River was recently restored to a free-flowing condition following removal of the Great Works and Veazie Dams as part of the Penobscot River Restoration Project, a collaborative effort to restore 11 species of sea-run fish to the watershed through improving access to spawning and nursery habitat.

    Race Chair Scott Phillips is very pleased with the enthusiasm and support for the event provided by the Tribe, local communities and volunteers, and particularly the recent announcement that Old Town Canoes and Kayaks will serve as the event’s featured corporate sponsor. Working with volunteers from the ACA New England Paddle America Club (ACANE), the Maine Canoe and Kayak Racing Organization (MaCKRO), and the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, Phillips is putting together a race program suitable for experienced whitewater paddlers of all abilities.

    “This is going to be a fantastic celebration of this great river and the strong paddling culture in Maine and northern New England,” says Phillips. “We expect over a hundred boats for the downriver races, and there will be races for kayaks, decked canoes, standup-paddle boards, war canoes, and special events for kids.”

    For more information, contact Phillips at 207-852-0680 or scott@waterwaysports.com, or visit http://2015wwocdnationalchampionships.com/ or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/2015WhitewaterOpenCanoeNationals.

 


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