An unprecedented number of locals boaters made the final cut at the 62nd Annual New Belgium Brewing FIBArk Freestyle Whitewater Festival. Four of the top ten finalists, two each in the men’s and women’s pro freestyle kayak final, hailed from the home county of the country’s oldest whitewater festival.
In the women’s division, recent arrivals Haley Mills and Amy Jimmerson both made the final cut. Meanwhile, in the men’s division, former National Team member and World Squirt Champ Dustin Urban of Buena Vista and Greg Parker, who is a popular seasonal kayak instructor in Salida, made the men’s final. All four were heavy crowd favorites, earning raucous support during tonight’s final in downtown Salida.
Of the four, veteran competitor and recent Teva Mountain Games champ Dustin Urban fared the best in the best-of-three-ride format for the finals. Though he entered in fifth position, meaning he went first in the final round, Dustin’s first ride was smoking hot, throwing down the gauntlet to the other four finalists. It was a lead only he himself topped, finishing with a top score of 1305. Urban was followed in second place by Jackson Kayak teammate Stephen Wright, the World’s third-ranked freestyle kayaker, who, despite suffering from a severe upper respiratory ailment, scored 1210. Rounding out the podium was Wave Sport’s Bryan Kirk with 1150 points who, earlier in FIBArk action, took one of the worst beat-downs of his career in the Pine Creek Boater Cross Race and is proud to note he didn’t swim. Though he finished both preliminary and semifinal rounds as the top seed, 16-year-old Jason Craig, the reigning Junior Men’s World Champion finished in fourth, followed by Parker in fifth.
Points-wise, the women’s division really amounted to a showdown between reigning Women’s World Champion Emily Jackson and her immediate predecessor, Canadian Ruth Gordon. By a squeeky-slim 10-point margin, Gordon bested her Jackson Kayak teammate to take home top honors, 500 to 490. Meanwhile hometown fav and rising star, at least on the Colorado leg of this season’s Western Tour, Haley Mills of Buena Vista took third with 230 points. Earlier in the season, Mills, a relative unknown on the pro tour, placed third at the prestigious Teva Mountain Games in Vail, behind Jackson and Australian veteran paddler Tanya Faux. At last weekend’s Lyons Outdoor Games, Mills was second only to Jackson.
In earlier FIBArk action, the names were the same but the order was different in the single-bladed paddle divisions. In OC1, it was Jordan Poffenberger, gold; Brad McMillan, silver; Dan Jackson, bronze. In C1 the order of finish was Dane Jackson gold; Poffenberger, silver and McMillan bronze.
Highlights of the Sunday schedule at FIBArk are as follows: Junior Men’s freestyle kayak semifinal and final rounds begin at 8 a.m; the first division of the Classic 26-mile downriver race begin at 9:45 a..m.; mountain bike races on the Arkansas Hills Trails that start in downtown Salida, begin at 10 a.m.; the Crazy River Dog competition is at high noon; closing ceremonies and awards are slated to begin at 3:30.
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