Level Six Capital Cup - Whitewater Freestyle Kayak Competition at Bate Island, Ottawa


Yesterday, I caught a glimpse of the Level Six Capital Cup, a whitewater freestyle kayaking competition that showcases both men and women, amateurs and professionals.

While it's more fun to watch the competitors negotiating the excitement of the rapids, and this is what the photographers love to shoot and the kayak manufacturers love to promote, it was the irony of the baby stroller parked next to the whitewater kayaks that caught my eye. "Are you watching mommy compete?"  Go girl! 

The event is put on by Level Six with other sponsors such as Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), NRS, OWL Rafting, Madawaska Kanu Centre, Wilderness Tours, and Ottawa Kayak School.
The Level Six Capital Cup also includes a SUP race and a raft race. This is fun to watch! You can find a link to professional photos of the event on the Level Six Facebook page. Just Google it.

The event takes place each spring in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) in the powerful Champlain Rapids from Bate Island, just off the Champlain Bridge, as long as the water levels cooperate. And this year, the Ottawa River was happy to oblige with big spring flows and fair weather. Saturday, May 3 was generous with no rain, a moderate wind, and 17 degrees Celsius (63 degrees Fahrenheit).

The water levels, rapids, and standing waves the first week of May at Bate Island are still in mint condition after April's big melt-down and powerful flows.

Look at the big, bad, cup! It was well-guarded at the event. I was lucky to get a photo of it. Adam Chapel won the Men's and Brenna Kelly won the Women's. For more information you can look up the results on the Level Six website.
If you missed the Level Six Capital Cup this year, you may want to check it out next spring. Watching the event is free and so is parking at Bate Island. It is relaxed and low key. Bring a picnic lunch. Cycle to the site. Competitors pay an entry fee.
I'm not a fan of whitewater kayaks, but those river runners and creeking kayaks keep calling me. As a sea kayaker, I like a longer kayak.
Pyranha Burn III - new in 2014
Next week, Ottawa's Tulip Festival kicks off. Let's hope the tulips will cooperate and bloom in time with our late-breaking, chilly, overcast, and soggy spring weather.

Happy trails!
The BaffinPaddler

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