International Whitewater Hall of Fame

International Participation Grows to 29 Countries

The International Whitewater Hall of Fame (IWHOF) Board of Governors has announced the Class of 2009 Honorees, whitewater legends whose accomplishments have contributed significantly to both the sport and business of whitewater around the world.

“We are particularly excited about the breadth of this year’s honorees and their breathtaking accomplishments,” notes Risa Shimoda, Chair, IWHOF Board of Governors. They hail from six countries and their nomination and election reflects participation from 74 affiliate organizations and 100 electors from 29 countries.”

Pioneer - Mikhail Kolchevnikov (deceased) - Russia
Mikhail organized the 1978 Chuya Rally in Siberia which evolved into Project RAFT, a partnership with American rafters to override the political animosity between their two nations. Project RAFT hosted 50 teams on the Chuya, Nantahala (USA), Reventazón and Pacuare (Costa Rica), and Coruh River (Turkey) from 1989 to 1993 and its successes became the roots of the International Rafting Federation and World Rafting Championships.

Explorer - Lars Holbek (deceased) - United States
Lars Holbek logged over seventy first descents worldwide on many of the world’s top-quality whitewater rivers such as the Futaleufu and Stikine. Laid back, fun-loving and dedicated to pushing the limits of whitewater paddling, Lars led the charge in one of the greatest periods of exploratory kayaking the sport has seen and co-authored The Best Whitewater in California in 1984, which continues to be the undisputed authority for California paddling.

Champion - Stepanka Hilgertova - Czech Republic
Stepanka Hilgertova competed in five consecutive Olympic Games, winning Olympic Gold Medals in 1996 (Atlanta) and 2000 (Sydney). She also took 1st Place at World Championships in 1992 (Augsburg) and 1996 (Barcelona) and many European Championship races. Stepanka’s popularity as an Olympic victor is a prime reason for the tremendous popularity of whitewater slalom in the Czech Republic, and she is now regarded as their “First Lady of the Olympics.”

Champion - Pavol Hochschorner and Peter Hochschorner – Slovakia
These double canoe partners have won Gold Medals in three Olympic Games, nine World Cup Championships, and two World Championships. They have also completed the canoe slalom “Grand Slam,” winning Gold Medals in the Olympics, World Championships, European Championships and Whitewater Slalom World Cup.

Advocate - Rafael Gallo - Costa Rica
This founder of one of the most well-respected rafting companies in the world has led the fight to save the Pacuare River from the first dam threat in the 1990’s and protected 2,000 acres of rainforest along that river. Founder of the International Rafting Federation, Rafael has helped increase international rafting standards, awareness, and has promoted the sport throughout the world.

Advocate - Bill Mason (deceased) – Canada. An award-winning naturalist, author, artist, filmmaker and conservationist, Bill Mason’s books, paintings, films and environmental advocacy have each had a tremendous impact on generations of wilderness travelers and whitewater paddlers. The most successful filmmaker in the history of the National Film Board of Canada, Bill Mason is perhaps best known for the Path of the Paddle series of films which introduced new skills and enjoyment of whitewater to canoeists worldwide during the 1970s and 1980s.

2009 IWHOF inductees will be hosted September 26, 2009 at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, North Carolina, USA by the NOC Foundation. The International Whitewater Hall of Fame, a project of the Paddlesports Industry Foundation, recognizes individuals whose accomplishments have contributed significantly to whitewater activities.

For more information contact Risa Shimoda (301) 502-6548 rshimoda@iwhof.org.

The 2009 IWHOF Election is Over. Thank you very much to all the members of the electorate who have voted. The winners will be officially announced on June 1, 2009 here, on our Facebook page, and on BoaterTalk after we have notified the newly elected Honorees and/or their respective nominating individuals and organizations.

(Silver Spring, MD) – The International Whitewater Hall of Fame has been officially endorsed by the International Canoe Federation (ICF) the governing body for canoe/kayak, the leader for national governing bodies worldwide.

“We are very pleased to give recognition to this organisation,” said Jose Perurena, ICF President, “for its effort to honour contributors to our sport. In a few short years it has reached out to the international paddling community and gives excellent exposure and recognition to the talent that we have in our sport.”

“We are thrilled about this partnership with the ICF in our effort to recognize important contributors to whitewater’s history and culture,” comments Risa Shimoda, Chair of the IWHoF Board of Governors. “IWHoF has a good base from which to start: we’ve worked hard to establish international participation with the enthusiasm of our highly qualified electors, affiliate organizations and supporters such as the Reel Paddling Film Festival. Thanks to the dedication of our lean but diligent Board of Governors and staff, four of the six 2008 inductees are from countries outside the US and in 2009 as were nine of the fourteen nominations we received this year.”

The International Canoe Federation and International Whitewater Hall of Fame invite enthusiasts to participate in the process of celebrating whitewater heroes and heroines by joining the Facebook group, suggesting new ways to spread the story of IWHOF heroes and heroines and learning about ICF initiatives.

For further information or to learn more about IWHoF or ICF, please contact Risa Shimoda rshimoda@iwhof.org 01 + 301-502-6548.

The 2009 International Whitewater Hall of Fame Election Process is coming to a close. Our Screening committee has selected the following outstanding individuals in each category from our pool of nominees to appear on the 2009 Ballot. Clicking on each nominee’s name will bring up a PDF file of the nominee’s nomination form.

Voting by our electorate, which is made up of all living IWHOF Honorees and an international cross-section of outstanding representatives of every whitewater discipline and related industry will take place between May 4 and May 17, 2009. Formal announcement of those elected to the International Whitewater Hall of Fame will be made on June 1, 2009.

ADVOCATE CATEGORY:
An individual who has promoted whitewater pursuits vigorously through grassroots advocacy, environmental stewardship or by producing significant products or services; and has served the whitewater community in a leadership role for a period of twenty (20) years or more.

The nominees are:

Helen Brownlee, Australia
Oliver J. Cock, Great Britain
Rafael Gallo, Costa Rica
Dave Manby, Great Britain
Bill Mason, Canada
Risa Shimoda, United States

CHAMPION CATEGORY:
An individual or team who has been or was engaged in any competitive whitewater discipline for at least five (5) years; and has a distinguished record of achievement at the highest levels of competitive whitewater sport.

The nominees are:

J.P. Burny, Luxembourg
Dana Chladek, United States
Stepanka Hilgertova, Czech Republic
Pavol Hochschorner and Peter Hochschorner, Slovakia
Jamie McEwan, United States
Michal Martikan, Slovakia
Danielle Woodward, Australia

EXPLORER CATEGORY:
An individual who has been engaged in extensive exploration and investigation of unknown regions and areas of whitewater activity; and has exemplified superior feats in previously unchallenged whitewater: e.g. an adventurer, scientist or expedition leader.

The nominees are:

Mikey Abbott, New Zealand
Lars Holbek, Explorer, United States
Pete Winn, United States

PIONEER CATEGORY:
An individual who has made or was the first or among the earliest expert in one or more specific areas of whitewater accomplishment.

The nominees are:

Theo Bock, Germany
Bart Hauthaway, United States
Avinash C. Kohli, India
Mikhail Kolchevnikov, Russia

Best of luck to all of our outstanding nominees in the upcoming election!

The Call of the River - A Hundred Years of Whitewater Adventure

May 14, 2009 - 7:30 and 9:30 pm

The twists and turns of whitewater history resemble the canyons its pioneers have explored, a collage of unexpected influences such as World War II’s impact on boat materials and world champions’ defection from communist regimes in their homeland. Curiosity, ingenuity and outright audacity have built boats in friends’ basements and bribed dam keepers to release water, all in pursuit of the river experience. These tales are together on film for the first time in The Call of the River, produced by award-winning videographer and former world champion Kent Ford. Vintage paddling footage, in-depth interviews with eclectic pioneers and captivating narrative provide a close look at what inspires paddlers to answer the call of the river.

Join the DC Area paddling community at this double header debut! Ticket proceeds will benefit Team River Runner and the International Whitewater Hall of Fame!

6:30 pm Doors Open

7:15 pm Remarks from Team River Runner, International Whitewater Hall of Fame and Special Call of the River Guests!

7:30 pm First Show

Whitewater History Pop Quiz for Prizes!

9:15 pm Remarks as above

9:30 pm Second Show

Price: $10 online in advance, $15 at the door

To purchase tickets visit www.arlingtondrafthouse.com. For more information regarding Call of the River, please visit Kent Ford’s Performance Video Website.

See you on May 14th!