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Jakub Grigar at the 2021 ICF Canoe Slalom & Wildwater Canoeing World Championships in Cunovo , Slovakia Filip Nagy / Red Bull Content Pool
The lure of the Olympics is a strong one . To go to the Olympics means putting your national team in the top position . Training , having the right equipment , and being the best at the event , not just lucky , will play more of a factor each year . Coaches are just learning the sport . They are offering some good coaching , some lousy coaching . The top athletes have to train the coaches , and the coaches have to study . The rules are different now than last year ; the courses are different and format different , so coaches and athletes need to be on their toes . Early adopters will beat out the heavily organized regimes .
WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE SPORT IN 10 YEARS ? Kids will be choosing between slalom and extreme slalom . 80 % of the media will focus on extreme slalom by 2024 . You ’ ll see highlights of the traditional slalom races on TV , and you ’ ll see the entire semi-finals and finals
Jessica Fox ( L ), Elena Apel ( middle ) and Evy Leibfarth ( R ) celebrate after the Extreme Canoe Slalom event in Cunovo , Slovakia Filip Nagy / Red Bull Content Pool
for Extreme Slalom . You ’ ll have kayak companies like Apex Watercraft focusing on the sport , with dedicated designs and marketing around the sport . Extreme slalom will dwarf slalom in the total exposure and consequently in participation . Setting up a course for extreme slalom is much easier . No ramp necessary , no gates necessary if you don ’ t want them for local races .
Traditional slalom will never go away . It is such a fantastic sport and display of skills and athleticism . However , I don ’ t think those 100 % focused on traditional slalom will welcome extreme slalom into their world for long . I don ’ t like one more than another ; they are both dear to my heart . However , I have already spent many years on Team USA for traditional slalom . I have only one year under my belt in Extreme Slalom , and my chance of a second Olympic run is much higher racing in my new Ringer in the extreme slalom event . What does that say about the sport when a 58-year-old says , “ I am training for the Olympics .” It says that the hopes can be higher for this event than most for more people . Hope is a strong motivator , and it attracts people .
The ICF did it right – a tough decision but a great addition that will secure its future . Of course , freestyle is missing from the Olympics . To add freestyle would mean that either C1 slalom or some flatwater racing category would have to be dropped . That won ’ t happen unless it is a matter of survival again . I wondered if I would ever compete in the Olympics in freestyle . Now , I wonder if my kids will be able to ? An accurate representation of whitewater kayaking would have freestyle , of course .
Ten years from now , we ’ ll see how clear my crystal ball is . Does anyone want to start a betting pool ?