The US National Freestyle Kayak Team Trials draw to close in Missoula, MT and the new team is selected.



The future of freestyle kayaking looks bright if results from the US National Freestyle Kayak Team Trials are an indicator of whats to come.

Teens Jason Craig, Dane Jackson, Jordan Poffenberger and Lauren Burress all turned in impressive performances as they battled in various divisions for the chance to represent the US at World Championships in Germany next summer.

Jackson, 16, not only qualified but outright topped the winner’s stand in three classes, OC-1, C1 and Junior Men. In fact, Jackson’s rides in the junior men’s events were among the top-scoring rides of the entire competition.

A flurry of McNasty’s and Space Godzillas both ways in addition to a barrage of loops, lunar orbits and more scored 1250.

Jackson said that coming into the event he had hoped to make all three teams but surprised even himself by being the first place finisher in all three classes.  Jackson also won top honors in all three classes in the USA Freestyle Kayak Point Series translating into three national crowns.

Jackson’s best friend and fellow 16-year-old Jason Craig has an automatic entry into World Championships by virtue of being reigning junior men’s world champ.

Since this event also served as the final event of national point series, Craig competed here in the senior men’s division where he stunned the crowd with a 1265-point ride to finish second in the event.

He also earned second in the senior men’s point series. Craig rescinded his seat on the senior men’s team in order to defend his junior men’s world title next summer, which allows men’s sixth-place finisher Bryan Kirk to claim the fifth spot on the senior men’s national team.

Kirk won the point series making him this year’s National champ.

Jason said he didn’t have any specific goals coming into the event other than to paddle his best and said he was pleased with his results.

Dominating the junior women’s division was 14-year-old Lauren Burress whose top scores in both rounds of competition were more than double that of the second-place finisher. Burress’s prelim round ride of 440 would have qualified her for the senior women’s finals.  

Despite a cool, overcast day in Missoula, the men’s final round rides were scorching hot, as scores ratcheted progressively higher climaxing with Stephen Wright’s first-place 1380-point ride.
Wright said he was inspired to throw down the sick ride by Dustin Urban who immediately preceded Wright in today’s start order.

Wright said though Urban had started slow in his third-round ride “he just kept rapid-firing tricks all the way through the buzzer” to tally 1250 points which landed him in third place at this event.

Wright predicted it will be scores like those seen here today, if not higher, that will determine the next champion at the International Canoe Federation Freestyle Kayak World Championships in Plattling Germany next June.

Wright also noted that at home in Reno, NV he and others have been practicing three- and four-move combos and while none were thrown this week, he said he wouldn’t be surprised to see them next season in even higher-scoring rides.

Also on the team again is four-time world champ Eric Jackson who commented that the depth of field on this year’s team in all the divisions was really impressive.

Jackson noted the US team is among the hardest of any national team to earn a spot.


2009 US Freestyle Kayak Team

Day 3 Finals Results – US Freestyle Kayak Team Trials

MENS C1 (US Team members in italic)
Dane Jackson – 700 (Point series National Champ)
Jordan Poffenberger – 620
Seth Chappelle – 590
Eric Jackson – 220
Brad McMillan – 200

JR Women (US Team members in italic)
Lauren Burress – 240 (Point series National Champ)
Hannah Kertesz – 125
Emery Tillman – 40
Brooke Hess-Homeier – 15
Taylor Cote – 0

JR Men (US Team members in italic + Jason Craig, world champ)
Dane Jackson – 1240 (Point series National Champ)
Will Rudisill – 405 (too old for jr team in 2011)
Nico Tonozzi – 380
Eric Bartl – 290
Jordan Poffenberger – 220
JP Griffith – 150

SR Women (US Team members in italic)
Emily Jackson – 470
Jessie Stone – 310
Erin Clancey – 260
Haley Mills – 215 (Point series National Champ)
Kat Levett – 205

SR Men (US Team members in italic)
Stephen Wright – 1380
Jason Craig – 1265 (on JR team for worlds)
Dustin Urban – 1250
Eric Jackson – 1030
Clay Wright – 780
Bryan Kirk (not competing today – Point series National Champ)