Olympians Hit the Rapids in McHenry
By: Katie Kyros
Updated: September 10, 2012
Olympians and competitors of all ages were on the whitewater course for the Deep Creek Open and US National Canoe and Kayak Championships at the Adventure Sports Center International.
"The National Championships are a fantastic way to see everybody and just kind of remember this is where I grew up, this is how I started," says Olympic canoer Casey Eichfeld.
And some traveled from across the country to compete here, including Lisa Adams, who drove 40 hours from Durango, Colorado.
"It's really exciting like everyone just got back from the Olympics, but there's also a lot of stress because this is a National Championship race," says Adams.
Athletes are also excited because in 2014, ASCI will be the site of the world championships, bringing international athletes to McHenry and the American team will have a home course advantage.
ASCI has one of the only artificial whitewater courses in the world.
"It is unique," says event director Suzanne Nicolas. "There's only 7 man made courses in the world, ours is the only one on a mountain top."
