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ALDEN HENRIE CAPTURES GOLD AT 2019 U.S. TEAM TRIALS

Bald Eagle Area Senior from Snow Shoe Captures Whitewater Slalom U23 Title

Oklahoma City APRIL 14, 2019 Today at the U.S. National Whitewater Slalom Team Trials, Alden Henrie of Snow Shoe, Pennsylvania, and Senior at Bald Eagle Area High School, won the gold medal in the Men’s Under 23 Single Canoe division and confirmed his intent to represent Team USA at the 2019 International Canoe Federation (ICF) U23 World Championships in Krakow, Poland, July 16–21.

“When he started paddling at age eight, I never imagined it would lead to an elite Olympic-level track,” his mother Michele Barbin reflected. “It was all fun for usEvenings on the waterafter school. Weekend travel to races was quality time. He is always seeking the next challenge. When he was eight, his goalwas just to make all the gates, then have a penalty-free or cleanrun. Now it’s bigger, more challenging water while maintaining clean runs.

After six grueling runs on the Class IV courses at RiversportRapids OKC over three days at the U.S. Team Trials, Henrie’sbest four times confirmed his talent in the field of under 23 paddlers.

“My race runs weren’t good, but they were good enough,” reflected Henrie. “I need more time on man-made courses so my training has a better impact at this level.”

Henrie learned the art of whitewater paddling and continues to train with the Mach 1 Whitewater Slalom Team in Bellefonte Pennsylvania. This will be Henrie’s third appearance at the ICF World Championships. He represented Team USA Whitewater Slalom at the 2017 World Championship in Bratislava, Slovenia, after he got the call as first alternate to the Team USA contingent when one of the top three paddlers could not attend and earned the spot for the 2018 World Championships in Ivera, Italy, as the bronze medal winning Junior/U18 at U.S. Team Trials.

Henrie will be attending Penn State this Fall.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to offset training and travel expenses for Alden this summer, please contact Dave Kurtz, coach 814-222-0052 by phone for more details, or send a check or money order to Mach 1 SRS, 118 East South Hills Avenue, State College, PA 16801 and note US Team Development/Alden in the memo.

About the 2019 ICF Junior/U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships:

The ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships returns to Krakow, Poland, in 2019. The KrakowKolna Canoe Slalom Course is a regular venue on the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup circuit, most recently in 2018. Krakow also hosted the European Championships twice (2013 and 2008). With its grass banks, the Krakow-Kolna Canoe Slalom Course always draws a big crowd. The attraction of the best young paddlers in the world will be an extra incentive for spectators in 2019.

About Canoe Slalom

The sport of canoe slalom involves the navigation of a deckedcanoe or kayak through a course of hanging downstream or upstream gates on river rapids in the fastest time possible. Time penalties accrue for missed gates (50 secs) and touched gates (2 secs). The two canoe/kayak disciplines at the Summer Olympicsare Canoe/Kayak Slalom and Canoe/Kayak Sprint. Canoe Slalom debuted at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, where U.S. canoeist Jamie McEwan won the bronze medal. After a hiatus, canoe slalom was added indefinitely to the 1992 Olympic calendar.

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