Uptown Columbus Incorporated will host the 2023 USA Freestyle Canoe/Kayak World Championships Team Trials, March 11. The competition on Good Wave rapids will include several categories to select the Senior and Junior Teams for both men and women.

The Team Trials will determine who will represent Team USA in the upcoming World Freestyle Championships. The 2023 Championships are sanctioned by the International Canoe Federation (ICF) and will take place in Columbus, GA, from October 9 through 14, 2023.

Who: The best freestyle kayakers in the United States
What: 2023 USA Freestyle Kayak World Championships Team Trials
When: March 11, 2023 (March 12, if needed)
Where: Chattahoochee River, Good Wave rapid (the Island) in Columbus, GA
Why: Select the Senior and Junior Men and Women National Teams

Team USA is expecting over 50 athletes to compete on March 11th and 12th to fill just 24 spots. Team USA will fill the positions of K1 Senior Men, K1 Senior Women, K1 Junior Men, K1 Junior Women, Open Canoe, C1 Men, C1 Women, and Squirt Boat. K1 means that the paddler is sitting on their bottom, in a kayak, using two paddle blades. C1 means the paddler is sitting on their knees in a kayak, using one paddle blade. Open Canoe is without the use of a spray skirt, allowing water to enter into the kayak. That paddler will also be on their knees and use one paddle blade. Squirt Boaters are sitting on their bottoms on their specially made kayaks, designed to sink underwater and allowing the paddler to perform tricks below and on the surface.

Mason Hargrove, 19-year-old from Phenix City, Alabama, is competing for a slot on Team USA. Hargrove won a Gold Medal in the 2019 World Championships as a Junior but will now be competing in the Senior Division. “I am preparing mentally and physically, training both on the water and in the gym in hopes if securing one of the five Senior Men spots. All the best paddlers in the United States will be competing for a position on the National Team and I am enjoying having them in my hometown as they travel here to train,” he said.

In women’s kayak, two athletes lead the charge to make the team. USA’s Emily Jackson is the reigning World Champion and hopes to make the team to again and then repeat as a Gold Medal winner. Local favorite Makinley Kate Hargrove, 15-year-old, from Phenix City, Alabama, is competing in the Junior Women’s category. “This will be my second team trials and an opportunity to continue growing and increasing my skills in the sport, which I love,” said Hargrove. She noted that the team has three spots for Junior Women and that she is working hard and training under the watchful eyes of her coach, who happens to be her big brother Mason. Ms. Hargrove added, “I would love to see the entire community come out on March 11 to cheer on all the paddlers from around the United States, as we chase our goals.

“We are thrilled to host the USA Team Trials and further solidify Columbus and Phenix City as a mecca for whitewater events and other outdoor recreation activities,” said Ed Wolverton, President of Uptown Columbus. A local Host Committee comprised of community and business leaders are coordinating the Team Trials and the 2023 World Championships. Wolverton noted that the community was able to bring these prestigious competitions to the area because of “the hard work of Host Committee members, local government, and the support of corporate and philanthropic leaders including the WC Bradley Company, Georgia Power, Synovus, TSYS Global Payment Systems, and many others. Our goal is to make these competitions the best in the history of the sport,” he said.

The competition will run from 9:00 am – 5:30 pm on Saturday, March 11. If needed, the competition will continue on Sunday from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. March 10 is an official training day, although many athletes have already visited the community to surf the water.