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 11 th and 12 th 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.