Support U.S. Team Athlete COREY VOLT at Worlds

Thank You for Supporting COREY VOLT

2009-09-22T12:01:00.003-04:00

COREY VOLT would like to thank everyone for supporting him at the World Freestyle Kayak Championships in Thun, Switzerland.
Corey finished 35th place in the world. He also announced the live internet coverage of the semi-finals and finals to approx. 20,000 viewers.
Keep checking back for additional information, photographs, and links.

World Championships

2009-09-03T03:22:00.001-04:00

I spent last week training with the U.S. Team. We had one hour of practice everyday. We split the team in half so that we could all have adequate time on the wave. In addition to team practices there were also open times on the wave when everyone was free to practice.

The first couple days of team practices were hard because the wave kept changing. The wave is controlled by a dam that has to be set in a particular sequence for there to be a wave at all. In addition to team practices I did a night session at 8pm and then an early session one morning at 4am. Even at 4 in the morning there was a queue of 10+ people but looking at the stars was amazing!

During one team session the wave “greened out” completely, meaning it changed so that there was no wave. This was super frustrating considering we had limited time out there anyway, but we made the most out of it and just played. It was great being out there with friends doing what we all love to do.

After a week of training it was game time...I was a little bit nervous and as I was getting in my boat for the competition I slipped and fell on my ass in front of everyone in the grandstands! They went crazy with cheering! I was the first to go in my heat which was stacked with awesome paddlers and great friends, Anthony Yap and Peter Czonka. My first ride went very well! I stuck a wave-nasty (and almost flushed off because I was cheering myself on), my score was 350 ish. My other 3 rides weren't as good as the first but I had more fun during those four rides than my entire week of training. My total combined score was 450 which put me in 35th place out of 103 competitors. Though I won't be competing in the finals I have the opportunity to help announce the rest of the competition.

Thanks to everyone for cheering me on back home; I wouldn't be here without your support.
Cheers!

Article in the Ogden Standard Examiner

2009-08-28T07:05:00.001-04:00

Below is the link to an article in Corey's hometown newspaper:

http://www.standard.net/xplore/181309/

Cheers!

Fundraising Bootie Beers

2009-08-28T06:41:00.002-04:00

Here is the link to the video of Corey's bootie beers for the Utah Whitewater Club:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsspFSA8Ln0

Also, we have heard that there is live event coverage of Worlds at www.kayaksession.com which begins Tuesday, September 1.

Cheers!

Our First Days in Switzerland

2009-08-24T10:46:00.013-04:00

Greetings from Swiss Land!! We'd like to send out thanks to everyone who helped us get to Switzerland. Thanks for your generosity and support! The Utah Whitewater Club did their unique part by making a deal with Corey that for every $100 they raised he would drink a bootie beer. So the night before we left for Switzerland Corey pounded 4 bootie beers. I will upload the video soon!

We left Monday morning for Switzerland. We flew from Charlotte to Baltimore to Philadelphia, where we serendipitously ran into Rush Sturges, fellow Dagger and U.S Freestyle Teammate. Even more surprising was that we all sat together on the flight to Zurich. After a grueling 7 hour flight, we landed in Zurich at 8am local time. This is where the real adventure begins. We arrived at the airport, gathered our bags, Rush's kayak and headed to the train station. This was an adventure in and of itself, it is rather difficult to move 4 bags and a kayak from point A to B as you can see in the picture below.
Once at the train station Corey and I went on to the Guesthouse in Lerchenfeld while Rush went to the wave in Thun. We got lost once but it was worth it cause we got to see construction workers in neon orange short shorts with reflective stripes and no shirts. It reminded me of my beloved father-in-law.

Anyway, the Guesthouse is simply a dormitory. There is a cafeteria on the first floor and our room is on the second floor. We're sharing a room with Aussie, Tanya Faux, and fellow teammate, Elaine Campbell. Yesterday, we got in, dumped our bags and took off with other U.S. athletes to see Thun. The simplest way to get to Thun is to take bus, they run regular bus routes a block and a half from the Guesthouse.

In Thun, Corey got checked in but he couldn't do any paddling due to the lack of a boat and the lack of a wave. The Thun wave is controlled by a dam and it was non-existent yesterday, much to everyone's dismay. So instead of paddling we walked around Thun, it is an amazingly beautiful city! We were both a little disconcerted by the lack of english but we're adapting quickly, pictures are a universal language. The only problem is that sometimes you tend to misinterpret those pictures. Here is a for instance:

Last night we did some grocery shopping and Corey was thirsty so he bought an apple juice. He didn't pick it up where all the other drinks were located but I didn't really think much of it. When we got to the bus stop and were waiting for the bus Corey cracked open his apple juice and took a giant gulp. It was then that he realized it was NOT apple juice but in fact apple vinegar! He had this expression of utter horror and disgust on his face! He quickly turned around and spit it out and then threw away the bottle.

Corey and I had dinner at the Guesthouse then went out with the team to a Hooters a couple blocks away for food and drinks. The only people at the Hooters last night were us (the U.S. team) and the entire Swiss Army! It was interesting...to say the very least.

Today was the first day of training. Corey's boat arrived last night and after about 30 minutes of getting the boat correctly outfitted it was time for some whitewater kayak training. The wave is a very slow feature but it has a retentive spot in the middle, it is a very tricky wave to figure out but Corey is confident he will have it mastered in no time. Each team gets allotted time slots for practice; 1 hour per day. So a couple of the U.S. Team members are going to start adding an early morning training session at 4:30 am.

Time for more whitewater kayak training! Cheers!

Final Update!

2009-08-23T17:33:00.001-04:00

Our goal was to raise $2500 for Worlds and our grand total is $2900.25!

We want to thank everyone who contributed for your support! We leave tomorrow morning for Switzerland.

Update no.2

2009-08-19T09:03:00.001-04:00

Our goal is to raise $2500 for Worlds. As of Tuesday, August 18 we have received $2365!
We want to thank everyone who has contributed for your support!

Update no.1

2009-08-10T19:48:00.003-04:00

Our goal is to raise $2500 for Worlds. As of Monday, August 10 we have received $1020!
We want to thank everyone who has contributed for your support!

Keep checking back, I will be doing periodic updates on our progress.

Support U.S. Team Athlete COREY VOLT at Worlds

2009-08-02T21:40:00.006-04:00

Help support COREY VOLT as he competes at the World Freestyle Kayak Championships in Thun, Switzerland on August 31 - September 6, 2009.

On May 31st, Corey made first alternate to the U.S. Freestyle Kayak Team at Team Trials in Glenwood Springs, CO. On July 29th, Corey was informed that he would be competing due to another team member's injury.

This is a major accomplishment for Corey; he is very honored to represent the U.S. in freestyle kayaking. Please help us support him as he travels to Switzerland to fulfill his dream.

Please click the "DONATE" button in the upper right corner or send donations to:
Corey Volt
512 A. Townes Street
Greenville, SC 29601

Thank you for your support!