More guests attended the first two days of the Ocoee River Championships than event organizers expected for the entire weekend, leaving the directors optimistic about future competition on the river.
Event directors Jen Maxwell and Jeremy Adkins cautiously hoped for more than a thousand visitors throughout the weekend. That number is believed to have been surpassed before competition was underway Saturday morning. The two believe the event will continue to grow, with Maxwell focused on sustained growth and Adkins hoping to bring national and world championship competition back to the Upper Ocoee. The event was planned in about four months, and the duo believes a full year of preparation - with an added year of experience - will help with the event's growth.
"I think all of our expectations have been surpassed," Maxwell said. "It's awesome, it's just awesome to see all these people standing on the banks, watching and cheering and just being excited about us bringing this event back."
The Upper Ocoee Whitewater Center was built ahead of the 1996 Olympics. Annual competitions were held until the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, caused traveling concerns for international competitors. The 2002 event was canceled and did not resume until this year.
This year's event served two purposes for the organizers: it brought competition back to what they said was a forgotten jewel and showcased the venue for potential national and international events. Adkins plans to work with more paddling organizations to bring world-class competition back to the venue. That would have been nearly impossible to organize without an existing competition to both showcase how the venue can still be used and have the personnel in place to help run such an event.
"We want to not only have growth on the river and growth in the community, but more so than anything, we want to have the opportunity to bring back national championships and world championships of different genres of whitewater to the world's greatest venue," Adkins said.
He has been directing paddling events for more than 15 years in Alabama, and he said there is no other paddling venue that compares to the Upper Ocoee. Many paddling competitions involve dirt roads, shuttling guests and don't offer much room for spectators. The Upper Ocoee was built with world-class paddling competitions in mind. It runs adjacent to a highway, has onsite parking, restrooms and ample room for spectators. The organizers plan to apply for a permit after the weekend to host the event next year. If it's up to them, the event will continue, Maxwell said.
Some spectators on hand also attended the 1996 Olympics and said the competition was long overdue. Chattanooga resident Sara Aase served as a liaison for the German team for the 1996 Olympics and returned Saturday to watch the Ocoee River Championships.
"Oh, it's been awesome. I'd love to see more of it," she said. "I think it's very underused. I know the rafting companies use it, but in terms of competitions I'd like to see world competition, U.S. competitions, any of it, come back."
Contact staff writer Mark Pace at mpace@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @themarkpace and on Facebook at ChattanoogaOutdoorsTFP.