Competitors awoke this morning sore after a full day of Gladiator and the inevitable beat downs that accompany any surf session on a wave of that size. “I have never been in a competition that I was scared of the feature,” said female competitor Katya Kulkova, a bemused grin on her face standing on the banks of the Ottawa.

Many gave a sigh of relief as the Grand Prix left Gladiator and arrived at the Ruins, a steep fast wave near downtown Ottawa. The Ruins are formed by a channel of the Ottawa River that gets pushed between an island and a crumbling brick wall from an old mill.  Although incredibly fast and dynamic, the feature that forms here seems almost friendly compared to Gladiator. Today competitors will go for a quick surf session before traveling north to the Rouge where the Big Water down-river race will be held tomorrow.

Competitors and organizers alike are starting to become comfortable with the rhythm of the event as we wrap up our time here on the Ottawa and begin to head north into Quebec. Competitors will judge the Big Trick contest via a video that the media team has created and the results will be posted tomorrow night.

For now, competitors will be focusing on the first race of the competition series on the Rouge River. The Rouge is a big-water run about 2 hours from Ottawa, well known for its consistent big volume whitewater. There will be a mass start race to establish the heats, which will consist of 4 paddlers with the winner of each heat moving on. Many competitors who did not finish well in the Gladiator competition will look to prove themselves on the race while those sitting on the top three hope to establish themselves as a potential overall winner. We expect a stout competition. It might be a good race for a full-face helmet.

Website: www.whitewatergrandprix.com