Kayakers bring their love of water sports to Golden’s annual competition

In beautiful Golden, where our scene takes place, where cowboys of old rode bulls for the thrill of it, today recreational boaters do the same on the raging river.

Kayakers from near and far showed their dedication to their sport at the annual Kayak Rodeo on June 26 at Clear Creek Whitewater Park. The Colorado Whitewater Association and Golden River Sports co-hosted the 24th annual event, which featured 17 competitors in junior, novice, intermediate and professional classes.

During the event, participants took turns moving in and out of a so-called “playhole,” a water feature in Clear Creek, to demonstrate technical maneuvers and other tricks.

Some moves have obvious names: side surfing, spinning and a front loop. Others sound very unusual: Space Godzilla, Phonics Monkey, Roundhouse, Splitwheel and McNasty.

Co-organizers Tessa Prince and Dave Holzman said the event is aimed at amateurs and should give them the opportunity to compete in a fun and stress-free environment.

CWA is also hosting a downriver race at the whitewater park on July 10 at 5:30 p.m. The course will include various obstacles and kayakers of all experience levels are welcome, Prince and Holzman said.

Kayaking downstream is one thing, but playboating – and that is what the Kayak Rodeo is all about – is a completely different matter, the participants described.

“It’s like a water park, but without the rules,” Paul Kubala said of playboating.

The Morrison native, who now lives in California, has been competing in the Kayak Rodeo since 2011. This year he competed in the advanced class along with four others.

He has enjoyed kayaking in both Colorado and California and said it is a “fun and liberating” sport with a phenomenal community.

Kubala and Hunter Cottrell of Lakewood, who was in the middle class, said playboating helps you become a better kayaker. It helps you learn skills like paddling and how to be comfortable going overhead.

Cottrell said he started kayaking in 2020 when he moved to Denver and found it “hotter than expected,” so he decided to try a water sport.

Unlike snowboarding, where you learn to lean away from obstacles, Cottrell says kayaking is the opposite. He learned to lean into things, which felt unnatural to him at first and was “a big learning curve.”

Cottrell had fun at his second kayak rodeo and said he is considering signing up for the July 10 Downriver race as well.

Like Kubala, he said he loves the playboating community and the “communal conversations in the eddies.” He added that kayaking is also a great way to get out and see other parts of the state.

Emery Slothower, 17, of Littleton, was introduced to water sports through rafting and has been kayaking for three seasons. The sophomore was one of four youths competing in the junior division of the Kayak Rodeo.

Slothower said playboating events like the Kayak Rodeo are not only more focused on progression than downriver kayaking, but they are also unique. Kayakers must remain stationary relative to the water, and the speed and volume of the water means each trip is a little different.

“Everything is always in flux,” Slothower continued, adding that playboating is like surfing in that respect. “…It’s a lot of fun.”

Click through more photos of the event on June 26th: