Monday, October 23, 2006
CIS sends team to nat’l rafting tilt in Cagayan River
AFTER two months of practice, the Cebu International School (cis)will test the mettle of the top rafters in the country in the 2006 Sotar Cup in Cagayan de Oro this weekend.
The team, led by CIS athletic director and veteran rafter Brian Bedford, will cover some 12 kilometers of Class 3, 4 and 5 rapids in the upper Cagayan River.
“Some rapids have sets of three-meter high waves that can easily flip a raft and massive boulders that can trap and hold rafts,” Bedford said in an e-mail.
The team, which is on its first foray in a rafting competition will compete for the chance to represent the country in the World Rafting Championships in Korea in 2007.
Members
The CIS team, composed of Red Miguel, Julien Escande, Paolo Cases, Kane Kim, Jerry Lee, Wayne Kim, Eros Song, Dave Choung, Delvon Park, Jonathan Frizsche, Eleazer Toledo and Bedford, has been traveling to Cagayan every weekend for the past two months to prepare for the event.
Last weekend, two CIS teams, with Escande, Fritzsche, Cases, Miguel, Toledo, Bedford and Jesus Singson took the fifth and sixth place in the slalom and river rescue, completing the grueling task in under five minutes each.
“The paddlers maneuver their rafts through a crouse set in moving current, much like gates on a downhill ski slalom, the markers are color-coded to let the paddlers know whether to pass upstream, downstream or circle the buoy,” Bedford said.
“Once a team has successfully negotiated the upper-most gate on the river, the team must flip the raft, putting everyone into the water. While floating downstream in the middle of the river current the team must then re-right the raft and get everyone back in in before completing the slalom.”
According to Bedford, who attended the first Whitewater Challenge in Cagayan four years ago, the event is getting bigger and better every year.
“In the 3rd national challenge, there were over 20 teams and this year, the skill level increased exponentially,” said Bedford. (ML)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (October 23, 2006 issue)
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