Whitewater Competition
New Wave on Clark Fork Could Bring World Champion Kayakers to Missoula
River Access, Local Economy Benefit if Max's Wave Becomes RealityBy Bea Gordon, 6-29-10
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| Photo by Jmh649 and used here under creative commons license. | |
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Competitors who’ve arrived in Missoula for the U.S. Freestyle Kayaking National Championships joined officials today in announcing plans to build a new wave on the Clark Fork that could bring the World Freestyle Kayaking Championship to Montana.
In a room that fittingly overlooked Brennan’s Wave, which was built in 2006 and is the site for the U.S. Championships this week, the group behind the proposed Max’s Wave laid out the plans.
“The focus is on the wave, but the wave’s not the only benefit here. It’s a great thing to put focus back on the river,” said local lawyer and president of the nonprofit Brennan’s Wave, Trent Baker. “The best way to get people to work to enhance to Clark Fork is for them to know it.”
With this in mind, members of Max’s Initiative (themaxmissoula.org) are honing in on the Flynn-Lowney irrigation ditch, which is about a quarter mile down the river from Brennan’s Wave, as a site that would potentially benefit the most from the wave and its promise of restoration. “The Max idea is to take a diversion like the Flynn-Lowney and improve it,” said Baker.
When completed, the Max Wave would move Missoula to the fore of the whitewater community. “Hopefully with the wave we can hold the World’s in 2015, which would put us on the map in terms of tourism and outdoor opportunity” said paddler Kevin Brown, who spearheaded the deal that brought the U.S. Freestyle Competition to Brennan’s Wave.
But the diverse collection of individuals piled into the room today proved that the wave was about more than one competition. Says Brown, “Things like this help businesses in our town. People come see what Missoula has to offer.” The announcement happened as kayakers and tourists here for the U.S. competition visit restaurants, stay in hotels and purchase goods in Missoula.
Talk of economic and developmental promise, however, took a bit of a backseat as members of the community considered the connection to tragedy for both Brennan’s and Max’s waves. In the case of Brennan’s Wave, the loss of Brennan Guth in Chile during 2001 galvanized efforts to create the existing structure. In the case of Max’s, the passing of 17-year-old Max Lentz in 2007 while on a trip in West Virginia has similarly fueled a desire to memorialize the dedicated young paddler, a student at Hellgate High School when he died.
“Sometimes it takes tragedy to bring a community together to work toward something,” said Dr. Dave Guth, Brennan’s father. “Brennan’s wave was paddling in uncharted territory. It has been a positive force in my life, an inspiration.”
Guth noted the challenge that such a project poses in terms of finances and construction. Brennan’s wave, which cost roughly half a million dollars took about 25 years to be realized. Max’s Wave will, in all likelihood, push beyond that pricetag. So far, the initiative has raised $30,000 and is hoping this week’s competition will solicit further donations. While the immediate goal remains to have the wave running by 2015, getting the wave built at all will require major public support in the form of donations and awareness.
As Doug Ammans, a paddler and friend of Brennan Guth, said near the close of the conference, we have to change our “thinking in terms of centuries-old water rights—this belief in what the river’s always been like.”
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Comments
Good luck raising cash .
It pretty much disappeared once we started building irrigation ditches, diversion weirs, and hydroelectic dams -- around here that happened in the 19th Century.
As an aside, I think a lot of downtown businesses would argue that Brennan's wave has been quite positive. It's a huge attraction and The Max project is another way to make river recreation more safe and enjoyable for all missoulians.
For those same reasons is exactly why I want to see The Max project succeed. If you know anything about the proposed location and its current state then you would also be in support of The Max. Because of the method of construction on the weir, concrete and rubble, every spring before high water the weir owners have to do maintenance. This requires them to go into the river with a back-hoe for a couple days to re stack the rubble that washed out of place during high water. If The Max project goes through it would enhance the banks ridding of the fridges, mattress's and concrete. Also replace the existing weir with a solid structure designed for optimal fish passage and safe down river travel eliminating the need to drive a back-hoe in the river every year.
As a river lover I cant imagine any other river lover preferring a section of river with garbage, concrete strewed about and back-hoes driving around in the river, over a simple re-designed structure and cleaned up banks. I vote for the later.