Monday, February 6th, 2012

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Cheat Training


Cheatrace

Cheat Training:  It doesn’t matter if you race or not. It doesn’t matter if you are fast or last. Join what has become a rite of passage for intermediate paddlers in the DC area, and you will find yourself building endurance, improving your forward stroke, learning the rapids on the Cheat Canyon, and enjoying the company of friends – just what you need to get you started for a new paddling season.

Cheat Training Lite: If you are interested in Cheat Training but you have doubts that your skills are enough to run the Cheat Canyon,  you might want to join our Cheat Training Lite.  This is a version of Cheat Training for paddlers who want to get a good start on the paddling season and who are comfortable padding class II and III white water.  (more…)

Cheat Training for Youth:  A youth group with the regular Cheat Training schedule but meets on Thursdays for attainments and Saturdays for down river on the Potomac and on the Cheat.  Sign up online and look for “Cheat Training for Youth.”  Long boats and transportation to the Cheat is available for youth.

In addition to new skills that you will help you up to the next paddling level, there is great financial value to this package, even if you have to miss a couple of the workouts. This program is designed for intermediate Class 3 paddlers who are looking to get out on the river early in the season.

It takes getting in shape to be comfortable in white water and to feel strong in your boat. When you work-out, over time, with persistence, you will develop balance, strength, endurance, and reflex skill. Spend quality time in your boat, and you will begin to feel that you belong on the river and that you are ready to take on more exciting challenges. These are coached workouts (as opposed to classes), so expect to be moving almost the whole time, and expect a larger class size than our usual 5:1 ratio.

You will need a long boat to keep up in these workouts.  To acquire such a boat we recommend going on the chat rooms, looking at the gear swap pages of Boatertalk and others and picking up a good used one, usually around $200-400.  Think “Old School.”   There are a few updated and modern versions of long boat designs currently available on the market from companies including, Dagger, Pyranha, Liquidlogic, and Drago Rossi. It will also help if you have a dry suit or an equivalent level of thermal protection.

To secure your spot in these exciting programs you will need to register online and pay in full. Register early, this one always fills up fast.

The program consists of:

  1. Attainment workouts on weekday evenings, every Wed. 5-6 PM until dark, to build strength and boat control. 9 total
  2. Downriver workouts, Saturdays at 10 AM – 2PM , in March. 4 total
  3. One-day trips to the Cheat on Saturdays in April with Liquid Adventures. 4 total
  4. The race is held the first Friday in May, kicking off a whole weekend of Cheat Fest events. Stay tuned to race info at Cheat River Race Facebook page .

Consult the calendar for other dates and times. Please use online registration.

All plans are weather and river level dependent, so we have to stay in touch.  We communicate weekly using Google Groups. When you sign up we add your email address to the Google Groups list-serv.

The cost for participation the two month program is $245.  You will be required to pay a shuttle fee each Saturday that we run the Cheat (usually $5).

’11 Results:

  • Complete Results
  • Peter Lutter, an honorary LAKS member, won the race with a time of 1:01:50.
  • LAKS had 31 entries in the race.
  • Eric Brooks was 10th overall and helped the maxLAKS team win for teams and clubs.
  • Congrats to Tom for an 11 place finish overall and a second place finish in the men’s long boat class.
  • LAKS instructors Ashley Nee and Sandrine Deglin took first and second overall for women.
  • Great job to all the Cheat Race competitors!

Tom McEwan, co-founder of Liquid Adventures, has spent over 30 years paddling and racing in the DC area.

Cheat River Profile cheat river map

Section 1: Start Bridge to Big Nasty

  1. Beginning ledge rapids and second ledge
  2. Decision (two parts)
    1. Start and finish Left of center
    2. Center and finish R
  3. 2 small to medium boat-scoutable rapids
  4. Go Right Rapid (third rapid after Decision) – yep, go right
  5. Beech Run – “Cindy’s long rapid” – Start center L. and move to the L., following current on the left, then at end move back toward center
  6. Misc. small and readable rapids
  7. Big Nasty
    1. Sneak through the rocks on the L side
    2. Main race line – start down center of rapid , then move L to avoid the Big Nasty Hole

Section 2: Big Nasty to Surfing wave

  1. Typewriter
  2. Med rocky rapid – stay Center
  3. Little Nasty – long rapid, start L., stay L.  (be ready to circumnavigate to L. or R. of mid-current boulder near top)
  4. Flat pool and boat-scoutable rapid
  5. 3 tricky rapids:
    1. Not so tricky ledge on Left – stay Center of flow?
    2. Stay alert – take L chute for more direct line, go R on chute for a more careful way down)
    3. Trickiest – Start Center L. (look out for wood) and finish far L.
  6. Armadillo Rock (Boily eddy behind…surfing wave on river R)

Section 3: Surfing wave to Tear Drop

  1. 1-2 Med rapids
  2. Logjam (Postage Due?)
    1. start center-R and stay R all the way down at higher levels.  Circumnavigate to L. of large round boulder
    2. At medium levels there is still a line down center- R., choosing a slot between the rocks at the start.
  3. Doldrums – flat water
  4. False Fist – stay straight ahead and a little R.
  5. Cue Ball (Prudential Rock?) – R side of Cue Ball Rock (easier line starting on R. side above the rapid,  circumvents Cue Ball)
  6. Fist – from pool on R, run across through slot in center all the way to the L
  7. Cue Ball 2 – enter L, then R of Cue Ball 2 Rock (surfing wave above Cue Ball rock on river R)
  8. 2 medium rapids – stay far L

Section 4: Tear Drop to bottom of Pete Morgan Rapid

  1. Tear Drop – start L., stay L (at low levels, must go far R)
  2. High Falls
    1. Main line – Center and 20′ L. of knob rock or line up on the right corner of two breaking waves above the drop
    2. High levels (4’), there is a sneak through rocks on R
    3. Walk the R side
  3. Maze
    1. Sneak through rocks down L side
    2. Main line – enter Center-L, then pick main current Center-R at the bottom
  4. Coliseum
    1. Two sneak lines on the L, depending on level…watch out for small pour-over ledge (sticky!) toward the bottom
    2. Main line L. between big hole (Recyclotron) and big square rock…once past the big rock, move toward Center and punch the bottom third of the diagonal curler (Particle Accelerator)
  5. Lower Coliseum

(Beware that a swim on the R side of the Divider (Pyramid) Rock, could be dangerous with the possibility of paddler being swept through Pete Morgan and against the rock wall at the bottom).

    1. “Easier” line to ferry R above Divider Rock, then cut back L immediately below
    2. Race line at higher levels, go L close to the Divider rock on your right.  At low levels, go R of Divider
    3. at levels around 5’ there is a sneak line next to the L. shore
    4. Walk down L to below Pete Morgan
  2. Pete Morgan
    1. Sneak slide over rocks to the L of the main line…high level, more options on L over rocks
    2. Main line down center L, 6-8 ft. left of two big rocks in center

Section 5: Bottom of Pete Morgan to Jenkinsburg Bridge

  1. 3 – Medium long rapids – stay alert!
    1. center to L. on first long rapid
    2. center to R. on second long rapid ending far R.
    3. Center through boulder garden, boof over hole through middle chute
    4. Small, long rapids
  2. Last drop before bridge – From right shore, Center down the drop and follow current through the wave train to the left shore
  3. Finish at Bridge
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