American Whitewater Celebrates 50 Years

[awben]

Join American Whitewater in Vail, Colorado as we celebrate fifty years of working on behalf of the whitewater community.

Teva will host American Whitewater’s 50th Anniversary Gala at the Teva Mountain Games on June 5th. The event will celebrate the past 50 years of American whitewater paddling while raising funds for AW to continue protecting and restoring the nation’s whitewater rivers. To ensure that the soul of whitewater remains intact at the Gala, formal wear will be recommended and sandals will be required. We hope that the entire boating community joins us in Vail, Colorado at the Lodge at Vail for this once in a lifetime event.

Joining American Whitewater as a guest speaker will be Wade Davis, a professional speaker for nearly twenty years has lectured at over 70 universities, numerous corporate groups and professional associations. Wade Davis is an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. Named by the Geographic as one of the "Explorers for the Millennium", Wade Davis is an anthropologist and plant explorer who received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany from Harvard University. He has worked as a guide, park ranger, and forestry engineer.

Whitewater celebrities from the past fifty years of paddling are planning on attending. Never before has so much whitewater history been gathered in one place at one time. AW is thrilled to act as a conduit for the celebration of the people, innovations, and river conservation successes that have defined our sport.

The theme for the Gala Dinner will be “Rivers of Reflection…50 years of American Whitewater”. Boaters from the past 50 years are hailing this as "Whitewaters first ever family reunion". The focus of the evening will be on the history of whitewater paddling in America and will feature a museum of paddling artifacts, photographs, and memorabilia.

Tickets for the Gala dinner are $100 per person and proceeds will help ensure that AW is around for another 50 years. Corporate tables of eight seats can be purchased for $800. Tickets can be reserved by emailing Ben VanCamp or calling the AW Outreach Office at (82 252-0728.

Gala Event Website
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/ev...GalaHome.phtml

Online Gala Invitations
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/ev...laInvite.phtml

Ben VanCamp
Outreach Coordinator
American Whitewater
(82 252-0278
ben@amwhitewater.org

[pbowman]

Colorado White Water Association and American Whitewater
50th Anniversary River Trip Event

In 2004, both the Colorado Whitewater Association (CWWA) and American Whitewater (AW) are celebrating their 50th year of enjoying and protecting whitewater resources. To celebrate the half century mark of both organizations, CWWA and AW have teamed together to organize the 50th Anniversary River Trip Event on Sunday, June 6, 2004. CWWA and AW are working together to host a river trip day for every skill level, with runs on Gore Creek and the Eagle River for skill levels from Class II to Class IV. In addition, AW has invited a number of pros and industry VIP’s to join us on the river for the day’s festivities. The day will conclude with a sponsored Bar-be-que before everyone heads home.

The planned itinerary is as follows.

10:30am: Meet at the Holy Cross Ranger Station Parking Lot, just off I-70 west of Vail, and break into groups
11:00am: All groups head out to the river for the run selected
11am to 3pm: All groups on river, including Gore Creek, Dowd Chute and Upper Eagle, Lower Eagle, or other local runs
3pm to 4pm: Complete runs and shuttle, and return to Ranger Station
4:00pm: Sponsored Bar-be-que begins
6:00pm: Head home after a great day on the river!

The River Trip Event is open to everyone, and all skill levels are invited. All we ask is that anyone who is not a current CWWA member join as a “temporary member” for $2 (this is due to insurance requirements for an event of this nature). Both CWWA and AW will also have information about our upcoming events, conservation activities, and access preservation efforts for both Colorado and around the U.S. This would be a great chance to join CWWA and AW for the first time, or renew your current membership.

If you and your boating friends are interested in joining us, please contact CWWA board member Phillip Bowman at safety"at"coloradowhitewater.org (modify with @ symbol) to sign up. We are trying to keep track of how many people are coming to make sure we have enough food for the bar-be-que, and that we have enough room at the Ranger Station. Just drop us a line with how many people are coming, and what your general skill level is.

Please join CWWA and AW on Sunday, June 6th, for a great day on the river celebrating 50 years of whitewater paddling!