IT TAKES A COMMUNITY: COLUMBUS, GA AND THE BUILDING OF A WORLD CHAMPION

Up and coming paddlers help keep our sport growing and evolving. In this column, World Class Academy Principal Capo Rettig interviews new, young talent to explore themes of the whitewater scene.

By Capo Rettig

Columbus, Georgia, was not a whitewater city when I was growing up. Yet, I now find myself speaking to the third world-champion this small town on the Alabama/Georgia border has produced or lured in with its irresistible combination of easy-access, year-round boating, and warm water. “The Wintering Grounds?” I repeat, immediately picturing my favorite Game of Thrones character. “Yes, it’s a spot the cities of Columbus, Ga, and Phenix City, Al, make available for the whitewater community so they can come live near the river and train during the winter?” Oh, right. The Wintering Grounds…… What is going on out there on the Chattahoochee River? Who is this new Junior World Champion? Meet 16-year-old Mason Hargrove from Phenix City, Alabama: your current Junior Freestyle World Champion, and one extraordinary human…

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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, Spring 2020

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