PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Charlotte, N.C. to Host 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Slalom
Canoe/Kayak
Three-day Competition at U.S. National Whitewater Center to Include Americas Olympic Continental
Qualifier
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
CHARLOTTE, N.C. USA Canoe/Kayak (www.USACK.org) announced today that the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for
Slalom Canoe/Kayak will take place April 25 27, 2008 at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C..
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials are among five international paddling events that are expected to bring over 130 athletes to
the U.S. National Whitewater Center over three days. The other competitions include the 2008 Canadian Olympic Team
Trials, the COPAC Pan-American Championships, an International Canoe Federation race open to all paddlers, and the
Americas Olympic Continental Qualifier. The Americas Olympic Continental Qualifier will determine the remaining slalom
canoe and kayak competition slots for North, Central and South American nations at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials are expected to include 30 of the top slalom paddlers in the United States including 2004
Olympians Scott Parsons (Bethesda, Md.), and Brett Heyl (Charlotte, N.C.). Parsons, who finished 6th in the mens single
kayak at the 2004 Athens Games, brought home the top U.S. performance at the 2007 ICF Slalom World Championships
in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil with a 7th-place finish in the event. Heyl finished 8th in the mens single kayak at the Athens
Games and 37th in the event at the 2007 ICF World Championships. Womens competition is expected to include U.S.
paddler Ashley Nee (Washington, D.C.). Nee, 18, secured a 2008 Olympic Games competition slot for the U.S. in the
womens single kayak with a 23rd-place overall finish at the 2007 ICF World Slalom Championships.
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials are the second of three competitions where U.S. paddlers can earn points towards
selection