2020 PENNSYLVANIA CUP CHAMPIONSHIP
44nd Annual Slalom Competition For Beginner Racers

Not this year folks! We'll see you in 2021.

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Introduction

The Penn Cup is a fall series of races designed to introduce paddlers to the sport of slalom racing. Races are held on Sundays, with Saturdays reserved for course construction, practice, and clinics. Clinics are taught by experienced racers -- including former series champions and some of the best paddlers in the state and in the US -- and serve to introduce beginners to the sport, and to help more experienced racers advance from the basics of running the gates to discovering and paddling the most efficient lines. Awards are presented at each race, and overall series awards (earned on a point system) are presented after the final race.

There are many, many classes available at each race for open and decked boats, solo and tandem boats, racing boats, recreational boats, canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, juniors, cadets, masters, and well, just about anything and anybody. The emphasis is on fun and learning, and so the races in this series make an excellent introduction to the sport.

Schedule and links to entry forms

Details

The Penn Cup Slalom Series is a fall series of six races designed to introduce paddlers to the sport of slalom racing. Races are held on Sundays, with Saturdays reserved for course construction, practice, and clinics. Clinics are taught by experienced racers, including top-ranked paddlers, and serve to introduce beginners to the sport and to help more experienced racers advance from basics of running gates to paddling more efficiently. Courses are designed to be challenging to beginning-intermediate paddlers. Penn Cup Series is dedicated to building interest in slalom racing at the grassroots level. Some of our past participants have gone on to national, international, and Olympic teams in the sport.

Awards are presented at each race, and overall Series Awards (earned on a point system) are presented after the final race. Overall Series Awards are given in the following classes: K-1, K-1W, C-1, C-1W, C-2, C-2W, C-2M, OC-1, and OC-2. For recreational whitewater boats, awards also are made in K-1 rec and K-1W rec. For Penn Cup awards, there are no restrictions on length for open canoes, but individual races may choose to use the ACA Open Canoe Slalom rules. There are many classes available at each individual race for open and decked boats, rec boats, solo and tandem boats, cadets, juniors, masters, etc. The emphasis is on fun and learning in a competitive sport.

Penn Cup: Competition Eligibility

Participation in the series is open to all boaters and competition for the Penn Cup is optional. To compete for the Penn Cup, individuals must:

  • Compete in at least 3 of 6 races in one or two of the contested classes.
  • Beginner or Intermediate paddler for racing classes. No restrictions on ability for rec boat classes for Penn Cup awards.
  • Must not have placed in top 50% in an international slalom competition or at US Senior Slalom Team Trials.
  • Must not be ranked currently in the top 15 in K-1 or C-1 or top 10 in other racing classes on Aug. 1st of this year, based on most recent rankings by PaddleTools at http://kayak.geosugar.com/pages/ranking.
  • Have not previously won the Penn Cup award for the class(es) you are entering.
  • Use legal race boats (per USACK rules). Plastic race boats (e.g., Fluid Donsa, Delsyk Toro) are grouped with race boats and prohibited in rec classes for Penn Cup Awards.

Penn Cup: Competition Awards

Competitors are awarded points for first, second, and third places based on their individual performances in the series. These will be determined by points earned at their best three races in the contested class(es). Winners are determined by the lowest accumulation of points. Points are not calculated for non-Penn Cup competitors. Note that these points are earned on the basis of the Penn Cup class, not the race class (e.g., K-1 cadet, K-1 junior, K-1, and K-1 master are combined when determining Series points). Points will be awarded as follows: 1st Place earns 1 point; 2nd Place earns 2 points; 3rd Place earns 3 points; etc. Overall ties are broken by placement in the last race in the Series.

Penn Cup Awards will be presented in the following eleven categories:

  • Men's and Women's Solo Kayak (K-1/K-1W). Solo and Tandem Open Canoe (OC-1/OC-2).
  • Men's and Women's Solo Decked Canoe (C-1/C-1W). Men's and Women's, Mixed Tandem Decked Canoe (C-2/C-2W/C-2M).
  • Men's and Women's recreational whitewater kayaks (K-1rec/K-1Wrec).

Individual Races: Classes of Competition

All standard classes (according to boat, gender, age, and ability) will be contested provided the three boat minimum is met. Race registrars have the right to reclassify paddlers to assure fair and competitive classes. Using the same boat in more than one class is prohibited (e.g., racing K-1 junior and K-1 open in same boat), except for tandem boats and plastic rec boats (e.g., racing K-1rec and K-1 open is allowed if a plastic rec boat is used in both classes).

Individual Races: Race Clinics

Special-training clinics will be taught by successful racers, coaches, and US Slalom Team members. Please indicate on your entry form if you are interested in participating. Note: Courses are closed for practice during races and clinics.

Individual Races: Scoring Rules

All races will be conducted according to current Slalom Racing Rules of USA Canoe/Kayak (USACK) and the ACA Open Canoe Slalom Rules. For decked (open) boats, a two-second (10-sec) penalty will be assessed for each touched gate and a fifty-second penalty for each missed gate. Placements will be determined by better of two runs. Minimum gate heights are 6 inches for open boats and 8 inches for decked boats.

How to determine which age group to enter (may be combined by race organizers depending on number of entries):

  • Expert (open, no age restrictions)
  • Intermediate (age 19 to 39 inclusive as of Jan 1st of this year)
  • Cub/U12 (age 12 and under as of Jan 1st of this year)
  • Cub Cadet/U14 (ages 13-14 as of Jan 1st of this year)
  • Cadet/U16 (ages 15-16 as of Jan 1st of this year)
  • Junior/U18 (ages 17-18 as of Jan 1st of this year)
  • Masters/A40 (age 40 and older as of Jan 1st of this year)

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