Paddling Aluminum in Texas
by Ginger Turner

Paddling an aluminum boat and Texas seem to go hand in hand.  Maybe that’s because my first experiences of competitive aluminum paddling took place on a gnarly section of the Neches River in Palestine full of turns, downed logs, shallow water, and mud.  An aluminum boat can handle that type of abuse.  When we started holding our state aluminum championships on the less technical and wide open Colorado River, I realized part of the challenges of paddling aluminum included getting that mass of a boat down the river.  You have to be tough to paddle aluminum.  Texas is the place to do it.

On September 28, the East Texas River Runners, the Palestine Chamber of Commerce, and the Texas Canoe Racing Association hosted the 2002 USCA Aluminum Nationals.  Sixty-four racers from Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Illinois, and Wisconsin got a taste of Texas mud, dust, and heat.  Ages 10 to 62 were on the water participating in the largest Aluminum Nationals.

Racers were treated to a spaghetti dinner Friday night at the Express Inn in Palestine.  Registration was held in a hospitality suite where racers mingled and shared stories.  A noon start put smiles on people’s faces as they anticipated sleeping in and eating a hearty breakfast. 

After the long, dusty ride to the put-in (it still amazes me how large Texas ranches are), boats were inspected and tagged, numbers supplied and applied, and a race briefing held.  It was time for the race start.  There were to be three starts, five minutes apart; women, masters and men’s open.  Starting with a two-buoy loop on a fairly narrow river ensured an interesting first couple of miles with 32 boats on the river.  Paddling up-river after the mile-1 buoy turn without running into boats coming down (Grady Hicks reports an “awesome smash” with Jerry Brown and Richard Steppe, right there) or boats trying to pass you, or boats you are trying to pass, all the while trying to get on someone’s wake and dodge the occasional dead tree limb sticking up and find the best line through the current was challenging indeed. 

After the second buoy turn and settling in to making the fastest trip possible down the river, the well-anticipated noon start was beginning to show its downside:  heat and sun.  Temperatures in the 90s and little to no shade added to the difficulty of getting our 60-pound tanks down the river.

In 2 hours, 10 minutes and 50 seconds, the first team crossed the finish line.  Within an hour all 32 boats were in.  Under the shade of an East Texas forest, a delicious meal of fried fish, hush puppies, fries, and coleslaw was provided by Mike Riley and his crew of volunteers.  Then the time we were all waiting for:  the boat give-away.

A drawing was held for all out-of-state participants for a free Alumacraft canoe.  The lucky winner was Clifton Rickey from Arkansas.  Free boats were also presented to the winners of each class, followed by the 10-deep medal awards.

Gazing over the sea of aluminum boats glistening in the sun where they had been carried up the steep bank, I was reminded why this race is so much fun.  Everyone is in the same type of  boat.  They’re all even the same color!  It’s the Stock Aluminum Races.  Even the name is compelling.  There are no advantages due to equipment.  It’s all in the training, technique, skill, and maybe a little luck.  And of course, in how tough you are.