Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Two Olympian whitewater competitors visiting here Thursday said the 2½-mile course of rapids Columbus wants to build on the Chattahoochee River downtown would draw guys like them from all over the region. Columbus geographically would be convenient for regional whitewater enthusiasts, who think nothing of driving a day to reach a decent course. Whitewater advocates believe a course here would draw competitors from within a five-hour drive of Columbus.
The area last year opened 10 new businesses providing 50 new jobs, among them Big Dog running gear and Outside World sports equipment.
During last year’s Bike Ride Across Georgia, 1,200 bicyclists spent three days downtown, some camping along the river, and they voted Columbus the Best Overnight Town and the Best Campsite after their visit. They were so impressed they wanted to hold an annual event here, and so this October 300 to 400 cyclists will be back.
Whitewater advocate John Turner of the W.C. Bradley Co. said about 70 percent of the estimated $20 million needed for the project is in the bank, and construction should begin this summer below the Eagle & Phenix Dam, near the 13th Street river bridge.
Proponents have estimated the course annually will have a total economic impact of $42 million, generating more than $2 million in lodging taxes, creating 700 jobs, attracting 188,000 participants and drawing more than 1.5 million people to the riverfront.
Why would anyone drive 5 hrs to Columbus when Chattanooga has a much longer course in a very natural habitat as well as several other mountain areas?...........................The course will be 1/2 mile long not 2 1/2 miles which is impossible as the distance from the North bypass to Rotary isn't even that long!................................These are the same philosophers that said the recently added skate center would bring in 150 mil etc and now the mayor says they will be lucky if it breaks even..........................Something is very wrong with these predictions being made locally on job growth,tourism etc as not one of these has come to pass..............................And before someone chimes in with the recession just remember that many of these projects were done BEFORE the recession even started!!
Two Olympian whitewater competitors visiting here Thursday said the 2½-mile course of rapids Columbus wants to build on the Chattahoochee River downtown would draw guys like them from all over the region. Columbus geographically would be convenient for regional whitewater enthusiasts, who think nothing of driving a day to reach a decent course. Whitewater advocates believe a course here would draw competitors from within a five-hour drive of Columbus.
The area last year opened 10 new businesses providing 50 new jobs, among them Big Dog running gear and Outside World sports equipment.
During last year’s Bike Ride Across Georgia, 1,200 bicyclists spent three days downtown, some camping along the river, and they voted Columbus the Best Overnight Town and the Best Campsite after their visit. They were so impressed they wanted to hold an annual event here, and so this October 300 to 400 cyclists will be back.
Whitewater advocate John Turner of the W.C. Bradley Co. said about 70 percent of the estimated $20 million needed for the project is in the bank, and construction should begin this summer below the Eagle & Phenix Dam, near the 13th Street river bridge.
Proponents have estimated the course annually will have a total economic impact of $42 million, generating more than $2 million in lodging taxes, creating 700 jobs, attracting 188,000 participants and drawing more than 1.5 million people to the riverfront.
Why would anyone drive 5 hrs to Columbus when Chattanooga has a much longer course in a very natural habitat as well as several other mountain areas?...........................The course will be 1/2 mile long not 2 1/2 miles which is impossible as the distance from the North bypass to Rotary isn't even that long!................................These are the same philosophers that said the recently added skate center would bring in 150 mil etc and now the mayor says they will be lucky if it breaks even..........................Something is very wrong with these predictions being made locally on job growth,tourism etc as not one of these has come to pass..............................And before someone chimes in with the recession just remember that many of these projects were done BEFORE the recession even started!!
Sure it's great to venture out to natural habitats where you feel like you're on a beautiful mountain kayak adventure. That's one school of thought. But people who train regularly for competition have to sustain themselves with regular "day jobs" and the day-to-day conveniences of an urban or suburban setting to meet their daily needs. It's great to travel to those beautiful nature scenes. But they aren't very accommodating to the average athlete's home life. Also, you should listen to the comments, or read the comments made by the Olympians in which this thread refers to. They endorse having Urban Whitewater, and said it's very necessary. Urban Whitewater is accessible to ALL! Whitewater courses in the backcountry is only accessible to an elite few. The Fans, The Sports Media, and Local Young People can all access Urban Whitewater very easily. Whereas for most kids, Whitewater way out in the backcountry is completely out of the question.
The Olympians that spoke of Columbus' course said that having Urban Whitewater helps to build a larger fanbase in a sport that has a history of having a small fanbase.
It's easy for a young person to go see a basketball game from any nearby basketball court. Thus, easily building loyalty. So the youngster might easily become a routine basketball fan, and then later wish to participate as an actual basketball athlete his or herself. But currently, it's extremely unrealistic for any young person to catch a five hour ride out into the backcountry to watch a whitewater event, or take part in whitewater sports as an athlete. So backcountry whitewater doesn't help build a fanbase, nor does it build familiarity with the sport for potential athletes. So he or she currently knows little about the sport. When the new course becomes easily accessible to many young local people with Urban Whitewater, (as opposed to mountain backcountry Whitewater), then more young people will want to watch as spectators, as well as want to participate as athletes. Thus, giving the sport many more competitors as a resource for future competitions to draw from. It will translate into more athlete choices for our Olympic Teams as well.
Sure those mountain courses are still way more beautiful. But Urban courses are necessary to those day-to-day lives of athletes to support their lifestyles and needs. You have to think or having both, rather than complaining.
Sure it's great to venture out to natural habitats where you feel like you're on a beautiful mountain kayak adventure. That's one school of thought. But people who train regularly for competition have to sustain themselves with regular "day jobs" and the day-to-day conveniences of an urban or suburban setting to meet their daily needs. It's great to travel to those beautiful nature scenes. But they aren't very accommodating to the average athlete's home life. Also, you should listen to the comments, or read the comments made by the Olympians in which this thread refers to. They endorse having Urban Whitewater, and said it's very necessary. Urban Whitewater is accessible to ALL! Whitewater courses in the backcountry is only accessible to an elite few. The Fans, The Sports Media, and Local Young People can all access Urban Whitewater very easily. Whereas for most kids, Whitewater way out in the backcountry is completely out of the question.
The Olympians that spoke of Columbus' course said that having Urban Whitewater helps to build a larger fanbase in a sport that has a history of having a small fanbase.
It's easy for a young person to go see a basketball game from any nearby basketball court. Thus, easily building loyalty. So the youngster might easily become a routine basketball fan, and then later wish to participate as an actual basketball athlete his or herself. But currently, it's extremely unrealistic for any young person to catch a five hour ride out into the backcountry to watch a whitewater event, or take part in whitewater sports as an athlete. So backcountry whitewater doesn't help build a fanbase, nor does it build familiarity with the sport for potential athletes. So he or she currently knows little about the sport. When the new course becomes easily accessible to many young local people with Urban Whitewater, (as opposed to mountain backcountry Whitewater), then more young people will want to watch as spectators, as well as want to participate as athletes. Thus, giving the sport many more competitors as a resource for future competitions to draw from. It will translate into more athlete choices for our Olympic Teams as well.
Sure those mountain courses are still way more beautiful. But Urban courses are necessary to those day-to-day lives of athletes to support their lifestyles and needs. You have to think or having both, rather than complaining.
The International Canoe Federation has slated Columbus as the venue of the 2012 Canoe Freestyle World Cup, an event that would attract whitewater enthusiasts from several countries. They better hurry up with this project!!!
Two Olympian whitewater competitors visiting here Thursday said the 2½-mile course of rapids Columbus wants to build on the Chattahoochee River downtown would draw guys like them from all over the region. Columbus geographically would be convenient for regional whitewater enthusiasts, who think nothing of driving a day to reach a decent course. Whitewater advocates believe a course here would draw competitors from within a five-hour drive of Columbus.
The area last year opened 10 new businesses providing 50 new jobs, among them Big Dog running gear and Outside World sports equipment.
During last year’s Bike Ride Across Georgia, 1,200 bicyclists spent three days downtown, some camping along the river, and they voted Columbus the Best Overnight Town and the Best Campsite after their visit. They were so impressed they wanted to hold an annual event here, and so this October 300 to 400 cyclists will be back.
Whitewater advocate John Turner of the W.C. Bradley Co. said about 70 percent of the estimated $20 million needed for the project is in the bank, and construction should begin this summer below the Eagle & Phenix Dam, near the 13th Street river bridge.
Proponents have estimated the course annually will have a total economic impact of $42 million, generating more than $2 million in lodging taxes, creating 700 jobs, attracting 188,000 participants and drawing more than 1.5 million people to the riverfront.
Great news for downtown Columbus!
Great news, but a troubling point has been brought up elsewhere... has the issue of the river water being so polluted been addressed?
The River has been nasty for years. It's only lately that people have noticed small improvements.
Billy Turner started championing Columbus' CSO more than 20 years ago and the city spent millions and about a decade of work reversing the wrong we were doing to the central portions of the river. (We got a nice riverwalk out of the deal.)
Atlanta is finally on the CSO bandwagon after years of resistance. Their area's Riverkeepers have also had several small victories, and a few larger success stories in getting the Atlanta Metro area's industrial centers to stop or reduce their awful practices that have nearly destroyed the North Central portions of the Chattahoochee. I'm just glad Atlanta is finally building "Combined Sewer Overflow" (CSO) infrastructure after years of refusal. They just felt that it was way cheaper just to pay pollution fines than to clean up the water. So they've been dumping (** expletive**) into the river freely for generations....and recently paying fines for the last 2 decades. Fines were less expensive than millions in new construction. The river will benefit, but it's not something we'll notice right away. Maybe when I'm very old the changes will become more significant. So yeah, it's not perfect. But it'll help very much when all is completed someday within a decade or more of new regulations, infrastructure, policy changes, and natural healing.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
