by Matt Young
with Moose River photos by Scott Martin

The 2^nd edition of the King of New York Race Series wrapped on Saturday, October 13^th with a grand-finale, mass-start race on the Moose River near Old Forge, New York. The Race was held as part of the weekend's Moose River Festivities. The race capped off a series of four hotly-contested, highly-varied races that were tallied together to determine the eventual KING of New York.

Racing on difficult whitewater has been a staple of the paddling community in Northern New York since the first Moose Race in 1995. The King of New York series has continued in this vein broadening racing in 2011 to events on the Black River, Beaver River, and Raquette. The 2^nd edition of the series in 2012 took a quantum leap forward with series partners like Dagger Kayaks, Werner Paddles, and Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company stepping forward with significant prizes for overall podium winners.

After much anticipation, and a lot of talk, racing began on the Black River on July 14^th with a mass start format over a 6-mile course. The longest in the series by a large margin. Pyranha's Speeder was the boat of choice for this race as the course contains a significant amount of flatwater. However, it is no easy task to negotiate a nearly 14-foot long boat through the 12-foot tall Glen Park Falls or the infamous broken dam known as "Poop Chute". In the end, a lot the talk was silenced when myself and Chris Gragtmans jumped out to a significant lead early on. Chris gained some separation through the lower part of the course to take the first place spot. I was forced to settle for second place for the second year in a row.

Racers looking for redemption, including myself, had to wait an entire six weeks for the Labor Day Weekend double header on the Beaver and the Raquette for their chance to gain some points on Gragtmans. When over 45 racers showed up at the starting line for their run at the oh so controversial race down the short but thrilling Eagle section of the Beaver, organizer Kenny Unser knew he had created a movement. Short boat assassins Jared Seiler and Emrick Blanchette were able to rise as high as 6^th and 5^th respectively, which was impressive considering they beat out most of the long boats on the technical course. Another impressive performance was from sixteen year-old Ryan Mooney snagging the 4^th spot. But none of these stellar performances were any match for two whitewater warriors from South of the Mason-Dixon Line. Geoff Calhoun and Chris Gragtmans finished first and second respectively, setting the stage for an epic showdown on the Raquette the following morning.

You could hear the dub-step music blocks away from the put-in of the Stone Valley section of the Raquette River on the Monday morning of the race. Racers, paddlers, and spectators were fired up to get the most intense race of the series under way. An international group of 35 racers had assembled to test their skills and their luck on the mile and a half long course. Since the race’s inception in 2010 crashing in the final rapid and plenty of backwards lines throughout the remainder of the run have become an expectation. This year was no different. There were at least a couple of swims across the finish line, and yours truly had a particularly spectacular backwards to stern piton line down Colton Falls. Once again Jared Seiler impressed everyone with creative lines and a short boat time that was very competitive with the long boats. When the dust settled Geoff Calhoun emerged as the man to beat besting his rival Chris Gragtmans for the second time in as many days. Competitors went home thoroughly satisfied from a weekend of hard racing and spectacular paddling eager to return in six more weeks for the grand finale on the Moose.

The Moose race has existed in many forms since it was first contested in 1995. According to Moose River patriarch Chris Koll, “back then you didn’t have to have separate classes unless people were paddling Wavehoppers,” which they did. The 2011 race as part of the first King of New York series was cancelled due to high water levels that were determined by race organizers to be unsafe for racing. The 2012 version saw optimal flows for the mass start format from Agers Falls through Crystal Rapid. Paddlers fired over Agers in a mob with Geoff Calhoun, a familiar site at this point, lurching out of the front of the pack. What he didn’t know was that there was a fierce battle going on behind him for second place. While Geoff crossed the finish line first with ease, Jesse Wilensky, Chris Kyle and myself each held the second place spot at some point during the race. As Jesse and I came through the final rapid with the finish line in sight, our boats were touching. I gave it everything I had to pass him before the final ledge, but could not get safely by, and had to accept my fate as the third place finisher. It was close.

Later that evening, at the awards ceremony back at Mountain Man Outdoors we all took our ceremonial swigs, and Geoff Calhoun collected his coveted prize as the King of New York. Danny Mongno from Werner Paddles, Elaine Campbell from Confluence Watersports, Will from Mountain Man, and Blake from NRS did a great job entertaining the crowd, and everyone was already getting excited for next year. It's important to remember that everyone came together to make this year's series great. From the paddlers who traveled great distances to come partake, to the sponsors who donated prizes, to the volunteers who helped keep us safe, and to the organizers who make it all happen, we are so grateful…See you next year.

Five 2 Nine Productions put together a great short documentary about creek racing featuring the King of New York series. You can find it at Bomb Flow Magazine.

Full results from the series can be found here.

More of Scott Martin's Moose River Race photos can be found on the King of New York Facebook page.

Old Forge, NY - Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company, the best gear shop in New York State and dealer of Dagger whitewater kayaks has announced their sponsorship of the King of New York race series. Mountainman is furnishing prizes for each of the top 3 spots in the overall point series. In addition to the Green Boat provided by Dagger Whitewater Kayaks, the grand prize winner will receive a Werner Powerhouse paddle from Mountainman and Werner Paddles. The first runner up will receive a $50 gift certificate at Mountainman. The second runner up will receive a $25 gift certificate at Mountainman. Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company is located on Route 26 in Old Forge, NY in the heart of Adirondack paddling. Mountainman is staffed by paddlers that know their gear. The King of New York race series is very fortunate to partner with such a solid retailer. Mountainman has a great connection with the paddling community and has come through in a big way to support the core of the sport. Please show your support of the local businesses that keep our community strong when you make your next gear purchase.

Greenville, SC - Dagger Whitewater Kayaks, manufacturer of the most proven creeking kayaks on the market has announced their sponsorship of the King of New York whitewater race series. This year's King of New York winner will receive a brand new Dagger Green Boat at the Moose River festival on October 13, 2012. Dagger's commitment to downriver racing is unparalleled in the industry. The Dagger Nomad has been a staple of creek racing for over a decade. More recently, Dagger became the only manufacturer to put a creek race specific design into production with the Dagger Green Boat. Results speak for themselves. Dagger designs capture podium spots in nearly every downriver race in the country including the top 3 spots at the King of New York Eagle Race in 2011.

To the organizers of the King of New York race series, there could be no better partnership than with the Dagger whitewater brand. The collection of races on the Black, Moose, Beaver, and Raquette rivers are a grass-roots series of events organized by the paddling community. The fact that Dagger sought out the opportunity to sponsor the King of New York series illustrates their connection to the river community and their commitment to the core of the sport.

The volunteer organizers are excited to be able to offer prizes to race participants. In addition to the Dagger Green Boat being offered as a grand prize, several local companies have donated prizes that will go to race participants. Racers can look forward to goods from Sic Byrd, RVR Apparel, and Aquaholic in addition to prize donations from other supportive local paddling companies. Please show your support for the brands that support your river community.