Oklahoma City and Montgomery Share a Whitewater Bond

What do Oklahoma City and Montgomery, Alabama, have in common? Elite whitewater canoeing and kayaking, of course.

That might not have been the answer that came to mind, but that’s what the two cities share this month when it comes to the 2024 Canoe Slalom and Kayak Cross U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

For Oklahoma City, which has had Riversport OKC since 2016, hosting an event of this magnitude is nothing new. For Montgomery, this is a chance to showcase Montgomery Whitewater Park, which opened in July 2023.

“We hosted a race on opening day last July, a junior race, and the feedback we got from most of the athletes was that the course was awesome,” said Dave Hepp, the general manager of Montgomery Whitewater Park. “People started asking us if we were interested in hosting races at a higher level. Once we got some of the city and county players involved and interested in it, it went from there. Last November is when we put together a bid and then we had a couple folks from the American Canoe Association and the U.S. Olympic Committee come down and check out the course and city.”

The ACA and U.S. Olympic contingent liked what they saw and decided the 2024 Olympic Team Trials would be split between Montgomery (April 13–14) and Oklahoma City (April 26–27).

“Making the Olympic team is such a huge deal in an athlete’s life,” said Mike Knopp, executive director for the Riversport Foundation. “A lot of them trained a good portion of their life for this moment. And it’s important to have a comprehensive selection process so that you can earn points from one event to the next and it’s not one shot in one city.”

Knopp likes the idea of splitting the qualifying into two separate weekends in two cities because of the dynamic nature of whitewater. Each course is unique, so giving competitors two courses to navigate ensures the best rise to the top.

“It’s nice to be able to have the Olympic movement put into two different locations, especially in a sport like whitewater where we can use our venues to lift the sport in the next generation,” Knopp added. “It’s critical to inspire the next generation in the sport and thankfully now we have another venue with Montgomery.”

If You Build it, They Will Come

The Montgomery Whitewater Park is the result of many different government organizations pulling the same rope in the name of improving their city and region. The multi-year project is a massive initiative by the local government meant to improve the quality of life for residents and also be an economic driver.

“The waterpark is basically phase one and there will be a hotel partner on the other end of the campus and then future retail development,” Hepp said of the $85 million project that includes the whitewater facility. “The goal was to get these kinds of events and bring folks to Montgomery who would not have otherwise visited here. … Getting a marquee event like an Olympic Trials, or even one day a world championships, is icing on the cake.”

While Montgomery may be new to of the action that will take place this weekend, Hepp and his team are veterans of the sport. Hepp competed on a U.S. national team as a kid and worked as a director at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte for nine years before helping Knopp open Riversport OKC in 2016. The man who designed the Montgomery facility, Scott Shipley, also designed the OKC Riversport facility.

“I have 100 percent confidence that they will do it right, because Dave and Scott know what they’re doing,” Knopp said. “I would think the community of Montgomery is not unlike Oklahoma City in that we’re building a culture for the sport in both places.”

Both Montgomery and Oklahoma City will not charge spectators to come to the Trials in an effort to grow the sports of whitewater canoe and kayak. Montgomery offers a 1,600-foot-long whitewater channel that has grass alongside to sit along the water. There’s also a 450-seat restaurant that overlooks the channel which includes a patio area.

“This is all new for us because I don’t think any Olympic Trials competition has ever happened in Montgomery,” Hepp said. “So there’s a lot of excitement around town about the event and just about what the event means for what Montgomery residents now have in their backyard.”

Hepp says they’re estimating between 5,000 to 10,000 people will attend over the course of the weekend.

“As an organization, we’re using this event as a kickstart to let everybody know we have kayak programs here,” Hepp said. “It’s very approachable for anybody at any level. This event helps us quite a bit to get the word out about what we have here with this incredible resource for the city.”

OKC Maintains a High Bar

Riversport OKC opened in 2016 and immediately became one of the top kayak/canoe/rowing venues in the world. Riversport hosted the International Canoe Federation’s 2022 Canoe Sprint Super Cup and Stand Up Paddling World Cup and will be the site of the 2026 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships. The facility is also a possible host for the canoe slalom competition of the 2028 Olympic Summer Games.

“Who would have expected 20 years ago that Oklahoma City would be hosting an Olympic Trials event in, of all sports, whitewater,” Knopp said. “That is a very powerful thing and a statement about the city that we have been bold enough to do that sort of thing and it’s paying off. I think it’s very affirming to the citizens of Oklahoma City that made this venue possible. To see it bringing the Olympic movement to Oklahoma City and showcasing these athletes who are trying to achieve their dreams, is a very proud moment for the community.”

OKC will not charge the public to attend the Olympic Trials, but there will be premium seating available for purchase if an attendee is so inclined.

“We feel it’s very important for there to be free access because of the community investment in this facility,” Knopp said. “We have a very significant outreach initiative throughout Oklahoma City, so we’re going to be bringing in hundreds of school kids to see the event and hopefully inspire them.”

Riversport will also unveil an Olympic experience interactive fan zone, which will include not only canoe and kayak activations, but other Olympic sports like gymnastics, rock climbing and surfing.

“We’re trying to really showcase the Olympic movement to the community. We look at it as we have to introduce it in a way that they’re going to appreciate the significance of these events,” Knopp said.

While Knopp sings the praises of both Hepp and Shipley, he also has offered some advice to the first-time host in Montgomery.

“Giving the reverence that’s due for the Olympic Trials — which I know they’re going to do — is important because it’s a big deal to host that event in Montgomery after just opening that venue last summer,” Knopp said. “So having the community understand the significance of that is also important. Because Olympic Trials aren’t something you just get regularly.

“If you give the athletes a great experience, they’re going to have a great appreciation for it and that strikes a chord in your community as you’re building the culture of the sport. And that’s going to help Montgomery do bigger and better things.”