The Alabama Cup Races have been in existence since 1992 and was developed to acknowledge the best racers of the three. The Mulberry Fork Canoe & Kayak Races started in 1981 and in 1991, the Locust Fork Invitational began and a year later the Locust Fork White Water Classic was added.
In 1994, the Mulberry Fork Canoe & Kayak races hosted the qualifying races for the U.S. Olympics. Some famous racers have been Eric Jackson, Rich Weiss, Davey Hearn and Phillip Foti.
These races are non-profit organizations and are operated independently by the hosting organizations. Proceeds go toward preserving, protecting and promoting White Water Slalom racing in the state of Alabama. It has also been educating the public the need to save our rivers for the future generations to enjoy.
These races have been possible only through the very hard work of many people donating their time and from the donations of food, items/services and financial support of individuals and businesses. If you would like to participate, please contact us.
For questions regarding races, please email the race marshal for the event and someone will quickly get back with you. Locust Fork Invitational Race Marshal - Tony Diliberto marshal.invitational@alabamacupraces.org
Mulberry Fork Race Marshal - Tom Land marshal.mulberry@alabamacupraces.org
Locust Fork Classic Race Marshal - Gordon Black marshal.classic@alabamacupraces.org
If you want to volunteer for the next event, please email the event coordinator or go to the Volunteers Page to learn more about how you can help. Invitational Volunteer Coordinator - Sam Howell volunteers.invitational@alabamacupraces.org
Mulberry Fork Volunteer Coordinator - Kim Glover volunteers.mulberry@alabamacupraces.org
Locust Fork Classic Volunteers - Sam Howell volunteers.classic@alabamacupraces.org
The Alabama Cup Racing Association Board
President - Tony Diliberto president@alabamacupraces.org
Vice President - Mark Travis vice.president@alabamacupraces.org
Monday, June 28, 2010 Memorial Day Weekend 2010 On Memorial Day Weekend 2010 I had the opportunity to paddle Section 9 of the French Broad River in Hot Springs, NC. I knew it was going to be a great weekend just because I was getting my mom on whitewater for the second time and my dad, brother(Logan), and Tim were paddling too. Mom and I were going to be paddling the Jackson Dynamic Duo. Her first time was in the Duo the weekend before at the Locust Fork. When we left Boaz on Friday morning we looked like the Clampetts from the t.v. show "The Beverly Hillbillies". I think we carried everything but the kitchen sink with us on that trip.
Our first trip down the river was Saturday. It started out really good. Being in the Duo with mom felt 10 times better than it did the weeknd before. She was starting to get a really good feel for being in a kayak and she was doing everything I told her to do. I couldn't have asked for a better partner. We had made it all the way to S-Turn and had yet to swim. This was going to be our first 'real' rapid of the day. It is just a long Class lll rapid that turns like a 'S'. So mom and I ferried across the river to set up to run it. When we peeled out of the top eddy going into the rapid we didn't have enough speed to run through the slot where we needed to go. We stalled out on big rock just to the right of where we should have went. I knew this probably wasn't going to end pretty. So we started back paddling and I ended up dropping into the slot first and I was in the back of the boat. When I dropped in mom was still on the top of the rapid and it caused us to roll over. I was bracing hard trying not to roll all the way over because I knew that if we sawm it was going to be a LONG swim. Well we ended up rolling all the way over and I tryed to roll back over, but moms skirt had already busted and she was coming out of the boat while I was trying to roll us back upright. So I ended up pulling my skirt and swimming. And it was a LONG swim, but we all got to the bank safe and nobody was hurt so it was all good!
We got back in to boat and paddled downriver a little further to where we were going to eat lunch. Mom got out and Logan hopped in the Duo with me. There was a nice wave and we were going to try to surf it. We got in it once or twice. It was pretty hard to do in our long boat. We also got flipped a few times, but rolled back up everytime. The Duo is a very easy boat to roll when both people in it have solid rolls. When we got to Stack House, the half-way point, mom decided she want to get out and go back to the camp. So Logan through his boat in the truck and hopped in with me and we paddled the last 4 miles in the Duo together.
The last 4 miles is pretty flat and you paddle it to run two rapids, but they are by far the two best rapids on the river. The first rapid of the two is Kayakers Ledge. It is a ledge that drops about 5ft or 6 ft into a big pool and then had another little slide with a nice hole in it to do 360's. Logan and I bombed through it with no problem and stayed at the bottom of the slide a played for awhile. The last rapid on the river is also the biggest. Frank Bell's rapid is a Class lll/lV rapid with a meaty hole at the bottom that likes to eat kayakers. Logan and I started at the top and eddy hopped our way down without any problems. When we got the bottom right before the big hole we missed our line a little and bombed right the the big hole. It didn't want any of our big Duo though. On Sunday mom and few more people in our group decided to raft the river. So I paddled my boat that day. We floated down the river without any problems and it was another great day on the water. Monday morning we packed up and headed home. Logan and I decided we wanted to stop by the Ocoee on the way home and really test the Dynamic Duo out. We got to the put-in and put on and had a nice crowd to watch us run Grumpy's, the first rapid. We bombed down the river really fast. I was amazed at how fast we were in that boat. We ran right through the meat of all the rapids and did really good. The hardest rapid for us was Table Saw, just because there are so many waves coming from all different directions which made it very hard to stay upright in that long boat. But we did make it through without flipping over. I was excited about that!
When we got to Hells Hole we decided to give surfing the big Duo another shot. We ended up getting in it quite a few times and getting some good surfing in. We tried to do some enders also and got one pretty good one.
After Logan and I got our fix at Hells Hole we paddled down to the take-out, loaded up, and headed home. We were exhausted, but we had a blast! See ya on the water... Torre Vann -Team COOSAOUTFITTERS-
With each new idea comes sometimes overwhelmingly hard work. Planning the change from NAWFest to the Alabama Mountain Games for March 17-21st in 2010 was no exception. As we approached the organizing portion of the 1st AMG, we decided that the time had come to take that first big step into the next phase of the event. Our 1st goal: to add more outdoor sporting events encouraging a more well rounded overall competition. However, as with all big changes, the work proved to be more than any of us anticipated.
The idea behind the plan was simple. We would bring together all the event organizers in Alabama to create one unique music/extreme sports festival with a dash of arts, crafts and games while pointing the spotlight on conservation. Unfortunately, it was a very slow start forcing us to wait rather than actively organize. It was in December, with only 4 months to pull it off, that the ideas and suggestions started to roll in. Man, people have no idea the resources there are in Blount County and now everyone is starting to take notice. Think about how many people do you know that kayak that do another sport. We are all one large outdoor family. With this said different people and companies stepped up to take charge of organizing and funding their own perspective sports.
The main example of the dedication we received was that of Rob Beckman and his crew. Those guys were on the land relentlessly pick-axing, raking and building drains, gaps, rails and more to make the bike trail worthy of competition. The amount of work put into the mountain biking portion was inspiring something that became more apparent after riding the trail. With a 15-foot wall ride, long bridges and so much more, the trail itself earned the respect to hold up to competition standards. Yes! We had pulled one event off and the emails kept pouring in. Soon we were on to the next project.
With even less time to prepare, we were definitely punching the clock on finding someone to step up and take charge of the wakeboarding and climbing section. We were more than thrilled when Shred Ready so graciously took the reigns and led the sport of wakeboarding into what I thought became one of the most entertaining events of the entire festival. The Shred Ready team’s ingenuity on highlighting the showmanship of the sport really seemed to draw a crowd getting everyone up and cheering, something we strive for each year. Nice job, guys!
With only weeks to go, thanks to everyone’s support and drive, our little vision was starting to really take shape. We still had much to do, but for the first time, we could breathe a bit easier knowing the festival was actually going to happen.
Now, if we could just get the climbing wall set, the rest would be cake…that is IF…
No one could have possibly foreseen the insanity that became the search for the AMG climbing wall. After a wall was destroyed in a freak car accident, one was broken in the transportation process and another just ceased to exist, it turned into Jeremy vs. the Climbing Wall! Wall – 3, Jeremy – 0! It seemed like one thing after another was killing the possibility of our final event. I was out of time and ideas! Enter, Adventures Unlimited. These fantastic people came through along with help from Alabama Outdoors, Sam, Bill, Mags and Timmy made it happen for us.
Finally the day had come, March 18, 2010, the first day of our brand new and improved festival. We got an early start and headed over to Short Creek falls to start the Monster Energy Kayaking Events. The Fluid Kayaks Huckfest and Stony Boatercross competitions would kick off AMG 2010. Because these two events have been the highlight of our festival since the inception of NAWFest in 2005, we wanted make sure everything ran as smoothly as possible. The only real change this year was that we had to paddle down to set up judging as did each competitor. Even with this slight difference, I feel it still went as well as always. I want to give a special thanks to Gaia Paddlesports for the messenger bag which enabled me to carry all the judging material down both rivers without getting a single thing wet. Couldn’t have done it without Gaia!
The Huckfest, always a favorite, gave us some entertaining downriver freestyle which seems to get better and better each year. Kudos to all the competitors for going big and continuing to raise the bar each year. It is that attitude and determination that keeps our sport fresh and new, never dull! The highlight, for me, was watching Dane Jackson pop his skirt before the drop causing him to crash hard. Yea for carnage!!
The Boatercross was scheduled to commence immediately following the Huckfest and was as always just as entertaining. But as each boater disappeared from sight, we were left with one question: what goes on behind that waterfall? It was rumored that some people were shoved over. Hmm…an interesting end to a full day that couldn’t have ran more smoothly. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Boogie Bottoms.
Thursday night featured Alice Gillee Project and One Eyed Mary, two bands that introduced the crowd to our after dark festivities and brought an appropriate close to day 1. So far, so good!
The next morning we awoke to jump-start the Coosa Outfitters Throwdown. And much like short Creek, this year we paddled down from Swann’s bridge. As usual, random landowner issues to get around. But we all made it without a problem and kicked off the event with the Junior’s division going all the way through and closing it out with the Pro’s. With all the great moves behind us, we moved downstream to catch the shuttle.
It was back to the festival site where competitors and judges were welcomed by the hum of live music in the slight roar of a growing crowd in the background. It was NAWFest veterans, Sorry Lee Harvey, Jon Poor, Laissez Funk and The Incredible Sandwich that brought down the house as they fantastically headlined our Friday night concert series. After a great showing and tons of fun with the jousting and more the night came to a close.
Saturday marked the time for all kayakers to report our previous home, King’s Bend, for the Locust Fork Whitewater Classic slalom race. This was the first time that AMG/NAWFest paired up with this event and seemed to have proven a great idea. I definitely think we will keep that going and continue making these events a little more convenient and easier to attend.
Meanwhile, at Boogie Bottoms, the Werner Trading Post XC Mountain Biking competition was making its debut! Finally it was on! Almost 4 months of building the trails had actually become worth the hard work and it was great to see people enjoying it. Everything was going great for day 3 and now it was time for Saturday’s featured event – Shred Ready Wakeboarding Invitational. The wake boarders were set to be pulled from a 250 sq. ft. hole in the ground into a pool where water was constantly being pumped. From the pool, each was pulled onto 2, 30ft. sets of foot rails shooting the boarder out, dropping him back into the water. He would continue on downstream, line up behind the jet-ski setting him up for the course’s grand finale. As the jet ski took off, the boarder was aimed directly for the ramp, hitting it at just the right moment, shooting him up and landing him in the river for the finish. Talk about a crowd-pleasing event! I don’t think I have seen a group of people more into an outdoor sport than wakeboarding. Thanks to Nick Troutman and Dane Jackson for taking one for the team, going off that ramp and bringing a proper end to the event!
As the crowd dispersed, most headed over to the to watch the Guntersville Outdoors Freeride Mountain Biking. With three drops of different heights and speeds the table was set for some entertaining demonstrations. What an excitement-packed day. And as our final AMG evening got underway, The crowd continued to venture around the site, eventually being pulled back to live music of, One Eyed Mary, Kendra Sutton Band and The Back Row Baptists.
And for all those arts and crafts fiends, many thanks to Jessica Rains for her work on the brand new, Go Green Art Marketplace which quickly became the main attraction of all the festivals minglers. It was this group of talent that brought the crowd arts & crafts to purchase set amongst many expo tents offering: massage therapy, chainsaw art, paintings, necklace making, pottery, chiropractors, bottle cap necklaces and organic candles and soaps.
The festival is full of things going on. With dusk only a couple hours away the Alabama Outdoors Climbing Competition began. Finally, the wall was in full use! What a fun event to watch! Next year we plan to improve the event as a whole, but for our 1st year, I think it made a decent debut.
As evening festivities continued, the ever popular, fan favorite Jousting Competition was on! And after many had beaten each other stupid with foam sticks, what better time to start the awards ceremony? Saturday night BONFIRE was on.
With refreshments rolling in, we had some great times giving out Mountain Khakis pants. We loved watching people fight over the really small gift card. This is also the same time we asked everyone to add Mountain Khakis to your facebook pages. If you have not done this yet, please do so now to help us continue to earn their support in years to come. After the work of the festival was done, the organizers actually had the 1st opportunity to witness what they had accomplished. Sitting on the stage with the Incredible Sandwich rockin’ out behind me, I was very happy to see so many people dancing, laughing, cheering and just having a great time. Seeing this reaction made all the sleepless nights, 16 hour days, and crazy mishaps completely worth it.
We are continually working on improving our festival and really look forward to seeing everyone next year. As with all new things, year 1 is usually more experimental than anything, so thank you for bearing with the changes and sticking by NAWFest as it continues to grow into its new title. Great ideas are in the process and more sports will be unveiled next year. Keep an eye out on our website for videos of all events complements of Riverbone Productions. Thanks to all who worked so hard for AMG. Without you guys, we wouldn’t be able to do any of this. Our organizers, volunteers and supporters are the ones who have kept our dream alive and push it to be better each year. Here are the results from 2010 and we will see you all in 2011! If you are interested in being part of our great team and think you can contribute in any way please email Flyinskeleton@cs.com. Special thanks to Ian Zinner, Weston Photgraphy, Gary Holder, Charlie Simmons, Samantha Meadows and Sunburst Rafting for all the pictures
Coosa Outfitters will be hosting a Volleyball Tournament at our shop May 22 2010! We have a very nice volleyball court on the lot next to us! We are looking for teams of 4 or less or more(we don't care how many you bring) We will be doing some crazy twists on volleyball so be ready! WINNER TAKE ALL!(all of what... we are not sure yet) We will try to have cash prizes(if we don't spend it all 1st) and giveaways from some of our different lines! Please come and hang out... tournament will start at 10am-3pm. There is plenty of room for the family!(We have a play ground for the kids too.) We will be cooking out...and hopefully have some wings!! We will be registering starting today! Give us a call to register today! 256.543.0222 Cost to register is $35 per team..(this will be for cash prizes and wings)WOOO!
KAVU outdoor clothing is designed for men and women with busy livin’ lifestyles.
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Since 1993, we at KAVU have been weaving this feeling into our comfortable and durable outdoor clothing. We understand what you need because we’re out doing the same thing: playing hard, getting dirty, creating fun. This is the attitude behind KAVU gear. We provide the apparel for all your adventures, wherever they lead you.
Based in Seattle, KAVU is a small, energetic company that refuses to rest. Founded on the now-classic Strapcap, we’ve expanded into a wide range of men’s and women’s clothing, bags, sunglasses, and accessories. We take great care to choose fabrics that are eco-friendly, using natural fabrics such as bamboo, hemp, and cotton.
Our outdoor-ready clothing perfectly blends function and fashion, so you can rough it up all day, then wash out the trail grit and wear it to your favorite watering hole that night – and look good doing it.
So have a KAVU Day! We’ll meet up later and share some stories
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Our goal is to create a product that we know can withstand extended abuse (in our packs, purses and falling off our desks), feel safe giving to our children and be proud of as a unique piece of art that brings beauty into the world. It's not just about creating an object with which to hold our beverages of choice, it's about creating something that not only will last but that we will want to hang onto forever. At Waterbox our goal and desire is to create beautiful and long-lasting products that you will want to hold onto. We look to the world around us for inspiration and strive to create products that are both highly functional and aesthetically pleasing.
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