Lyons Outdoor Games Go Large
Event highlighted by Class V creek race on South Saint Vrain
Colorado’s Front Range was the place to be the weekend of June 9-10 as competitors of all walks descended upon tiny town of Lyons for the not-so-tiny-anymore Lyons Outdoor Games on the South St. Vrain River. Featuring freestyle, boatercross and for the first time a hair-raising creek race on a Class V stretch upstream, the event is putting Lyons on the map as a destination river festival.
“We were hearing comments from some of the pros that this was the best creek race they’ve ever done,” says Matt Booth, who helped organize kayak competition. “All in all, the whole event blew our expectations out of the water. We had most of the current World Freestyle Champions in town, and everyone was especially stoked on the Adam Barron Memorial Creek Race. Many non kayakers left with a new appreciation for paddling, and we’re already planning on expanding the event for next year.”
The creek race through the crux of the notoriously steep and technical Class V+ South St. Vrain was won by Dagger Team pro Andrew Holcombe of Asheville, N.C., with Carbondale native Eleanor Perry (now living in Durango) taking top honors among the women. Holcombe edged out EJ by just five seconds, coming in at 3:19 compared to EJ’s 3:24 and Todd Baker in third just two seconds behind at 3:26.
While all the creek racers were confident racing through the Class V waters, one in particular was more nervous than normal. Kelsey Thompson, who placed 17th, broke his two front teeth just a week earlier at the Teva Mountain Games, but still ponied up to paddle the St. Vrain. “On Homestake, I broke my two front teeth and put a hole through my lip that I had to get stitched up,” he says. “I spent six hours in the dentist chair, got root canals on both teeth, posts for extra support and temporary caps that look like Chicklets. When I get back to Canada I’m going to get permanent replacement teeth put in.
“After Homestake, I was a little tentative to get back into my boat just a week later. Everyone was talking about how it was more difficult and more dangerous than Homestake, and it was definitely longer. But I went for it anyway and things worked out fine. My goal wasn’t to win but just have clean lines and stay smooth. I ended up pretty far back in the field but wasn’t bothered by that because at the end I had all of my teeth.”
In the Freestyle event, Dane Jackson beat his dad, EJ, for the first time, taking third behind Bryan Kirk and Nick Troutman’s massive loops in first. For the women, it was Emily Jackson besting second-place finisher Hanna Farrar, with Canada’s Ruth Gordon taking third.
Results: 2007 Lyons Outdoor Games
Creek Race
1 Andrew Holcombe 3:19:00
2 Eric Jackson 3:24:00
3 Todd Baker 3:26:00
4 Bryan Kirk 3:27:00
5 Cooper Lambla 3:29:00
6 Ben Stooksberry 3:30:00
7 Nick Troutman 3:31:00
8 Ed Smith 3:32:00
9 Nathan Silsbee 3:33:00
10 Karl Lavtar 3:34:00
11 Scott Young 3:38:00 0
11 Jeremy Laucks 3:38:00
12 Clay Wright 3:39:00
12 Shane Groves 3:39:00
13 Kyle Mckutchen 3:40:00
13 Alex Mohn 3:40:00
14 Jake Greenbaum 3:43:00
15 Jonathan Campbell 3:44:00
16 Matt Fithian 3:46:00
17 Kelsey Thompson 3:47:00
18 Corey Volt 70 3:48:00
19 Ed Galler 3:55:00
20 Will Pruett 3:58:00
North St. Vrain Creek Race
1 Henry Hyde 99 44:51:00 8
2 Harold Kellog 100 43:51:00 7
3 Brad Milley 8 33:55:00 6
4 Steve Shallenberg 63 33:26:00 5
5 Jun Prouty 74 32:11:00 4
6 David Belcher 15 31:33:00 3
7 Jeremy Rodgers 75 28:04:00 2
8 Gary Lacey 64 25:54:00 1
9 Cooper Lambla 53
10 Harlan Taney 78
11 Kelsey Thompson 30
12 Emily Jackson 12
Freestyle Rodeo Results
Cadet Name Points
First Seth Stoenner 37
Second Tyler Hinton 30
Third Micah Glidden 15
Intermediate
First Mark Magaldi 11
Second Beau Cook 4
Third Brad Milley 2
Womens Expert
First Nicole Mansfield 17
Second Laura Jorgenson 2 (2 rides)
Third Naie Brown 2
Women’s Pro
1st Emily Jackson
2nd Hanna Farrar
3rd Ruth Gordon
4th Eleanor Perry
Men’s Expert
First Zach Mitchell 51
Second Matt Fithian 21
Third Michael Plamer 17
Fifth Ed Smith 73
Men’s Pro
1. Nick Troutman
2. Bryan Kirk
3. Dane Jackson (beating his dad for the first time)
4. Eric Jackson
5. Ed Smith
Boatercross Results
1st Team Dagger (Andrew Holcombe, Corey Volt, Alex Mohn, Ed Smith)
2nd Team Burlfest (Cooper Lambla, David Finney, Nathan Silsbee, Shane Groves)
3rd Huck Z Nar (Lawrance Simpson, Nadia Almuti, Laura Jorgenson, Nicole Mansfield)
4th Mad Monty (Dane Jackson, Eric Bissel, Brian Horan, Mike Palmer)
5th The A Holes (Scott Young, Arn Hayden, Matt Booth, Rick Gaudette)
6th Paddle Breakers (Ed Gaker, Zack Mitchell, Jake Greenbaum, Matt Fithian)
DNF Only One of Us is Guay (Ryan Guay, Andrew Judkins, Kevin Greenwood, Beau Cook)
Info/Sponsors: www.lyonsoutdoorgames.com
