Ira Cronin WCNC Sports

I have just wrapped up three days of covering the Olympic White Water trials at the U.S. National White Water Center here in Charlotte and what a great three days it has been! I have to admit that covering these athletes has a different feel from most other athletes I cover on a regular basis. There is something pure about an athlete striving to represent himself and his country at one of the highest levels of sport.

The crowds were great and they were vocal. One of the athletes I interviewed after Friday's first day of competition, Carolina Queen, a 16-year -ld from Maryland, seemed close to tears as she told me that she wasn't use to having a home field advantage. That she felt the crowds were amazing and very loud. Casey Eichfeld who paddles with Rick Powell in men's C-2 said that when the crowd would erupt it sent chills down his spine even while he was focused and in the zone of paddling.

I thought the weekend was a great coming out party for Charlotte's Whitewater Center on the national stage. Race officials told me things couldn't have gone better and the compliments from the athletes and coaches from all over the world were non-stop.

American athletes who won this weekend have taken another step toward the Olympics in Beijing this summer. They will need to race well in the World Cup races in German come July to determine who will represent the United States.

Other athletes did punch their ticket to the summer games like Whitewater Center employee Pablo McCandless who will represent Chile in Beijing. So if you want to meet an Olympian, just head out to the center and ask for Pablo!

I can't wait until we have Olympic class competition here in Charlotte again, and you can bet with the Whitewater Center here in Charlotte it will be back!

Ira

Photos from the Olympic trials

Day 1 of Olympic trials at Whitewater

Day 2 Action

Olympic Trials Day 3

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