2011 Hansa Waterfront Rush from Motion Pixel on Vimeo.

_______________
Rush Ends Festival with a Splash

Olivier Feuilette took this year’s Hansa Waterfront Rush from Martin Fraser McKenzie in a blistering 5:17 – but the numbers tell only half the story.

By tradition, the Rush – brought to you by kickbutt energy ballz and Vibram fivefingers technical shoes – forms one of the highlights of the final day of the Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival – and this year Knysna served up perfect, balmy winter weather for the occasion.

“The short, explosive nature of the event makes it a great spectator sport, and, with the Navy’s concert  band creating an incredible atmosphere,  the vibe at the Waterfront was electric – all of which contributed to the athletes posting frighteningly fast times,” said Race Director Mark Collins of event organisers Magnetic South.

Of course, the Rush isn’t a one day affair – 94 hopefuls (18 women and 76 men) took part in the heats on the two days leading up to the elimination rounds, with 74 people posting qualifying times. In the end, Steven Webber, Ryan Louw, Olivier Feuillette, Tanya Weyers, Gabriel van Wyk, Arnold Venter, Martin Fraser McKenzie and Cameron Taylor met in the semi-finals.

In the end, of course, it comes down to experience, and with local man Martin Fraser McKenzie up against the father of the play-boat and retired professional paddler, Olivier Feuillette, it was always going to be an explosive affair.

“This makes it four years in a row that Ollie’s taken the crown, and I think we can now safely call him the King of the Rush – he’s a class act who’s impossible to beat!” said Mr. Collins.

What is the Waterfront Rush?

The Waterfront Rush has been dubbed the highlight of the Oyster Festival – certainly the most explosive, captivating and spectator friendly event.
Magnetic South challenges anyone with a Spirit of Adventure to exert themselves to the max in up to 10 adrenalin packed minutes during the qualifying rounds at the Knysna Quays Waterfront on the 8th an 9th of July 2011.

Can ladies enter the Waterfront Rush?

Absolutely – Anyone can enter! With the GBAT (gender based Adjustment of Time) system Ladies get a fair chance of ranking in the top 8.

Women compete directly with the men via a G-BAT Scoring system

• Women competing in the qualifying rounds have a predetermined percentage (determined in consultation with sports scientists) deducted from their total time and are ranked alongside the men according to their adjusted time.
• Women making it into the top 8 finalists of the Rush will start alongside the male competitors and have adapted their time by the G-BAT Scoring System.

What are the Waterfront Rush disciplines?

The Rush is started from a platform 7.5m above the water (depending on the tide it might be a bit more). Participants are blasted-off the ramp in Fluid Solos and make their way through an 80m slalom kayaking course. They must then manouvre a device called a Hydro Bronc (likened only to a hamster wheel) and literally walk on water. A ropes course suspended above the water must be traversed before competitors finish by scaling an overhang on a climbing wall. Their time around the course is taken by using state of the art electronic chips which records split second times.

What are the Waterfront Rush disciplines?

Seal Launch	Paddling	Hydro Bronc	Lilly Pad	Climbing Wall

What is the format?

Pre-entries will be given 2 attempts around the course – the better time of the 2 tries will count. When entering the race each athlete must choose 2 time slots in which he would like to compete – it is recommended to choose 2 slots with sufficient time in between to recover tired upper body muscles.

What are the prizes?

R20 000 cash is on offer for the podium finishers.

• 1 st Prize – R10,000.00

• 2 nd Prize – R 6,000.00

• 3 rd Prize – R 3,000.00

• 4 th Prize – R 1,000.00

Top 8 ranked athletes will be given a pair of Fivefinger Shoes

		——————————–
powered by