DOWD JUNCTION, Vail - In paddlecross races, close finishes don't get much closer than taking paddles to the gut.

Rush Sturges' and Eric Jackson's guts each took a good beating in the Teva Mountain Games men's kayak paddlecross finals Wednesday in Vail.

After what organizers deemed a race that pitted "the younger kids against the older kids," Sturges, 20, took the win Wednesday. He was the first to launch from the start and didn't see any sign of finalists Tommy Hilleke, Jay Kincaid or Jackson until Jackson summarily passed everyone and caught up to Sturges at the fifth gate after a stalled start.

"I was really surprised because Tommy and Jay are incredibly powerful paddlers," Sturges said. "When we got into the flatter, quicker waters, (Jackson) kind of flew right up on me. He was about to pass me, then I just rammed into his boat to keep him away. Just as we were getting to the rock at the very finish, I just managed to get my paddle in there a micro-second faster. I thought for sure he was going to get me in the end."

In paddlecross, competitors say that as long as they keep their hands on their paddles, "just about everything is fair game."

"Jay had bloody knuckles. Tommy had a fat lip. Everybody got at least one bang, for sure. But it's not intentional," Jackson said.

The Class III section of water through Dowd Chute where the paddlecross took place takes about three minutes to maneuver.

On the women's side, New Zealand's Nikki Kelly, 29, won the title during her fourth visit to the Teva Games.

"The course they set is the most challenging it's been in years," she said.

Racers competing in Wednesday's paddlecross will try their strokes in today's Extreme Creek Race on Homestake, which begins at 9:30 a.m. in Red Cliff.



Clear Creek Rafting finishes second in raft paddlecross

DOWD JUNCTION - The start of Wednesday's three-team raft paddlecross final through Dowd Chute was completely backward.

Literally.

Race officials for the Teva Mountain Games threw a curveball at finalists Behind the 8 Ball, Clear Creek Rafting and Timberline Tours by starting the race when all three boats were paddling upriver to get into starting position.

"We were in about six inches of water and about a boatlength behind everybody facing upstream and they yelled out, 'Go!'" Clear Creek captain John Rice said. "Everyone looked at them like, 'What?' They yelled it again, so we all had to turn around and paddle."

The Behind the 8 Ball boat swiveled around the fastest and took off downriver, earning the hole shot through the chute and a decisive win.

The victory marked a solid start to the competitive paddling season for the whitewater national champions, all of whom hail from Eagle County.

Clear Creek, out of Idaho Springs, came out of the start in third, then passed Timberline Tours in Gore Creek Rapid to finish second.

"We got ahead of them there, which was real nice," Rice said. "Once you get further into the chute, you're not going to pass unless someone makes a dramatic mistake."

Behind the 8 Ball's Mike Reid said the Teva Mountain Games paddlecross is one of the most important races of the season for the team as it gears up for nationals in August and worlds in October.

Since the group hails from Eagle County, Reid said, and guides professionally on the Eagle River, it's important to win in front of the home fans.

"It's our backyard run. We want to win," he said. "We want to win this race and look good. Every race is a training race for the world championships. We just want to keep hammering and be the best we can be."

- Nate Peterson