By: Tom Bamonte
I was deep in the heart of Texas this weekend, San Marcos to be exact. San Marcos is the home of the Power Olympic Center, which is headed by Ben Kvanli, a talented whitewater/slalom paddler. What attracted Ben to San Marcos is the San Marcos River, a spring-fed river that rises in the town and has a constant 72 degree temperature all year round. In the last decade the town built the Rio Vista whitewater park, which has three drops and has been outfitted with slalom poles.
Rio Vista Whitewater Park
Rio Vista Park--Another view
People come from all over to train. When I was there I met the slalom team from Alberta, another team from Nevada, and a military group that was studying the possible use of kayaking as a form of PTSD treatment for returning vets. (What a good gig--go kayaking on Uncle Sam's dime and for a good cause.)
When I arrived Ben said we were in for a rare treat. Recent rains had broken the grip of the drought and Ben thought we could run Onion Creek, which is only possible about once every three years. It apparently is a nice run with a big drop near the end.
Twenty of us got boats and gear loaded. Along the way, we saw a bunch of other folks with whitewater boats. Indeed, I have seen more whitewater boats than cowboy hats in Texas thus far. My sense is that Texans keep them handy for when it rains because there is not a lot of steady whitewater in Texas.
We arrived at the launch, put in, paddled a quarter of a mile and found our way blocked. We were either too late or Onion Creek never was runnable that day. Not an auspicious start. We reversed course and headed back to San Marcos.
On the way back I rode with Ben. I asked him if he knew Jim Tibensky because I thought that they were both at the 1996 Olympics. Ben's face lit up. He said that Jim had been an "incredible teacher" and, in words echoed by many Chicago paddlers, Ben recounted that Jim "had taught me more about the forward stroke than just about anyone." Ben said that Jim came along at a crucial time in his paddling career and was a really good influence.
I was pleased to establish a Chicago-Texas connection. We later put in at the Rio Vista park and I was able to demonstrate that as a whitewater paddler I'm a decent sea kayaker. After about 4 straight hours in my boat, I hauled myself out on a rock ledge, ready to call it a day and head back to Dallas.
Along came a lithe fellow with cat-quick steps. He said he wanted to give me three things to work on. It was clear from his body language that the list of things I need to work on is much longer. I listened to his suggestions, all good ones, but feared that he might want to work further down the long list and that might discourage me from whitewater paddling forever.
So, to break the flow I asked him out of the blue, "you wouldn't happen to know Jim Tibensky would you"? That stopped him in his tracks. "Of course, I remember Jim. We raced against each other a few times. Every time I thought for sure I had trained sufficiently to beat him but somehow he always bested me." Again, sound familiar?
The gentleman was Jim Stewart. I hope to run into him again my next trip to San Marcos and get his instruction before I spend another four hours reinforcing bad habits (but still having fun).
Jim Tibensky--Texas Legend.
