Kayakers go for gold
by Matt Kroschel
Mail Staff Writer
Buena Vista residents Dustin Urban and Jeb Selby are hoping to bring home gold for the U.S. from the Freestyle Kayak Worldcup series which began Aug. 15 in Prague, Czech Republic.
The U.S. team has been in Europe for the past week preparing for events testing their whitewater skills in a series of holes located near the outskirts of Prague for the first event.
Selby and Urban qualified for the Worldcup by placing at the U.S. nationals event held in June during FIBArk in Salida.
Other team members include the Jackson family - Eric, Emily and Dane, acclaimed as some of the best paddlers in the world.
Competition will switch venues Aug. 22 to Augsburg, Germany, and conclude in Thun, Switzerland.
Each event is equally weighted and the points leader after the final event will be crowned World Cup Champion, according to the U.S. World Cup Web site.
Selby began kayaking in 1995, and has won more than 15 freestyle competitions in his career.
He is co-founder and president of the South Main housing development in Buena Vista where he was among the founders of the Buena Vista Pro Rodeo freestyle kayak events.
Urban has been a member of the U.S. Freestyle Kayak Team since 2001. He won the 2005 World Championships in squirt boating and has won several national titles.
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