GAINESVILLE — For Stanton Collins, Chris Miller and a handful of other northeast Georgia-based athletes, months -- years even -- worth of work will come down to a few seconds worth of performance this weekend on the waters of the Lake Lanier Olympic Center in Gainesville.
The Pan-American Canoe/Kayak Championships will take place Thursday-Sunday at the Clarks Bridge venue -- where winners can book themselves a spot in the 2016 Rio Olympics. And plenty of Lanier Canoe/Kayak Club (LCKC) members hope to be on that boat.
(NOTE: For a complete look at this weekend's schedule click here. For a listing of LCKC athletes competing this weekend, scroll down.)
"All of our focus has been for the Pan-Ams," LCKC member and Gainesville native Stanton Collins said prior to qualifying for the competition -- along with Miller -- in the two-man 1,000- and 200-meter kayak races. "We trained really hard all winter for this."
With such a prestigious honor on the line, it's no wonder.
"That's my ultimate goal -- the Olympics," said Miller, who will also compete in this weekend's one-man, 1,000-meter kayak race -- where the winer will put himself in line for the races in Rio.
It won't come easy, however, and even after dominating several races in last month's National Team Trials at the Lanier Olympic Center, this weekend's competitions promise to be that much tougher, as LCKC's best battle the best from around the western hemisphere -- all of them hungry for a spot in Rio.
"It's harder to qualify for the Olympics than race in the Olympics," Miller said.
"It's much tougher than the Nationals by far," added Ian Ross, an LCKC member that will compete in the two-man, 1,000-meter canoe race with brother Gavin and in the one-man, 1,000-meter canoe. "The hunger is higher at the Pan-Ams, plus you're competing against ex-medalists and champions."
That said, a number of LCKC's athletes are optimistic about their chances over the four-day event.
"We saw a lot of the competition we'll have at the last World Cup," Collins said. "There were three boats there within one second of each other -- us, Canada and Argentina. It will probably just come down to the day and the race as to who gets it."
Whoever gets it this weekend will certainly have earned it -- and have something huge to celebrate in the process.
(NOTE: Admission is free, though donations are accepted. ... To keep up with race results and for more detailed information on comeptitors in each race, click here.)
SCHEDULE FOR PAN-AMERICAN CANOE/KAYAK CHAMPIONSHIPS
May 19-22, Gainesville, Lake Lanier Olympic Center
Olympic qualifying races featuring Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club (LCKC) competitors
THURSDAY
11:30 a.m. – Senior Men's C2 (two-man canoe) 1,000m, Ian Ross and Gavin Ross
FRIDAY
9 a.m. – Senior Men's K1 (one-man kayak) 1,000m, Chris Miller
9:10 a.m. – Senior Men's C1 1,000m, Ian Ross
11:15 a.m. – Senior Men's K2 1,000m, Chris Miller and Stanton Collins
11:50 a.m. – Senior Women's K2 500m, Farran Smith and Sammie Barlow
SATURDAY
9:30 a.m. – Senior Men's K1 200m, Tim Hornsby
9:40 a.m. – Senior Men's C1 200m, Ben Hefner
9:50 a.m. – Senior Women's K1 200m, Emily Wright
11:40 a.m. – Senior Men's K2 200m, Chris Miller and Stanton Collins
