A swell time at Reno rodeo

World champion kayaker Jay Kincaid secretly prepared a new acrobatic trick to outfox competitors in advance of the Reno River Festival last year. He was competing in the freestyle competition, a tricks-only event for professionals in which, in the span of 60 seconds, contestants aim to either land difficult maneuvers and score mega points, or pile up consecutive moves to steadily accumulate points. The “Phonics Monkey” involved a 360-degree pirouette (like a spinning top) followed by an end-over-end flip. When it came down to Kincaid versus veteran kayaker Chris Jackson for the title, the new trick was executed. “I thought there was no way he could touch it,” Kincaid says. Into the recirculating rapid went Jackson, smoothly pulling off one move after another. It was high drama, with Kincaid winning. An estimated 25,000 are expected to attend this year’s festival from Thursday through Sunday in downtown Reno at the man-made Truckee River Whitewater Park. For a $30 entry fee, amateur paddlers can pull off as many endos, front loops and McNasties as possible at the open freestyle. The top three scorers will compete with the pros in the festival’s men’s and women’s freestyle invitational, which last year was won by Kincaid and Brooke Winger, another longtime pro. “The cool part from the athlete’s standpoint is that this is the only event in the world where every contestant is good enough to win,” Kincaid says. “There are rivalries, but almost everybody at that level will hang out with each other after the event. But when the contest starts, it’s another story completely.” For details, go to www.renoriverfestival.com.

-- Emmett Berg