In person meetings scheduled to begin in August. Hearing Loss Association of America Central Oklahoma Chapter (HLAA COC) is happy to announce that beginning with the Ice Cream Social in August face to face meetings will once again be held monthly and are open to the public. No admission charge. Meetings are on the third Thursday, 11:30 – 1PM, each month beginning in September. Meetings are held at the Will Rogers Garden Center Exhibition Hall, 3400 NW 36. The Ice Cream Social, August 15, 2-4PM, will host the introduction of HLAA COC scholarship recipients, the inauguration of new chapter officers, and official announcement of programs for the remainder of the year. In the past, the Ice Cream Social was a ‘pot luck’ event but with current conditions, the chapter will offer individually portioned treats, all at no charge.
Speakers and programs announced: September, Dr Patricia Burke, head of newborn screening in Oklahoma. October, Lezley Bell discussing the free telephone and service offered by Caption Call. In November, chapter members Tony & Sharon Howard’s fantastical players with skits, hints, & tricks for managing family gatherings and parties for the holidays will be seen. The December meeting will host the annual Christmas party. Everyone is invited if you have hearing loss, know someone who does, or are interested in the overall health of Oklahoma City residents. HLAA COC is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization with no paid employees. HLAA COC has been active for 29 years assisting Oklahomans with hearing loss to live better in a hearing world. Please look at Facebook, www.facebook.com/OklaHearingLoss, visit our website at www.OklahomaHearingLoss.org, or check out our new YouTube page: Oklahoma Hearing Helpers Room.

By Nick Thomas

Carla Malden credits her father, actor Karl Malden, for sowing the seeds of her writing career – first as a screenwriter then an author.
“He used me and my sister to cue him quite often when he was learning a part,” she recalled from her home in Los Angeles. “I think I learned a lot about writing as a result. If it was a heavily dialogued scene, he’d sometimes tell me to cross a line out of the script because he said ‘I can act that.’ It taught me the importance of seeing the actor’s character on screen as well as through the dialogue. It was fascinating to watch him break down a part and develop a character.”
Earlier this year, Carla published her forth book, “Shine Until Tomorrow,” branching out into the Young Adult (YA) book market. The story features a teenage girl who travels back to 1967 and the summer of love in San Francisco.
“It’s not a traditional sci-fi adventure or even a fantasy really, but a girl’s coming-of-age story that happens to involve time travel and features a driven teenager who learns about having to live in the present by traveling back to the past. It was designed as a YA book, but I’ve been gratified to see it’s crossed over to adults.”
A longtime screenwriter alongside her late husband (see www.carlamalden.com), Carla published her first book co-written with her dad in 1997, the well-received Karl Malden autobiography “When Do I Start?” Malden (1912-2009) is viewed by many as one of the great character actors from the 50s, 60s, and beyond, with critically acclaimed dramatic roles in films such as “A Streetcar Named Desire” for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. In the 70s, he co-starred with Michael Douglas in the popular “The Streets of San Francisco” ABC crime drama series.
“He had been approached to write his autobiography by a few people and tried to do it on his own over a few years then asked me to help,” Carla recalled. “Writing it with him was one of the great joys of my life.”
Raised in Gary, Indiana, Karl Malden came from immigrant parents, his Serb father barely speaking English. “His father was very involved in the church which was the social hub of the Gary Serbian community and he organized all the plays that were integral to the community. So my grandfather was always enlisting my dad as a kid to be in the plays and that’s how he got the acting bug.”
Away from the screen, Malden says her dad was a fabulous father and husband, married to his wife, Mona, for 70 years. “He was also an amazing grandfather and even had a few years of being a great grandfather.” She says her father was very down to earth, would often work in his garden for hours, and never craved the adulation that often follows entertainers.
“After he died, I got reams of letters from people for whom he had done major acts of kindness in all kinds of ways that I never knew about,” says Carla. “I miss him every single day of my life, ferociously.”
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for over 850 magazines and newspapers.

* *Includes 27 pediatric hospitalizations.
**Focus, Rehabilitation and Tribal Facilities numbers are not assigned to a specific region as their patient populations reside across the state. Information provided through survey of Oklahoma hospitals as reported to HHS as of the time of this report. Response rate affects data. Facilities may update previously reported information as necessary.
Data Source: Acute Disease Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health. *As of 2021-07-29 at 7:00 a.m.

On Friday, August 13, at noon the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore will host a wreath-laying ceremony and flyover to mark the anniversary of the August 15, 1935, death of Will Rogers and Wiley Post in an Alaskan plane crash. The grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Herb McSpadden—relatives of Will Rogers—are invited guests. Pilot and museum Roper docent Tom Egbert will fly the plane for the flyover. The public is welcome to join in viewing the flyover and the wreath laying at the site of Will Rogers’s tomb, overlooking the town of Claremore.
For more information about this event, please call 918-341-0719 or visit willrogers.com. The Will Rogers Memorial Museum is located at 1720 W. Will Rogers Blvd. in Claremore.
The Will Rogers Memorial Museum is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.

By James Coburn, Staff Writer

If you told Ryan Bell when he attended nursing school that he would be a hospice nurse, he would have thought you were “off your rocker”.
Today, Bell is more than content and gratefully enriched by serving as the Regional Director of Operations at Kindful Hospice in Oklahoma City.
“Once I got into it, I fell in love with it,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to do anything different. I don’t foresee myself ever going into any other line of nursing.”
Bell earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism before switching careers. He has primarily worked in hospice for nine years since graduating from nursing school from Metro Technology Center in Oklahoma City.
“We started Kindful about three years ago,” Bell said of what was once a small mom-and-pop, pre-existing hospice in Norman and Ada with 11 patients.
Now Kindful Hospice has grown to serve nearly 300 hospice patients with comfort and compassion. Nobody is treated as a number at Kindful Hospice. Patients are treated like family. (story continues below)

“We are one of the ones that actually do,” he emphasized.
His staff are among the most compassionate people he has ever worked with. They give of themselves until one would think they have surpassed their energy level. But they give some more.
“They just pour into our patients an incredible amount of love and compassion towards them,” Bell explained.
Hospice nurses work with what is perhaps the most vulnerable of patient populations. Case manager Vanessa Rodriguez, RN, keeps her spirit strong by having a good foundation with God. To give of oneself as a hospice nurse is totally fulfilling, she said.
“From my experience, we can help them get their wings. They get to meet Jesus — it’s helping them up through the journey,” Rodriguez said. “Taking care of them is really kind of self-care in itself because you get to spend that time with them, connecting with them, and making sure they’re comfortable in the process.”
She also makes sure to invest in activities that fulfill her soul such as hiking with her children. Recently, she has re-established exercise goals as key to stamina. And she is mindful of the need to be empathetic with family members and their loved ones in hospice. COVID-19 was a challenge for family members visiting loved ones outside a window of a long-term care facility. The nursing staff gave kindness so not to be a stranger sitting beside somebody taking their last breath, she said.
“For me it’s having a strong faith and that’s what helps me,” Rodriguez said. “It’s different for everyone, but I thank God every day for the opportunities to help his children.”
Her grandma is what brought her to hospice. She had been working in intensive care units and cardiac. Rodriguez lost both her parents at a young age, so her grandmother was part of her core strength of inspiration. She was 99.
“When she got sick it was hard for me, and she had a hospice nurse — she had a light over her — and I thought that would be the most amazing thing to ever do,” Rodriguez said. “And so, I jumped in — for me it was my grandma. She just touched my life.”
What she reveres the most about Kindful Hospice is knowing patients and family members who open the door of acceptance for her to be part of their lives. Just walking along beside them in their journey is an opportunity to fortify faith.
“Some of them aren’t believers, and that’s fine. So just to help them with were they’re comfortable is to learn something different about each one of them,” she said. “It’s something that helped me grow in just meeting them where they’re at.”
There are different variations among families. Not everyone is able to be with their dying family members when the final second comes. Every experience is different, and Kindful Hospice embraces the opportunity for the staff to give what is needed.
She is available to help educate the probable timeline when asked the toughest question: How long does mom have?
Rodriguez always tries to prepare family members to expect the unexpected, she said.
“We have a trajectory of knowing the signs and symptoms of what we are watching for. I always try to over prepare versus under prepare. Sometimes you miss it, but you do your best.”
Rodriguez tries not to compare patient to one another but individualizes their care plans to meet their needs.
It’s helping each individual patient reach their end-of-life goal. Bereavement coordinators follow the patients’ families for at least 13 months after their loved on passes away. No one is left alone.
An entire interdisciplinary team offers a circle of care, including doctors, nurses, CNAs, chaplains, social workers, and volunteers have one goal in mind.
“That is to provide the best care we possibly can to the people who are put in our path to care for,” Bell said.
For more information about Kindful Hospice and Palliative and Virtual Care visit:
https://kindfulhospice.com.

by Greg Schwem

It never fails. All the good Father’s Day gift ideas appear after the holiday.
I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I loved the barbecue tools and swimmer’s headphones that my wife and daughters gifted me last month. But had I paid more attention to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space quest, my wish list might have looked very different.
Bezos, we all know by now, recently completed a short journey to space aboard something called the New Shepard rocket. Named for first man in space Alan Shepard and launched on the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the craft returned safely and intact, allowing Bezos to resume duties as the world’s richest individual.
The capsule was completely automated, allowing Bezos and his three passengers to do absolutely nothing during the ride other than admire the views, the strongest evidence yet that space tourism could soon be a real thing.
As long as tourists are willing to climb into something that, no matter how you try and sugarcoat it, resembles the male phallus.
The design was confirmed by millions on social media who used it as additional fodder to unload on Bezos and his desire to spend billions on space travel while so many Americans live below the poverty line.
Seethe in anger all you want, Bezos haters. I will reserve judgement and applaud Bezos’ efforts, provided he agrees to run Blue Origin, his space exploration company, the same way he runs Amazon: Enable consumers to purchase whatever product their heart desires affordably and conveniently.
Admit it, isn’t that why we all use Amazon? We know that no matter what material good we see in a store, it can most likely be found cheaper on Amazon. We execute a few mouse clicks and then wait excitedly for whatever we ordered to arrive on our front porch. Well, we’re not always excited; the toilet brushes I recently ordered filled me with no adrenal rush whatsoever.
Bottom line? I want my own spacecraft, and I’m counting on Bezos to deliver it to me. I have ample room in my backyard to set up the launchpad. The area is also free of trees and power lines, ensuring a safe and unencumbered launch of my new spaceship.
Bezos’ three-person crew included a family member, his brother Mark. My only sibling lives eight hours away, but my wife enjoys quick getaways. Then again, she would probably prefer a little peace and quiet in the house, even if only for a quarter hour. So, I’ll leave her behind and ask a few of my male friends from the neighborhood. At least one needs to bring beer. Again, since computers will guide us through of our journey, there is no need to select a designated driver.
Once we return, we will have the ultimate excuse for laying on the couch and doing positively nothing. For as long as we desire. Demands that we get up and mow the lawn, take out the garbage or fold the laundry will be met with, “Hey, I was just in space!”
So, Jeff, please make good on my requests before late September, as my birthday falls at that time. Christmas at the latest. I have big plans for my spaceship in 2022.
Oh, and I’d also like free shipping.
(Greg Schwem is a corporate stand-up comedian and author of two books: “Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and the recently released “The Road To Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS From a Corporate Comedian,” available at Amazon.com. Visit Greg on the web at www.gregschwem.com.
You’ve enjoyed reading, and laughing at, Greg Schwem’s monthly humor columns in Senior Living News. But did you know Greg is also a nationally touring stand-up comedian? And he loves to make audiences laugh about the joys, and frustrations, of growing older. Watch the clip and, if you’d like Greg to perform at your senior center or senior event, contact him through his website at www.gregschwem.com)

The National Institutes of Health has awarded the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation $480,000 for Alzheimer’s research.
OMRF scientist Michael Beckstead, Ph.D., received a two-year grant to continue his study of the role the naturally occurring brain chemical dopamine may play in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Most current Alzheimer’s research focuses on the outer and upper sections of the brain, which control symptoms of the disease like memory loss. This study will instead focus on a small bundle of neurons near the base of the brain, which regulates dopamine function.
Dopamine is a chemical responsible for voluntary movement and the perception of reward in the brain. Beckstead studies what can happen when things go wrong with dopamine cells, ranging from Parkinson’s disease when too little is present to drug addiction when there is too much.
Scientists have not yet directly implicated dopamine in Alzheimer’s, but Beckstead said there is evidence to suggest it is involved in the initial stages of the disease.
“When you look at people who develop dementia, many of them were first diagnosed with depression or have a history of apathy,” said Beckstead, who holds OMRF’s Hille Family Foundation Chair in Neurodegenerative Disease Research. “These symptoms are closely linked to dopamine. There’s a good indication that the area handling the chemical could be involved years before tell-tale symptoms of Alzheimer’s appear.”
Scientists in Beckstead’s OMRF lab will observe dopamine-controlled behaviors in research models of Alzheimer’s throughout development and the impact of environmental changes like diet on disease progression.
The study will also include a partnership with OMRF scientist Bill Freeman, Ph.D., a researcher in the foundation’s Gene and Human Diseases Research Program. First, Beckstead’s lab will identify abnormal brain cells using electrical signals. Then, Freeman’s team will analyze the cells using a technique never before applied to Alzheimer’s disease models to look for clues to explain why they are behaving differently.
“We used to compare a region of an Alzheimer’s brain to a region of a normal brain,” said Freeman. “But we know within the brain there are many types of cells, and each could play a different role in Alzheimer’s. Now we can look at what’s different between individual dopamine neurons, which provides us with answers to better questions.”
Freeman said the partnership between labs is a natural result of the diverse talents at OMRF. “To do impactful science, you have to cross over multiple disciplines,” he said. “It’s always going to be a team effort.”

Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn t4z@aol.com

Travel is still a challenge, and no more so than international cruising. I personally have a tentative booking for July of 2022, which may or may not come to fruition. It might be more practical to take a cruise closer to home, or one designated as domestic. It’s never too early to plan and dream.
As you can tell from the title I had a near 3 week tour of the North East which was an all-consuming adventure of over 1100 miles, 32 locks and many city visits via Blount’s Grande Caribe small ship cruise. Blount specializes in traveling where large ships cannot go and giving their guests exceptional access to destinations approachable by rivers in North America. Blount cruises are ideal for Senior citizens. (More details about my cruise, next month, in Part Two.) It’s always a good idea to arrive early for any cruise ship departure, as you’d hate to miss the boat because of airline or weather delays. I did that with my 3 night stay in one of my most enjoyable city explorations in Old Montreal.
Taking the suggestion of Montreal Tourism, I stayed at the upscale boutique Le Saint-Sulpice Hotel, in the middle of historic yet modern old town. The hotel offered all the amenities expected with a flare and style for which you always wished. The dining, bar, concierge, bell men, Internet access, housekeeping and staff all were the best of the best with efficient and congenial service. Le Saint-Sulpice is indeed a pleasant and quiet oasis from your Montreal touring.
Being my first time in Montreal, I enjoyed my morning car tour by expert guide, Ruby Roy, who showed me many Montreal iconic sights. They included the past Olympic and Expo venues, several overlook vistas of the Montreal skyline, an exposure to the variety of unique architectural styles of its neighborhoods (where the design of street lights change with each neighborhood), the Atwater Farmers market and of course topping off with a visit to the 1823 Notre-Dame Basilica (entry fee), which is only half a block from my Le Saint-Sulpice Hotel.
It’s said that Montreal has over 6,000 restaurants, but as only having 3 days, I was pleased to accept the challenge and sample a few, most in Old Montreal and within walking distance. Many were near the main street of Old Montreal, Saint Paul Street, East and West. The street is filled with enticing upscale art galleries, shops and other businesses housed in vintage Montreal facades. At times I felt I was strolling through a European city, exhibiting its sophisticated culture. A short distance from Le Saint-Sulpice is the Montreal Museum of Archeological and History, a must to see for its original foundations of Old Montreal, and to explore its history through a labyrinth of exhibition narratives. The experience of taking in their multiple image movie was a welcome diversion and informational. A real treat is the very popular museum café, Restaurant l’AArrivage. The concierge at the hotel retrieved the last table available for my noontime respite, where the food was economical and delicious along with a variety of local people watching. So as not to be disappointed reservations, even for a noon time meal, is a must at most all Montreal restaurants.
My other dining pleasures included: Helena, is a very popular and crowded venue offering a Portuguese style menu. Chez L’Epicier has an elegant atmosphere and food presentations which started off with a Kir Maison of sparkling apple cider, cranberry and maple, to accompany their amuse bush of a sweet macaroon and chocolate mint. This may be their “eat dessert first” philosophy. Ask for their Club Sandwich, which is a dessert of sweet delights presented as if it were a sandwich. Perhaps the best taste in all Montreal was their Roasted Butternut Squash (tasting like peaches!) with sour cream and walnut crumble.
Osteria Venti, was again a very popular restaurant. It seems everyone in Montreal eats out all the time. The service here was congenial and I must say that they followed my Martini instructions to the letter without hesitation. It seems in Canada in particular, that martinis are stirred not usually shaken, so my detailed instruction (ice on the pond) was welcomed, as they wanted to please this customer, as they also did with my meal of oven roasted half chicken, rustic peperonata, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil.
I needed to take a taxi to Chez Ma Grosse Truie Cherie – but it was worth it to dine on their onion soup, pork tenderloin encrusted (pork is their specialty), a hazel nut crème Brule, and accompany all with either an apple Martini or their special drink created by the bar tender, David, a martini of Montreal gin, herbs and a hint of maple syrup. To know that most of their interior is from recycle materials including bowling alley wood made into table tops, is an added treat.
Back at Le Saint-Sulpice Hotel your choice of breakfast dishes at the St Clair restaurant is extensive, and who doesn’t need an early morning wake up for a full day of touring? If weather permits you might eat out on the patio, or if not, inside the enclosed terrace offering floor to ceiling windows. Having this hotel as your elegant, secure and convenient home in Old Montreal is a comfortable way to enjoy the city. There is even a Christmas shop halfway between the hotel and the Notre-Dame Basilica, and a liquor store across the street. Old Montreal…my new favorite haunt.
Next is Part Two – Blount Cruising on the New York Canal System.
Until then check out: www.mtl.org/en, www.lesaintsulpice.com, www.blountsmallshipadventures.com, www.restauranthelena.com, www.chezlepicier.com, www.pacmusee.qc.ca/en/plan-your-visit/larrivage-restaurant, www.osteriaventi.com

Story by Vickie Jenkins, Staff Writer

Just for Seniors is a licensed companion-sitter agency providing services to help families care for aging loved-ones. We provide a variety of “rent-a-daughter” services that help fill-in for families when busy schedules will not allow. Our goal is to keep the seniors you love living safely and comfortably at home without the need for a care facility.
Our passion is getting seniors out of the house and engaged in the community while they still can. We love working with seniors to find fun and stimulating activities that get them excited and improve their quality of life. (story continues below)

Just for Seniors has been in business since August 20, 2012. Deborah Wallace started the business because her mom needed someone to help her. “It was after my dad passed away, my mom had several small strokes and could no longer drive. I was working at Chesapeake at the time so taking time off during the day was very challenging. Trying to handle things in the evenings and weekends was exhausting. I was also very concerned that she was spending most of her time in the house watching TV. I wanted her to at least get a change of scenery on a routine basis. I needed someone to take her to the beauty shop every week and to lunch a couple days a week. I needed someone to take her grocery shopping and run errands so I didn’t have to do it on my time off. All the commercial options we found had a three to four hours service minimum. That was more action than she could handle. Ultimately, we were able to find someone privately to help her, but I knew there was a need,” Deborah explained.
Currently, we are the only Just for Seniors; we are not a franchise. There are six part-time employees, five in the OKC metro area and one in Stillwater. Officially, they are called, Just for Seniors Associates. “Unofficially, they are called, Rent-a-Daughter/Son,” Deborah said with a smile. “We have approximately ninety clients signed up to use our service. Roughly, thirty to forty people use us each month.”
Deborah grew up in Oklahoma. “My dad was a Methodist minister so we moved around Oklahoma every three to four years. I was born in Lawton and lived in Chickasha, Choctaw, Hugo, OKC, Weatherford, Pryor and Guymon before graduating OU in 1988. I moved to Houston, staying there until 2007 when I returned to OKC to help my parents. That was quite a few moves! I currently live in Bethany and plan on staying here for a while,” she said.
Starting high school in Weatherford, OK, Deborah graduated high school in Pryor, OK. She earned her undergrad BBA in Management Information Systems from OU. She earned her graduate MBA in Finance and International Business via night school from the University of Houston.
Deborah wears many hats as a business owner and says that each day is dramatically different. “After spending twenty-five years in an office, I try to spend as little time as possible in the office now,” she said. “My office time is usually focused on accounting and administrative activities,” Deborah said. “I am the primary marketer so I am responsible for networking and marketing activities. I work with families to find resources that address their loved ones needs. I still do some caregiving so I might be helping a client with something,” she added.
Asking Deborah what her biggest reward is from Just for Seniors, she replied, “Helping a senior solve a problem that be a challenge for them could be something easy for me or an associate. Sometimes, resolving little issues can make a huge difference in the quality of someone’s life. That brings me satisfaction that I never felt during my twenty-five years in corporate America. I love working with the seniors and knowing that they are being taken care of.”
“Finding good Senior Associates is something we are looking for each day. We are growing quickly and we are always looking for new associates in certain parts of town. It is a challenge to find people of the right fit.”
On a personal note, Deborah likes spending time with her wonderful husband, Steve. “We don’t have any human children but we try to save as many dogs as possible. We currently have a crazy rescued Pomeranian.”
For more information visit: www.justforseniorsok.com.

Story by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

In the afterglow of the Tokyo Olympics their canoe/kayak medalists and world champions will compete under the lights Saturday at the 2021 ICF Canoe Sprint Super Cup August 21 at Riversport on the Oklahoma River. The free event’s world-class paddlers will be competing for both medals and prize money in the first internationally televised night event being beamed to Europe and China.
“To host this international competition right after the Olympics is a huge honor for Oklahoma City and an exciting opportunity for Oklahomans,” said David Holt, Oklahoma City Mayor.
The free entry ICF Super Cup is 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday, with prime seating at the Boathouse District’s Finish Line Tower terrace as the centerpiece of a multi-day race event. It will be a fast-paced event designed to fit the 90-minute TV format.
The Oklahoma Paddlesport Festival will include a World Party, the American Canoe Association (ACA) 2021 Slalom and Sprint National Championships. The weekend also features the USO Experience, a three-day expo event expected to attract thousands of military members and their families from across the region.
“Oklahoma City is known for our hospitality and for all Riversport offers in the Boathouse District,” said Mike Knopp, Riversport executive director. “It’s unique in the world for a city to have both flatwater sprint and whitewater slalom in the same venue. We’re looking forward to sharing this with paddling enthusiasts around the globe.” (story continues below)

The invitational event will be held at Riversport, a $100M outdoor sports and recreation venue in the city’s Boathouse District. In its 15th year of making sports history, the venue is the only permanently lit flatwater course in the world. Completed in 2013, the permanent racecourse lighting along the river was another integral part of the MAPS 3 Oklahoma River improvements,
Spectators’ participation is encouraged to help bolster the new sport of Xtreme Slalom which, will debut at the Paris Olympics in 2024. The ICF Canoe Slalom Ranking Race features top slalom athletes in three boats at a time dropping 12 feet into whitewater, then paddling head-to-head in completing turns, combat rolls and other maneuvers in racing to the finish
“The ICF is extremely excited and proud that Oklahoma City will host the ICF’s Canoe Sprint Super Cup in 2021,” said Simon Toulson, ICF secretary general. “This event brings together only the best athletes in our sport to fight for cash prizes in the amazing river setting of Oklahoma. The night finals are going to be quite unique with a large audience which adds to the important role Oklahoma plays in the sport of Canoe on a world stage. We are indebted to Riversport and the supporters of this event to persevere through the pandemic to host this event”
The 350m sprint distance allows sprint paddlers to take on endurance athletes in the sport. Riversport’s rare course lighting gives these elite athletes an opportunity to race at night. The event, so soon after the Olympics, promises to help keep them in world-class fitness as they prepare for this year’s ICF canoe sprint world championships in September in Copenhagen.
“This event will feature the world’s greatest athletes in canoe/kayak competing under the lights on television around the world at one of the world’s greatest venues for canoe/kayak,” said Mayor Holt. “Let me also add, these Olympians will not have had crowds at the Olympics due to the COVID situation in Japan, so we want to show up and give them the cheers they deserve to hear.”
The weekend will also include an Extreme Slalom demonstration event and the ICF Super Cup Sprint Portage race. The Extreme Slalom whitewater demonstration event will be Friday, August 20 at 7 p.m., in Riversport’s whitewater center rapids. The Super Cup Sprint Portage race will be held Saturday at 10:00 a.m. on the Oklahoma River. The 800m race involves racers paddling a short distance, docking, running with their boats and then re-entering the water to finish the race.
Riversport is working in partnership with the International Canoe Federation, the State of Oklahoma, the Chickasaw Nation and First Americans Museum, Inasmuch Foundation and the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau to host the event. The public is invited to attend the World Party honoring international athletes and coaches. It will be held Friday, August 20, 7 to 10 p.m., in the McClendon Whitewater Center and will feature the Extreme Slalom demonstration event. Tickets are $35 and may be bought online at ICF World Party – Riversport OKC
“We encourage everyone to come out for the ICF Super Cup,” Knopp said. “This is a unique opportunity to see Olympic and World Champions in some of the most exciting races ever staged.”
Riversport is known as an innovator is both Olympic sports and outdoor recreation. The nonprofit Riversport Foundation has developed Oklahoma City’s Boathouse District. It has evolved into one of the world’s premier urban outdoor adventure and water sports venues. It regularly hosts national and international races in both rowing and canoe/kayak. Located at America’s crossroads, the Boathouse District features iconic architecture, world-class adventure sports and recreation, and powerful programming for all ages.
It is an official US Olympic and Paralympic Training Site and a model for other communities to embrace bold ideas and bolster outdoor culture.
The International Canoe Federation is the umbrella organization for all national canoe organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide.
The full schedule for the weekend events is available online at: Oklahoma PaddleSports Festival – Riversport OKC