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Mr. Jack Rogers <br />My Name is John Brennan and I am the head coach of Durango White Water. <br />We are the competitive kayak team that draws athletes from around the world to train and <br />compete on the Animas River. We have a membership of 35 to 50 athletes depending on <br />the year. I coach these athletes on a year round schedule and we use the smelter site <br />starting in mid September and continuing through the winter months. I have also <br />coached training camps on the Animas River at the Smelter site in October, November, <br />December, February, March, April, and of course through all the summer months during <br />our race season. These training camps have attracted up to 80 paddlers from all over <br />Colorado and the western states, where they have limited water in the winter. Durango <br />White Water has put many athletes on the national team and Olympic teams. Rebecca <br />Giddens and members of the national team trained on the Smelter site through the winter <br />months to prepare for the Olympics in Greece 2004. Rebecca Giddens won a silver <br />medal. We currently have the number 1 ranked US junior kayak and 5 US development <br />team members with Durango White Water, <br />Durango is one of only 4 Centers of Excellence, and the only one west of the <br />Mississippi. We receive funding from USA Canoe and Kayak. To have Center of <br />Excellence designation, a site MUST have year round river training opportunities. If we <br />do not have winter water for competitive training Durango will lose this designation. <br />Without year -round training opportunities, Durango White Water will cease to exist and <br />athletes would have to move to other training centers. Durango has hosted numerous <br />National and International competitions at Smelter rapid. This hosting capability would <br />be severely diminished, if not lost, without the Center of Excellence support for the local <br />racing program. Of course, year round training capability is very important to all the 30 <br />or so athletes that use the Smelter site all winter long. <br />Thank you, <br />John Brennan <br />Durango White Water <br />Head coach <br />