Showers and Harchak paddle it out at slalom

HUMMELSTOWN — The Fiddlers Elbow Penn Cup Slalom had a couple unusual features in its 2019 running. Held near Hummelstown by the Canoe Club of Greater Harrisburg, the slalom was the fifth race in this year’s Penn Cup Series.

Owen Showers, of Moshannon, and Ava Harchak, of Julian, are both U-12 competitors but racing in different classes. Showers came out victorious, winning his kayak class in 186 seconds, despite having six penalties. Harchak had a 236-second win in her class, but was slower than Showers. She had no gate penalties.

Showers went on to win the U-12, Class 1 trophy in 314 seconds and had only one gate touch during the run.

Harchak then won in the K-1W recreational boat class with a clean, 237-second run.

Showers and Harchak made the event more interesting when they slipped into a doubles canoe, and bested the field winning in 360 seconds.

To make events even more interesting Showers and Harchak then slipped into a doubles canoe to race together. They won that class with a 360 second score.

Kevin Todd, of Cornell, N.Y., and formerly State College, had the fastest times of the day in all three of the classes he raced in. In K-1, his time was 158 seconds. His singles canoe time was 157 seconds and his open canoe time was 187 seconds. He didn’t commit a penalty in any of the three runs.

The final slalom in the 2019 Penn Cup Series will be contested at the Sunnyside Paddling Park in Bellefonte on Oct. 13. It will be organized by Robbie Fulton, of Puddintown.