Gold Hill, Ore., — A once in a lifetime experience for a group of men from the Rogue Valley.
NBC5 spoke with the Team Sawyer Racing crew who are heading to Dubai for the World Rafting Championships in October.
This will be the first time a team from the USA is represented in the World Championships.
A group of men from the Rogue Valley are taking their white water rafting talents to the highest possible level.
“It feels great to go from Gold Hill, Oregon, our backyard, to Dubai to compete in Abu Dhabi.” said one team member, Peter Newport.
After putting together their team just one month before the USA Rafting Nationals in April – the team came in third place, which they say surprised many of their competitors.
“Definitely raised some eyebrows, but I think one of the things that really works with this group of guys is our number one priority is to have fun, so there’s not a lot of pressure, we’re pretty loose so that makes us fast.” said another team member, Andy Baxter.
That third place win qualified them for the World Rafting Championships in Dubai in October.
“It’s very exciting, it’s very exciting.” said Baxter.
Now they’re focused on winning the gold for the first time in USA history.
“We potentially could win 4 gold medals for the USA, and that’s what we’re pushing for.” said Newport.
The best part – the championships haven’t even happened yet, but the men have already qualified for the 2017 worlds in Japan as well.
“It’s fantastic, it’s a huge weight off our shoulders.” said Baxter.
The Rogue Valley group aren’t the only ones going, there will be four teams of both men and women representing USA.
If you want to follow the teams journey and help out you can find more information on their Facebook page “Team Sawyer Racing”
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