A day of drizzle did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm for Friday’s grand opening of the new wave shaper on the Nantahala River. It was the first major event leading up to the 2013 ICF World Freestyle Kayaking Championships and the World Cup of Freestyle Kayaking less than a year away — two events that will place Bryson City and the Nantahala Gorge on kayaking’s center stage.

The playboaters above were demonstrating the wave for the grand opening crowd and will continue to practice their maneuvers over the coming weeks, providing feedback to the wave’s designers and engineers. The submerged high-tech structure has adjustable concrete components that allow fine-tuning of the wave’s flow pattern. The goal is to create a freestyle kayaking venue that will continue to attract the world’s top athletes for years to come.

For more information, visit FreestyleKayaking2013.com. And for even more reading, check out the Asheville Citizen-Times’s great article on the Nantahala wave shaper.

Yesterday’s 37th annual Christmas parade had everything you would expect — colorful floats, music, fire trucks, celebrities and, of course, Santa. Even the green ‘Grinch’ received applause. But the biggest cheer went up for the Swain High Maroon Devils football team – 2011 State 1AA football champions and Grand Marshals of the parade. Led by homecoming queen Mary Shell, our local heroes proudly held their trophy high throughout the parade. The entire county shares your pride, guys.

The Smokies’ favorite pools are dry. And the area’s skateboarders and BMX freestyle sport cyclists wouldn’t have it any other way.

The ‘pools’ are features in the new $600,000, 13,000 square foot Action Sports Park in Cherokee — a 6’8″ peanut shaped bowl and a 3500 sq. ft. flow bowl (above). And that’s just half of it. The other half is a large street course with multiple levels and obstacles.

Designed by Pillar Design Studios and built by Artisan Skateparks, the state-of-the-art facility was funded by the Eastern Bank of Cherokee Indians to provide activities for area youth. It’s open daily from 8am to dusk and is free for all to enjoy.

Cherokee Action Sports Park
1036 Acquoni Road.
Cherokee, NC 28719

By day they may be a doctor, a beekeeper, a beautician, a rafting guide or a bike shop owner. But give ‘em a pair of skates and they’re suddenly transformed. With names like “Bletilla The Hun”, “White Crash”, Hopi wan Kenobi”, “Butternut Squash” and “Miss Guidance”, the newly formed Smoky Mountain Roller Girls are well on their way to forming a local roller derby league in Bryson City.

Smoky Mountain Roller Girls is open to women 18 and up, with skill building opportunities for all levels. The Roller Girls have extra skates and gear for those interested in trying, and are happy to help build skills. For more information, come to a practice (with or without skates and gear), join the group on Facebook, or send an email to smokymountainrollergirls@gmail.com.

The group practices four evenings a week from 6:30 to 9:00. On Tuesdays and Thursdays they’re at the Stecoah Valley Center gym; and on Wednesdays and Sundays they’re at the Swain County Indoor Recreation Center on West Deep Creek Road.

If you don’t think football is big in Bryson City and Swain County, you should have seen the turnout for Thursday’s Pep Rally and Parade. Despite the drizzle, Everett Street was lined with enthusiastic fans cheering for their home town heroes.

Favored to win the tough Smoky Mountain Conference, the Swain Maroon Devils began their season with 21–14 win at East Henderson Friday night. This week, they’ll face Smoky Mountain High for the first home game of the year.

Want to attend a Maroon Devils home game? Kickoff is at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $5. The stadium is on Fontana Road, just north of town.

SWAIN COUNTY MAROON DEVILS 2011 HOME SCHEDULE
08/26 Smoky Mountain (Sylva, NC)
09/24 Pikeville, KY
10/07 Cherokee, NC
10/14 Andrews, NC
10/28 Murphy, NC