Alzar School's Camp Cup Challenge at NOC
July 15-16, 2013

Camps Come to the Nantahala for Camaraderie, Canoes, and Competition

NOC welcomes local and national youth summer camp programs that participate in the annual Camp Cup Challenge, organized by the Alzar School! NOC is proud to support this whitewater paddling event which brings campers together on the Nantahala for two days of canoeing, group activities, and community building. Monday, campers and camp staff get familiarized with the race course and the slalom gates. In the afternoon, those interested in freestyle compete in a friendly, low-pressure "rodeo" in the 2013 Wave. Tuesday is race day, and camps cheer each other down the course, practicing the Olympic ideals of Friendship, Fair Play, and Doing Your Best.

The event is an opportunity for young paddlers to meet and develop friendships with like-minded youths, and gives kids a venue in which to build a community of active, engaged, and enthusiastic peers. Event highlights include a beginner-friendly slalom race on the Nantahala Bridge Gates as well as a downriver race through Nantahala Falls. Over 120 young paddlers participated in the 2012 Camp Cup Challenge, which was spearheaded by Sean and Kristin Bierle of the Alzar School, based in Boise, ID. Kristin, an alumna of Camp Green Cove in North Carolina, says "Running the Nantahala was probably one of my favorite days of camp, and I wanted these campers to have the same experience I had and be exposed to new ways of paddling."

The Alzar School's Camp Cup Challenge is regularly attended by the following:
Camp Kahdalea, Camp Glen Arden, Falling Creek Camp, Camp Carolina, Camp Chosatonga, Camp Green Cove, Camp Highrocks, Camp Illahee, Camp Kahdalea, Camp Merrie-Woode, Camp Mondamin and Camp Wayfarer.

Event sponsors will provide raffle prizes.

For more information on the Alzar School's Camp Cup Challenge, or to get involved, please contact the event organizer, Alzar School.  You can reach the Alzar School's Head Teacher, Sean Bierle at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .