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Wilde About Texas: Competition on the San Marcos River
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The San Marcos River's constant flows and warm temperatures make it a destination for people hoping to improve their paddling.
However, when Andre Sanborn paddles the San Marcos River, his sights are set firmly on Rio de Janeiro.
"It's just a great course, great people out here. There's always someone paddling besides myself," he said.
The San Marcos River is a year-round destination for paddlers of all skill levels, but in the wintertime, the competition really heats up.
"If you're in Canada almost all your rivers are frozen, so they definitely like coming down here and especially with the spring fed river here that's at 70 degrees. Actually, the water feels kind of warm since it's a cool day out," coach Mark Poindexter said.
The Rio Vista falls has been outfitted with gates that make up the slalom course that paddlers have to negotiate. The course is fit for Olympic champions or even future competitors.
"It's really impressive the quality of players and the number of them,” Sanborn said. “This little course is small relative to any other place you go, but just since it's a summer course the water's always warm, people can come here in the winter when their courses are bitter freezing cold so we get lots of good competition."
This year's summer Olympics begin in July in London. Sanborn hopes to qualify for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.