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1984
– Olympic canoe, kayak and scull races are staged at Lake
Casitas
Olympic canoe, kayak and scull races were conducted at Lake Casitas from July 30 to August 5, 1984, and they had much of the character of the International Regatta, which had been conducted at the lake the year before. Athletes began arriving in the county by July 19, and they were very soon on the lake to test the waters and to acclimate themselves immediately prior to the opening of the races on July 30. It was the first time in over twenty years that these Olympic races were staged on a “natural” rather than artificial course. Tickets for the races were placed on sale for local purchasers at the Esplanade shopping center in Oxnard, and by the beginning of July all tickets had been sold for eight of the thirteen days of the races. Tickets could be purchased only in person at that location, and waiting lines at times became very long. Personal checks were not accepted, only “cash or credit cards.” Traffic control was a major concern. Baldwin Road and Highway 150 were reserved for Olympic athletes, personnel and local residents. Santa Ana Road was made one way, running north, during the morning hours, when the races were scheduled and traffic was heaviest. The Olympic torch was carried through the county on July 20, ten days before the opening of the races at the lake. Many county residents were given brief moments to carry the torch, but no one from the Ojai Valley. The route extended along the coast through Ventura and Port Hueneme, Oxnard and Point Mugu. Thereafter, the torch was carried along Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu and Santa Monica. The torch was carried by residents of the communities through which it passed. Nonetheless, the excitement of the Olympic games was spurred by this action. A two-day Olympic Jamboree was staged at Nordhoff High School in the valley on June 8 and 9. Bleachers were constructed to accommodate 4,800 people on the north side of the lake. Tickets were sold for an attendance limited to 10,000 persons. This number was judged sufficient on the basis of the record of the number of tickets that had been purchased for this type of races at previous Olympics. It was also a number that was judged acceptable by the officials of the Water District, who did not want over-exploitation of the grounds. A temporary post office was opened at the lake. Persons without bleacher tickets provided for themselves with blankets and folding chairs. When the races occurred, the shouting of the crowds began first on the shore near the point where the athletes started. Then, the shouting followed the racers along their course until they reached the area in front of the bleachers, where the finish line was located. A major undertaking for the games was preparation for ABC television. They determined that coverage ought not to be limited to cameras on shore, so they equipped two sixty-foot catamarans to convey camera crews over the water to follow the racers closely. They also equipped a houseboat to serve as a broadcasting center. The catamarans were appreciated, since they created no wake that would interfere with the racers. The longest races were over a course of 2000 meters (6,600 feet). The lanes were marked and separated. The rowing course lane-markers and protective log booms were held in place by some 42 miles of underwater steel cable. The course included eight lanes for rowing, only six lanes of which were used during competition, and nine lanes for canoeing. The rowing lanes measured 13.25 meters in width (43.7 feet). The canoeing lanes were nine meters wide (29.7 feet). Everything from underwater buildings, adobe soil and rock were used to anchor the floats, which were described as a “remarkable engineering feat.” Removal of the anchors after the races did not occur, so presumably they are still there. The buildings beneath the water were ranch buildings and a schoolhouse that had been covered with water when the lake was created (a reservoir). A swimming pool was constructed at the lake for the benefit of the athletes. It was not large, being described as only “an overgrown hot tub.” Nonetheless, it was at time well-used, especially when afternoon temperatures reached into the 90s. The pool was also viewed as the possible location for the dunking of coxswains by winning teams (a traditional act forbidding in the lake waters themselves). However, no reports seem to have emerged of such a ritual being enacted at the pool. Athletes from 37 countries were scheduled to compete, and by July 26, six hundred and eight-five had checked in at the Olympic Village on the campus of the University of California at Santa Barbara. As each team arrived in the village, its national anthem was played and the flag of the nation was raised. Not all the teams were housed on the campus, although preparation was made there for a thousand athletes. Of special importance locally was a “Meet the Athletes Day.” This “once in a lifetime event” was staged at the Oak View Community Center on July 29, where local residents had an opportunity to meet the members of the U.S. Olympic Men’s Rowing Team and to have pictures taken with them. An Olympic flag was presented to the center. Of course, it turned out to be an exciting and festive event! The opening ceremony at the lake occurred on July 29, attended by a “sunworshiping crowd of about 5,000 people.” Music was provided by the Santa Barbara City College Band, and flags of 37 countries were raised. Those who attended were much impressed by the colorful flags and the abundance of flowers that had been temporarily planted to brighten the site. The official races began on July 30 and continued through August 11. Early races, called “elimination heats,” were followed by “semifinal races,” leading ultimately to “final races.” The final races for rowing were staged on August 3-5. The final races for canoeing and kayaking were staged on August 11. An unexpected circumstance arose on the morning of August 9. Heavy fog settled over the lake in the morning, delaying the races. However, it also interfered with the arrival of Olympic president Juan Antonio Samaranch. He and his party were being conveyed to the lake in two helicopters, but through the fog the pilots could not find a place to land. Finally, a pilot spotted some open ground in the hills above Oak View. The two helicopters landed in Fred and Ruth Bush’s “side yard!” The Bushes were entirely understanding. They had just recently purchased the property, and much of it was still un-landscaped. They and their neighbors, Wayne and Wanda Rutledge, happily provided auto transportation to the lake for Samaranch and his party. “I drove the president and his people to the lake,” said Fred Bush. “He’s really a nice guy. You don’t get a chance to talk to the top dogs like that very often.” The Bushes and Rutledges were presented with VIP tickets as a reward for their hospitality. The combined total attendance for all of the days of the races reached 110,000. The largest daily attendance was 11,027 on Friday, August 10 (reportedly the largest crowd to that date to ever view a canoe and kayaking event in the United States). Romania was the big winner among women rowers, winning five of six gold medals. The U.S. women’s team won the other gold medal. New Zealand was the big winner in the men’s canoe and kayak final races, winning four gold medals in four races on August 10. United States athletes in all won one bronze, five silver and two gold medals in rowing and one bronze medal in canoe and kayaking.
One notable U.S. athlete was Greg Barton, who competed in singles kayaking. Greg had been born with club feet; yet he was an Olympic competitor, and he won a bronze medal in the men’s 100-meter kayak race. No male American single kayaker had qualified for the finals since 1936! When the races were concluded, the work of restoring the lakeside to its original condition began. All the flowers were removed, although some of the trees were allowed to remain around the entrance of the recreational area. The message was: “Sam the Olympic Eagle has flown from Lake Casitas’”. Thirty-two miles of underwater cable were removed. Seven thousand pounds of catfish were then seeded into the lake. 04 by Richard Hoye Home
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