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National Public Radio visits S2o’s offices to learn more about S2o’s role as the designer of the London Olympic Whitewater slalom venue for 2012. This profile explores the challenges and design process that led to this industry leading whitewater park.
http://www.kunc.org/post/rocky-mountain-whitewater-takes-center-stage-london-olympics
The Smithsonian Magazine profiles Rapidblocs, S2o, and their role in designing the London Olympic Whitewater Venue as well as inventing and implementing a completely new movable obstacle system for the Games.
http://kdvr.com/2012/07/16/olympic-kayaker-from-colorado-designs-london-kayak-course/
LYONS, Colo- You don’t have to be a Colorado resident for very long to figure out the “river folk.” They are the people who live for water.
The people who like to spend their free time paddling any type of boat in the water. They are also the same people who find a way to work less and play more.
The people always smiling, happy and … tan. As Scott Shipley explains it, “There really is a DNA to river people.”
Shipley is a perfect specimen. He was a three time Olympic kayaker. He was ranked number one for eight consecutive years, a ten time national champion. He met his wife on the water who raced on the German team. And water is still a big part of Shipley’s life.
“We design fun. More often than you realize in Colorado, when you’re in an inner tube floating down a rapid, it’s probably something built by our company or a company like ours.”
The Lyons resident is the founder and owner of S2O design.
“I studied engineering at Georgia Tech, got into ship design. Kind of very last minute, I saw an article about a guy that did river design and thought gosh I want to get into doing whitewater parks.”
When Scott is out of the water, he is wading through computer models and blueprints, including the biggest project of all, the 2012 Olympic course.
“To be a part of the design team on that London park was literally a dream come true. I so much wanted stay part of that Olympic movement.”
Part of the Olympic design includes giant Lego like blocks, called RapidBlocs that create obstacles and whitewater just like a natural boulder would. Brand new technology, invented by Scott and his British partner.
In London the Lee Valley Whitewater Center outside of London is already in use.
“The feedback we’re getting is, ‘Oh my gosh! This is what we dreamed of,’ and we’re hearing that from the Slovakians, the French, the British, it’s not just the U.S. Team saying it’s the crème de la crème of white water parks.”
All those hours playing in the water are definitely paying off.
“The most rewarding thing by far for me, because I did live that Olympic life for 20 years, to go back to an Olympics and watch it on a channel we designed. Watch it on a channel we built.”
Scott Shipley brings a varied background to the table. A three time Olympian (’92, ’96, ’00) and holder of four world titles, Shipley is among the best-known American kayakers in the world today. Having retired from elite competition Shipley went back to school to earn a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Shipley’s combined expertise in both Whitewater and Engineering Design has made him the go-to designer for some of the world’s most demanding whitewater design projects. He has been credited with driving innovation in the whitewater park industry by pushing the design envelope; his achievements in whitewater course design may just supersede his world titles and his accolade of America’s best ever slalom kayaker.
Shipley has also been involved in the design of the Whitewater Package Course—the world’s first purpose-built club training and instructional center as well as the Africa Club-House Project—an unprecedented design project tasked with bringing secure clubhouses for sports of all kinds, including kayaking, to Africa. His company S2o Designs designed the features in the Lee Valley White Water Center, the Canoe Slalom venue for this summer’s Olympic Games in London.
The opening of the centre, which is the only brand new Olympics venue the public can access and enjoy ahead of the Games, will provide a legacy some 15 months before London 2012.
Members of the public will be able to try white water rafting along the same rapids that Olympic canoeists will use during the Games when some 60,000 spectators descend upon the centre for five days of Canoe Slalom action.
Lord Sebastian Coe, chair of the London organising committee, praised the venue for providing an early legacy for the Games before branding it a “world class venue” for the sport.
“Seeing the Lee Valley White Water Centre open to the public is a great example of an early legacy for London,” said Lord Coe.
“This venue provides the opportunity for a new generation of water sports enthusiasts to get active and engaged in fun and challenging sports as well as providing us with a world class Olympic venue for Canoe Slalom.”
U.S. National Whitewater Center
