USA Canoe/Kayak National Athletic Center

Thank you for your interest in the Bethesda Center of Excellence (“BCE”), a non-profit Federal 501(c)3 organization. The BCE is also a USA Canoe/Kayak Olympic Center of Excellence.

The BCE Racing Program has a record of over four decades of outstanding whitewater racing and competition history along the Potomac River.

Mild year round temperatures coupled with world-renowned Potomac River whitewater from Great Falls to Little Falls keeps our local whitewater athletes at the top of the slalom and wildwater racing scene.

The mission of the BCE is to promote the sport of slalom and wildwater canoe and kayak racing, including providing to all actively training and racing BCE slalom and wildwater athletics:

(a) high-quality, year-round whitewater training sites
(b) world-class training facilities
(c) coaching
(d) training camps
(e) other training and racing opportunities

The BCE’s mission also includes community outreach for the benefit of the community, the club and the sport.

Greater Washington, D.C. area athletes have been making the United States Whitewater Team the since the 1960′s.  Athletes first started using the Feeder Canal on the Potomac River for their daily gate training workouts while preparing for the 1972 Olympic Games. Today forty BCE athletes ages 14 to 60+ train on the Feeder Canal, Dickerson Whitewater Course, and other areas of the Potomac River while compete in the Slalom and Wildwater National Championships and U.S. National/Olympic Team Trials.  BCE’s World-Class whitewater athletes are World Champions, Olympic Medalists, and World Cup Medalists.

The BCE focuses on daily training needs of the world-class athletes who train on the Potomac River and others who aspire to be elite whitewater slalom and wildwater racers. The athletes and volunteers maintain year-round training gates on the Feeder Canal since the early 1970′s, and hang gates on the Potomac River when the water levels permitted, and regularly work to clean-up the Potomac River. The Feeder Canal is adjacent to the C & O Canal next to Lock #6 off of the Clara Barton Parkway. The Feeder Canal allows the Potomac River to feed additional water into the C & O Canal as it continues into Georgetown. There are 40 to 50 training gates here in class I-II at normal river flow levels.

In 1991, Potomac Electric Power Company (“Pepco”) allowed the BCE to build an artificial whitewater course in the existing outflow canal of Pepco’s Dickerson Generating Station simulating the 1992 Olympic course in La Seu d’Urgell, Spain. The river water is warmed as it cools the coal fired generators prior to returning to the Potomac River.  The Dickerson Generating Station is now owned by Mirant; however, Mirant continues to maintain a partnership with BCE to provide a training course for BCE athletes.  The Dickerson Whitewater Course is the only year-round, warm water artificial training course in the United States that can be utilized by our athletes 365 days a year. Located on Mirant property the whitewater course is open to actively training and racing slalom competitors who must register with the BCE. The  Dickerson Whitewater Course is particularly attractive for fall and winter training due to the warmer water and ideal water flows down the course.  On September 26, 2010, BCE will host the 2010 USA Canoe/Kayak Slalom National Championships at the Dickerson Whitewater Course.

BCE athlete programs directly benefit the National Team, Junior Team, and other potential world class athletes through enhanced training facilities on the Potomac River’s Feeder Canal, the Mirant Dickerson Whitewater Course, and the Brookmont weight training room. Support of the BCE also provides local whitewater athletes with year-round coached workouts, special whitewater training camps, and individualized whitewater training programs including video feedback.

BCE supports a large number of the nation’s whitewater athletes, and conducts countless year-round programs open to all interested athletes. Further, BCE supports numerous athlete programs for National Team athletes, junior racers, and other potential World Class athletes. BCE maintains whitewater slalom training gates on the Potomac River Feeder Canal and the Mirant Dickerson Whitewater Course. BCE also maintains a small whitewater-focused weight training room in the Brookmont Community Church. BCE organizes specialized training camps, coaching for National Team, Junior athletes, and other athletes working to make the jump to the National junior and senior Teams. BCE hosts entry level races, training camps, a whitewater triathlon, and paddling demos. Your tax-deductible contributions of any size are always welcome and greatly appreciated.

Thank you to everyone who supports the BCE athlete programs and activities. The BCE whitewater athletes and the BCE Board of Directors appreciate all of your volunteer help and financial support.

Thank you for you interest in our United States Athletes as they strive for whitewater slalom excellence toward the 2012 London Olympic Games and beyond!

Bethesda Center of Excellence

PO Box 54

Cabin John, MD 20818