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August 17, 2004 12:34 pm

North Carolina canoe racer flips out

By MARIBEL VILLALVA

Gannett News Service

ATHENS - There was no way to sugarcoat it, so Chris Ennis Jr. just said it.

``I'm so out. I am as out as out can be,'' he said Tuesday.

Representing the United States on the men's C-1 Canoe/Kayak whitewater slalom competition at the 2004 Summer Olympics, Ennis flipped in his boat during the first heat, which put him dead last with a time of 156.94 seconds, more than 57 seconds behind the leader, France's Tony Estanguet.

Even though Ennis had a better run during his second heat, he was unable to make up for his previous mistake and finished last among the 16 racers with a combined time of 290.73 seconds.

``My first heat started great, I was battling the water well,'' Ennis said. ``But I chose a bad line at Gate 15 and my boat did a flip. I just chose poorly.''

The top 12 finishers from Tuesday's competition advanced to Wednesday's semifinals. Ennis said he knew after his first heat he would not advance.

``My second heat was just about having fun, so that's what I did.''

David Yarborough, executive director of the United States Association of Canoe/Kayak, said Ennis' loss was hard for the team to accept.

``I feel such sadness for Chris. He was so strong this season, but he flipped at such an inopportune time,'' Yarborough said. ``In slalom, anything can happen.''

The women's kayak singles competition also began Tuesday, and the USA's Rebecca Giddens advanced to the semifinals after finishing fifth with a combined time of 224.94.

Even though the U.S. Canoe/Kayak teams have practiced on the artificial course at the Olympic Canoe/Kayak Slalom Center at the Helliniko Sports Complex, Ennis said whitewater courses can be very unpredictable.

``I knew this course well, which is why it's so frustrating,'' Ennis said.

Ennis was born in Raleigh, N.C., and now resides in Bryson City, N.C. He said he has been paddling for 18 years and gave up a teaching job to concentrate on qualifying for the 2004 Olympics.

But he's not yet sure if he'll try for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

``I might go back to teaching,'' he said, ``I love teaching kids, and I love to see them enjoying a good book.''

The whole Olympic experience was worth years of hard work, he said.

``For me, just getting to the Olympics was an incredible journey,'' he said.

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