On every whitewater slalom course, there is a single invisible fast line down the whitewater rapids. A whitewater slalom athlete must pass through 20 to 25 gate course in numerical order through a series of downstream gates and upstream gates. Green and white striped poles represent downstream gates, and red and white striped poles indicate upstream gates. Whitewater racers are accessed a 2 second penalty for any gate they touch with their person, boat, or paddle. Gates negotiated in the wrong direction, including upside down, and missed gates incur a 50 second penalty.
Athletes get two race runs down the whitewater slalom course.
The racer's raw time plus any penalties are added together, then the two race runs are combined for the final slalom results. At first glance, it may be tough to distinguish the difference between the decked racing canoes and the kayaks. Kayakers sit in their boats and use a double bladed kayak paddle, while canoeists kneel in the boat and use a single bladed canoe paddle. Whitewater Slalom athletes train year-round, primarily working out in the boat for strength, conditioning and technical focus.