Some call Barton, 47, the greatest kayaker in American history. He is the only American kayaker to win two Olympic gold medals at one Olympiad, the 1988 Games in Seoul.
Yet on this lazy afternoon, there was Barton, working with Kenny Howell, the store's proprietor, as the pair prepared surf ski kayaks for the 2007 U.S. Surfski Championships, which took place over the weekend in San Francisco.
 Greg Barton, left, and Kenny Howell discuss surfskis and the championships prior to last weekend's competition in San Francisco. Barton, a two-time Olympic champion, placed in the top three in the weekend's competitions. |
The atmosphere wasn't of men preparing for a major race. Instead, it was a group of friends preparing their surf skis for an hour of kayaking under a warm, fall afternoon sky.
The event was a big deal - organizers expected up to 150 competitors from all over the world.
"San Francisco has one of the most challenging courses in the world," Howell said. "There's the tidal current as well as the Golden Gate Bridge. The course is just 14 miles in length."
The challenges are many.
"The swells can come at us," Barton said. "The currents under the Golden Gate Bridge are tough. We might have to deal with the wind as well."
This is the fifth year the event has taken place in the bay. For the first time, the event started and ended at Crissy Field.
"Experience plays a big hand in this race," Barton said.
The sport is starting to gain popularity, especially in Australia and South Africa.
"More and more people are up to the challenge," Barton said.
That includes trading stories about everything, ranging from where the next competitions are to how the surf skis are working.
Howell was kept busy in the past few weeks preparing many of the boats.
"A kayak race at this level is like the running craze of the '70s," Howell said. "Every week, there is some sort of competition."
Though this type of racing is in its infancy, Howell believes the sport will continue to grow. He has already seen some of the growth.
"There is now prize money in the events," Howell said. "The Dubai Challenge was the first event to offer any sort of prize money."
That event had a purse of $10,000. The weekend's event had a purse of $12,000.
Barton finished fourth in the doubles race Sunday. He and his partner, Oscar Chalupsky, finished in 1 hour, 1 minute, 7 seconds, three minutes behind winners Barry Lewin and Lewis Laughlin.
In a two-kilometer relay, Barton and Chalupsky hooked up with Robert Clegg and Bevan Manson to finish second.
Barton was third in the singles competition, finishing in 2 hours, 15 seconds.
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