On Saturday, October 7th, the flags of 20 different countries waved as more than 200 athletes waited for the 2023 ICF Freestyle World Championships to start. Come Monday morning, the North Highlands Dam would release the pre-determined 7800 cfs and the Chattahoochee River would rise, forming Good Wave and showing what is possible when a city—two cities—stand behind a vision.
Despite years of planning and preparation, the event almost didn’t happen. As September ended, reservoirs across the southern United States lay empty, and the Chattahoochee River was no exception. Through the fierce advocacy of the ICF Freestyle Committee and others, including the Governor of Georgia, a new agreement was reached with
