Parkesburg's Rick Powell did not lock up a spot in the Summer Olympics last weekend, but his dream of whitewater rafting for the U.S. in Beijing is not quite dead.

The 19-year-old and his canoe partner Casey Eichfeld did not get the first-place finish they were looking for at the U.S. Olympic team trials and the Pan-American Championships in Charlotte, N.C., last weekend, but their narrow second-place finish ensured that they will have one more shot to make it to China.

That last chance will come in a race in Augsburg, Germany, in July.

Eichfeld, 18, of Drums, Luzerne County, and Powell compete in the C2 (meaning there are two of them in a canoe) class of whitewater slalom, a waterborne version of the skiing event, where downhill skiers must navigate around "gates" - poles planted in the mountain.

In the whitewater version the gates are sets of poles suspended over the rapids, and rafters must paddle through instead of hitting them like skiers do.

Touching either of the poles or missing the gate entirely draws a penalty, something which came into play over the three days of racing last weekend for Powell and Eichfeld.

The U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte was the spot for both the Pan-Am Championships and the U.S. team trials. C2 pairs from Brazil and Canada competed with the top American duos for one spot in the Summer Games. Powell and Eichfeld's chief rivals on the water - fellow Americans Scott McCleskey and Austin Crane - secured that bid for the U.S. team by posting the best combined times over Friday and Saturday.

The Pa. pair were right on their figurative heels, however, and though McCleskey and Crane won the U.S. team trials with another good day of racing on Sunday, Powell and Eichfeld are only one point behind in the overall standings.

"We both had phenomenal weekends. We paddled extremely well," said Powell in a phone interview last week as he drove up from Charlotte to his Parkesburg home. A missed gate on Saturday drew Powell and Eichfeld a 50-second penalty, a sizeable setback for the young teammates, who were in the lead after Friday's runs.

They recovered for another good day on Sunday, though, to pull within one point of McCleskey and Crane, who are both near, if not more than, 10 years older than Powell and Eichfeld.

Points are awarded to racers according to their finish in each event, and only the top 20 can earn points. There is only one race remaining in which they can earn points, a World Cup event in Augsburg on July 5 and 6. For Powell and Eichfeld to win the U.S. C2 spot in China, they need to make up two points (a tie will award McCleskey and Crane the spot).

"Casey and Ricky are just so young. . . but they have the ability to rise up and do it," said David Yarborough, executive director of USA Canoe/Kayak.

Otherwise, their next chance at Olympic glory will be in London, in 2012. As for what would be next if they didn't make it to Beijing, Powell was unsure.

"I don't know, shrug it off and regroup, I guess," he said. "We haven't really thought that far ahead. We haven't really thought about not making the Olympics."