Liverpool University Canoe Club

Entries for BUCS slalom are being drawn up now - yes, its very early! That’s because there are deadlines. Please give Mary £10 and tell her which classes you want to enter. Novices: best to stick with K1 (or team). This event is a big, fun, multi-uni competition, with a huge party. Its the second of the three big BUCS competitions of the year (WWR, Slalom, Polo).

To enter a race, you need to be a student of Liv Uni - if you are not, then you can still go along as safety, paddle down the course accompanying the beginners etc and go to the party.

Each person can enter up to two classes. So check out this list, and tell Mary which two you would like to be in:

• K1 Men
• K1 Women
• C1
• C2
• Men’s team (can be MMM, MMF, MFF or FFF, any type of boat)
• Mixed team (as above, but cannot contain K1M)

Check out more info at: bucslalom.org.uk and join the facebook event

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Report and photos by: Susan B

Results at: Canoeslalom.co.uk

 

A few trips round the one way system in Stone later (courtesy of a very sleepy navigator in the car that had the directions) we finally made it to the Stafford and Stone Canoe Club. After some tea and breakfast we all got ready and headed down to have a look at the course.

 

 

 

Paddlers:

Claire P, Helen J, Martin, Aussie Dave, Nicky, Tessa, Matt, Hannah, Charlotte and me.

 

First down for our lot was Matt in the K1, and then it was the girls K1 with everyone, apart from myself (I went for an early swim), crossing the line. Next down were Dave and Martin in their C1s.

 

 

Then it was time for some lunch and sitting outside enjoying the sunshine. Our second runs started with Matt again (who discovered that sobering up doesn’t help improve your time…), then the girls K1 (but not me, as I knackered my finger during my earlier swim ), and Dave and Martin in the C1s.

 

Everyone else did really well, especially Claire and Helen, who came first and second respectively and both got promoted to Div 3, and Dave and Martin who should have been promoted to Div 3 but couldn’t be due to a lack of C1 competitors (they were the only ones running).

 

Thanks to Claire for organising the trip and driving, and Helen J and Dom for driving too!

 

 

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Here’s a video of LUCC back in January, at BUSA slalom, Tees white water course, enjoy! Hope it gets you in the mood for slalom!  

This Sunday’s slalom is to the, rather gentler, river Trent, suitable for everyone. Have fun!

See trip announcement and to sign up, see Claire P.

(More videos from Andy R added - see sidebar)

Beijing Olympics: Slalom and Flat water racing are scheduled for the following times, you can watch on BBC online or BBC1/BBC2:

11-14 Aug Slalom, from 8am-10.30am BST each day

18-23 Aug Flat water racing 8.30am-11.30am BST each day

To whet your appetite, here is Scottish David Florence testing out the Beijing artificial slalom course (C1):

The rest of the GB kayak team are:  K1 slalom Campbell Walsh, K1 slalom Fiona Pennie, K1 sprint Tim Brabants, K1 sprint Lucy Wainwright, K2 sprint Anna Hemmings and Jess Walker.

More links: BBC olympic canoe page, BBC olympic canoe blog, British Olympic Assoc, video diaries of athletes

Thanks to Chloë of BCU for sending out the schedule times.

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Report: Mary

With a full team of bleary eyed bodies we set off for Stone and made it just (5mins to spare!) in time to register. With impressively minimum faffage everyone changed and jumped into a boat for a practice run….. some got a little wetter than others!

Paddlers:
Claire, Tamsin, James, Gerard, Anna, Alexey, Sam, Kim, Saz, Jon, Vanny, Chris, Helen, Laura and me.

First runs down were Claire and Tamsin who showed us all how it was done from the dizzying heights of Div 3. Then it was time for the boys followed by girls Div 4. With a total range of paddle experience and boats going down, everyone put in an ace effort! Most first runs were improved on second time down.

We all felt a little outdone by the pint sized paddlers in their fibreglass boats but nonetheless everyone was pretty happy with their scores. Special mention needs to be made of Helen (who came 8th) and Chris (who came one below being promoted to Div 3) as it was the first slalom for both. Kim and Saz also did an amazing job as they’ve only ever spent 2 hrs in a kayak! Laura also gets a mention for having a wee fish drawn next to her name at gate 13…. He he!

Thank you to Tamsin for doing a fab job of organising everyone and Vanny for being driving and tying on man. Bring on the next one (Speak to Tamsin our slalom sec if you’re feeling keen and/or inspired)!

Mary

Report: ClareP

Showing dedication of the most extreme kind, me (Claire), Kim, Medic Dave and Tamsin found ourselves at the sheds at the unbelievable hour of 7am. Soon we were racing towards Bradford, fingers crossed that the little fiesta would make it with 4 boats, 4 people and all their kit aboard, it did…just about.

After the first practice run, we knew this was a totally different ball game to Oughtibrigde two weeks ago. This water was actually moving for a start! Not only that, but due to the recent rain (thank the river gods!) this water was actually moving pretty fast and the course included a whole two sections of white water. Adding to the difficulty the river was twice as wide, with gates virtually next to each other but on opposite banks. This was going to be a true test of our skills.

After another practice run, and a long look at gate 3 (down a small drop, break out, paddle up the eddy and around the pole to brake back in) it was time for our first runs proper. We all managed pretty well with no real worrying moments. Unlike some other competitors, one was claimed breaking in after gate 3 and took and swim, another tried to do c1 with no deck on and sank very quickly after gate 5. At the lunch break Medic Dave, Kim and Tamsin were 1st, 2nd and 3rd in ladies K1 div 4, while I was 5th in ladies K1 div 3.

After another practice run and a laugh at the wave hopper challenge practice it time to do battle a second time. I was first to go and had a run in with gate 3, which nearly claimed me but for saving myself with a stylish wave of my paddle, during which I managed to go back through the gate, so incurring a 50sec penalty. Tamsin was up next, and had a fantastic run, touching only 2 poles and scoring a much faster time that of her first run. Next was Kim who also had a quick run, but unfortunately also had issues with the now infamous gate 3, being turned before going through and despite her valiant efforts on a 2nd attempt couldn’t quite make it. Medic Dave was the final representative, with a solid and speedy run down, teeth gritted, determined not to touch any pole.

At the end of the day Tamsin finished 2nd, and won promotion to div 3, closely followed by Kim in 3rd and Laura in 4th, and I ended up 6th in div 3. We had a great, chilled out day, with some fun and challenging paddling. Roll on the next competition!

Report: ClaireP 

Pictures: Dom

On a fabulously sunny saturday, the magnificent 7 trundled up to an oddly named place somewhere in south Yorkshire. On arrival we were greeted by some slightly beamused, but welcoming faces, and proceded to spend half an hour showing why we deserve to be at uni by not being able to fill in entry forms.

 

Dom’s Pics, Dom’s other Pics. Entries filed, there was time for most of us to have a practice run. It was at this time we realised about half the competition were 10 year olds who were half our height, and twice as good as we were! We also had a shock when we released the course actually had a drop!

Practice over, time for the real thing. The friendly faces weren’t so friendly looking when we messed up all their timings by sharing boats , then only have having 1 C2 for 2 teams who were running after each other and then having people running in the C2 when their time came to run K1. But we managed and after the first run our girls were all around mid table in ladies K1, Dom and Martin were separated by 1 second for first place in mens K1 and Gould & Porter were trailing Renvoize & Lloyd (!) for 1st in C2.

Lunch time bought on another practice run and removal of many unnecessary layers.

2nd run and all was to play for. We learnt from the 1st run and had mostly everyone in a boat when they should have been, helped by some nice people lending the boys a C2. This time around we mostly gave the poles less of a beating and really tried to attack the river in the sprints between poles.

Days running completed there was time for a rope lesson loading the trailer before prize giving. Martin, Dom and Lanky Phil were 1st 2nd and 3rd respectively in mens K1 and I was 1st in ladies K1, earning the 4 of us promotions to div 3. Kim won U23 ladies K1 and in the end Renvoize & Lloyd got the better of Gould and Porter to take the gold.

Swim count: 0!

Line of the day: Lloyd, “there’s a little kid over there with a boat that I really want to have a play with…the boat that is not the kid”

Very enjoyable day all around! Thanks again to Medic Dave for the organisation and to Dom for driving. Hopefully there’ll be more slalom fun in the very near future!